From the Desk of the SCCA President, by Roscoe Kyle

• VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S HEAT - This loose vitamin and mineral supplement is ideal in the late summer and early fall or anywhere in the deep South where temperatures consistently stay above 70ºF. This formula includes the HEAT pack to help support cattle during heat stress situations and provides five percent phosphorus, the ideal level of phosphorus for use with average to good quality forages, to promote milk production and higher calf weaning weights. • VitaFerm Concept•Aid 5/S - This free choice formula is much like the one above without the HEAT and is ideal for average to good quality forages. It contains five percent phosphorus, and like all Concept•Aid contains organic copper, zinc, and manganese to ensure maximum bioavailability of nutrients to the animal, as well as high levels of vitamin E and selenium to promote optimized fertility. • VitaFerm Concept•Aid 8/S - This loose vitamin and mineral supplement is ideal for cows on low quality forages or mature crop residue. This formula provides eight percent phosphorus, the ideal level to promote milk production and higher calf weaning weights. • VitaFerm Concept•Aid Protein Tub - This combination of Concept•Aid and 20 percent natural protein is ideal for situations for when forage quality is low to very low, and you need the added convenience of the tub, such as corn stalks or big country. It provides the convenience of the highly bioavailable Concept•Aid breeding mineral along with a natural protein in a 200 pound tub, so there is no need for an additional vitamin and mineral source. • VitaFerm Concept•Aid Protein Meal - This 20 percent protein meal is ideal when forage quality is low. This is a loose mineral that combines the highly bioavailable Concept•Aid breeding mineral along with a natural 20 percent protein meal, so there is no need for an additional vitamin and mineral source when forage quality is low.

You can see the complete list of Concept•Aid formulas at www. vitaferm.com and find a mineral that will compliment your program with the VitaFerm Concept•Aid Product Navigator. Various minerals might work for your operation at various times of the year, depending on your environment or production cycle.

Whatever your situation, whatever your herd’s production cycle, there is a Concept•Aid mineral that will work for your operation. From droughts to excessive rains, pasture conditions probably aren’t ideal in a lot of areas, and hay quality and quantity might not be premium either.

How to Keep Your Animals Healthy in the Fall. The fall sniffles. They are real for humans, dogs, cattle, and swine. Take the day to night temperature fluctuations and add the stress of weaning, transitioning to new environments, feed regimens, and being with new people and routines, and that is a lot for a young animal. It’s no wonder that one of the most anticipated times of year becomes a time of worrying about the health and well being of new show prospects.

Temperature swings are perhaps the biggest culprits of fall sicknesses. Some signs and symptoms to look for are runny noses, downed ears and heads, and animals that simply hang off by themselves. Excessive panting or animals that quit eating are signs of an animal that is not feeling well. If you want to take your animal’s temperature, make sure to have a thermometer on hand and know what a normal range is for your species.

Bloat is another common ailment to look for with feed changes and stress. Watch for animals that look uncomfortable and are excessively full in their appearance. They need to be treated immediately. The best way to treat bloat is to drench them with mineral oil or release the gas build up with a hose and then drench with mineral oil or a combination of baking soda and water.

An Ounce of Prevention - Being proactive is the best approach to keeping your new show livestock healthy. Make sure to vaccinate calves for BRD and respiratory diseases.

When it comes to preventing bloat, make sure your ruminants like cattle, sheep, and goats have plenty of hay in their daily diet. Also, as an extra measure, you might want to add sodium bicarbonate or simply baking soda to their feed to keep their rumen in check.

Finally, make sure your livestock always have clean, fresh, cool water. One way to keep your animals eating and drinking is to add a dose of Vita Charge Liquid Boost to their water, especially during times of stress like the fall weather changes or transitions to new environments. Vita Charge Liquid Boost contains Amaferm and MOS to support the ability to recover from the effects of stress. Amaferm is a precision prebiotic that combats stress resulting in increased intake, nutrient digestion, and absorption. MOS traps bad bacteria limiting their ability to do harm. This supplement also includes organic zinc, the antioxidant Vitamin E, and B vitamins.

Keep on Hand - Regardless of how much you try to prevent the fall sniffles, you are bound to have a sick animal or two. Keep some supplies on hand for when you need to treat an animal. Be sure to have a thermometer, antibiotics, clean needles and syringes, a drench gun, and the phone number to a trusted veterinarian.

Always read and follow label directions. If you are unsure of how to treat an animal, call your vet or a trusted mentor for advice. It is always a good idea to build a relationship with a veterinarian before you have a sick animal.

The fall sniffles. They are inevitable. With some proactive measures, some good prevention with Vita Charge, and a good vaccination program, you should be

From the Desk of the SCCA President

By ROSCOE KYLE

Well, there is one thing for sure, Mother Nature is still in charge, and she can sure throw a monkey wrench in farm plans. This past month we have seen some dry weather in some parts and deadly flooding in others. She has made it a challenge to try to get hay up in some places and made it easy in others. All we can do is hope she will work with us this coming winter and not be too rough on us. I hope everyone had a safe Halloween, and all the children got to go trick or treating in the original way. Please keep our first responders and service personnel in your thoughts and prayers during the upcoming holidays.

I have been to several county meetings. As always, it is good to see old friends and get their input on the cattle industry. Several of the comments I heard are in regards to increased land development, taxes, the rising cost of fertilizer, lack of parts, and low cattle prices.

First off, I know about the land development problem as several tracts in my area have been taken out of farming to make room for more homes. It happens as the owners get older and want to retire but have no one coming up who wants to continue the farm life or are not living close enough to look after things.

The tax issue is something we have always had to fight, and the only way is through your county and state representatives. You have to get involved.

The fertilizer issue is mostly because of where the ingredient is, what country has control of it, and the shipping cost. I have to agree that the rising cost is way out of hand, but there is no easy fix.

The parts issue is hard to understand since there are all these job openings, but no one seems to want to work. I mainly hear that the main problem is there are not enough truck drivers to deliver the items. There is one company I deal with, and it seems like it takes an act of congress to get anything delivered.

As for the low price for cattle, it is hard to explain as the demand and exports are in high demand. If only I had a crystal ball on that one,

NCBA is currently working on more transparency in the marketing area, so maybe we can understand it a little better. We all have our own thoughts in regards to this matter, so I will leave it at that. They are also fighting the tax issue in regards to death and estate taxes that directly effects the ones that we leave things to in the end. The main thing we have to realize is things did not get in this shape overnight and are not going to be fixed overnight.

In the middle of October, I was invited to a Farmer and Rancher group meeting with Governor McMaster and Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers in Chesnee, S.C., that was put on at Strawberry Hill Farms.

The Governor assured the group he had no plans on shutting down the state over the pandemic. He also stated he is a strong supporter of agriculture as it is the biggest industry in the state. The state is trying to improve the rural internet system. Also mentioned was a potential upcoming program that would assist young people who wanted to enter the agriculture business. It is still in the first planning phase, and as I receive more information, I will pass it on.

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Remember the words of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, “Farming looks easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.”

As always, if I can be of assistance, please let me know.

Respectfully Yours…

able to prevent too many sniffles before they become a major sickness.

Through the Judge’s Eyes - Callis Looks for Courteous Confidence. Brandon Callis is no stranger to the show ring or the cattle industry. He grew up with grandparents who raised both registered Brahman and commercial cattle in South Texas, and his dad was a 4-H Extension Agent, demonstrating at a young age how to make an impact on youth. Callis was active in 4-H and FFA and showed several of the smaller species like sheep and hogs early in his career, but when he was in the fifth or sixth grade, his dad got him his first show steer, which he admits was probably his dad’s “worst financial decision for himself.”

“It just took off from there,” said Callis, who is now a professor and livestock judging coach at Redlands Community College and also runs about 100 Simmental and club calf mama cows with his wife, Kelly, and their three children at Minco, Oklahoma. He recently took some time to discuss what he looks for in the cattle show ring.

The Cattle - “Nobody ever wants to take a picture with an ugly one. So, I want them to have some type of look and quality. And quality goes hand-in-hand with correctness of skeleton,” Callis said.

Callis is a self proclaimed fundamentalist when it comes to evaluating and sorting breeding cattle, saying that the cattle have to be able to look good, with structural correctness and function as his highest priorities when judging heifers.

“A heifer is going to have to perform and have the right kind of body dimension to sustain her entire productive life, and the right kind of structure to get up and go and navigate whatever terrain she is in and get to a feed source and water source,” he said. “When we do get them in the show ring, and probably with my background in evaluation and love for building things, I like to see them as correct in their feet and legs and structure without sacrificing that productive width and dimension.”

When it comes to market evaluation, it is of the utmost importance to remember that those animals are designed to be market animals, so they need to look the part. Callis puts his emphasis on muscle expression.

“They need the ability to become fat steers, so doability or their ability to convert forage or feed to what they need to be productive becomes important. And then again, if they can do all of that in a structurally correct, sound, quality package, that is important,” he said.

When asked if he had a preference between the slick haired cattle shown in Southern Texas or the haired up cattle he found up north, he said there was no preference, but definitely an obvious difference. He feels fortunate that he’s experienced showing and judging all types of cattle, having been raised in South Texas, but having completed his master’s degree at Kansas State. The noticeable advantage is the southern cattle are bred to be naturally thicker and heavier muscled, according to Callis, and the steers up north are typically a growthier, higher performing animal.

First Impression - “Courteous confidence” combined with passion are two traits Callis looks for when an exhibitor leads his or her calf into the ring. He wants to see the drive in an exhibitor and know that they desire to be in the ring with their project, not that they are just living through mom or dad or showing one of a dozen steers or heifers in the barn just to check one off the list.

He said one way to keep them passionate is to not get them burned out on showing, especially at an early age, just like preventing burnout is important with any extracurricular activity like sports or music. Let them focus on showing one or two animals a season instead of six or eight or twelve.

The courteous confidence that Callis describes is a combination of confidence that comes from at home preparation and knowing what is happening around the exhibitor in the show ring.

“I like to see kids that are naturally confident, and I know confidence comes from preparation. You can be confident in showing that animal because they put in that time at home, and I say courteous, because I like them to be aware of their surroundings. If there is a less experienced exhibitor in front of them with a calf that is acting a little rambunctious, you don’t have to crowd that one as much or give it some more space or be on the lookout for that one a little bit more. Or if it is balking in the middle of the ring, don’t just expect the ring help to help it out, but you can help it out, too,” he said.

Advice and Inspiration - “Be patient, and fight through the wall,” is the advice that Callis offers.

He often tells his judging teams there will be times in their competitive lives and in life in general where they will hit a wall, stop making progress, or simply go backward. Those are the times, he said, it would be easy to quit.

“I’ve oftentimes thought with my faith background, those are the times that God is preparing me to buckle up and get tougher; He’s expecting a little more out of me. So be patient, and don’t get so frustrated that you want to quit. Keep tearing down that wall because it is going to fall down.”

“I never got to win a show when I was a kid. But I thought His plans were bigger for me. And I got to do a lot of things I never thought I would get to do,” he said.

Callis has judged shows in more than 30 states. He doesn’t take that for granted and is grateful for parents who instilled work ethic and a love of livestock into him. He said he’s also fortunate to have found a spouse who shares common values with him.

“All my success started with my parents. There is not a bigger hearted, harder working person in the world than my mom. My dad has got a natural love for livestock and treating people the right way. And when I met my wife, the first time we talked on the phone, we talked about Jesus and cows, so I realized pretty quickly, we’d get along well, and she’s been a good constant for me as challenging me and pushing me and when I am gone, she’s able to take care of 100 cows and three kids by herself and doesn’t even sweat doing it. That inspires me to do what I’m doing the right way for the right reasons.”

For this cattle evaluator, it all starts with the fundamentals. Those fundamentals are structurally correct cattle that get worked with at home by confident, courteous exhibitors. The fundamentals of family and faith keep Callis grounded. His perspective is fresh and one that can help all exhibitors #PreptoWin in and out of the ring.

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Virginia Herd Health Management Services, PC

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