Limousin Heart Beat
Official Publication of the heartland Limousin Association • Jan/Feb 2015
Autumn in the Heartland.
Winter Cattle Feeding That Doesn’t Break the Bank
News
Volume 23 • Issue 1
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Bar JZ Ranches...........9, 23 BHSS® ...............................7 Bosch Farms....................28 Boyer Family Farms.........29 Bruner Limousin...............38 Double A Limousin............31 GV Limousin.....................13 Hunt Limousin..................22 Iowa Beef Expo..................2 JLX Limousin......................8 Liberty Ranch...................19 LimiGene..........................34 Linhart Limousin...............21 Lura Limousin.....................3 MC Marketing...................32 NE Cattlemen’s Classic....37 Nolz Limousin.....................5 Peterson L7........................5 Red Carpet Show & Sale.18 Rockin’ R Ranch.................6 ROM’N Limousin..............20 Straight Limousin..............24 Symens Brothers..12, 16, 33 Treftz Family Limousin.....35 Vaughn Family Limousin..22 Venner Family Limousin...26 Vorthmann Limousin...........5 Wieczorek.........................39 Wulf Cattle........................40 Yorga Farms.....................36
fall-calving group. “Thin cows that are pregnant can be put on stockpiled pasture as soon as their calves are weaned to regain body condition prior to the winter feeding period,” Burris said. “Favorable prices make this a good time to cull unproductive cows.” Burris said producers should calculate the amount of hay they need to feed cows through the winter. A rough estimate would be about 2% of their bodyweight for about 120 days. That would be approximately 25 lbs. per day for 120 days or about 3,000 lbs. of hay per cow. Multiply 3,000 lbs. by the number of cows in the winter herd to estimate the amount of hay needed. “You might be able to feed less than 120 days, but don’t count on it, and your round bales of hay probably weigh closer to 1,100 to 1,200 lbs. rather than the expected 1,500 lbs.,” Burris added. “Make sure and get forage analyses on
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State News
Iowa News................... 10-11 Kansas News...................12 Minnesota News.................8 Missouri News.............16-17 Nebraska News................18 South Dakota News..........20 Wisconsin News...............32
Feeding cattle in the winter can be the single largest expense for producers according to University of Kentucky College of Agriculture beef specialist Roy Burris. There are several management practices that producers can use to lower feed costs and make their herds more profitable. Burris said one big way producers can decrease the amount of hay and feed they use is by extending the grazing season as long as possible. Pastures that have received nitrogen and have been allowed to accumulate growth can be grazed even further into the winter, thus markedly delaying the start of winter feeding. It’s also a good idea to strip graze accumulated/ stockpiled fescue pastures to avoid waste and increase grazing days on those pastures. Producers should pregnancy check the spring-calving cowherd now and eliminate the wintering of open cows – or move them to the
Heartland Limousin Association 23244 Gopher Drive East Bethel, MN 55005
American Royal Results...37 Back In Time.................3, 18 Covering Ground................4 Fullblood Alliance News...34 Heartland Calendar............4 Heartland Highlights ........30 Junior Beat..................14-15 On The Road Again.........6-7 Sale Reports................23-29
your hay supply so you can estimate your supplemental feed needs. Supplemental feed purchased can be made ahead of time for best prices.” It’s also a good idea to plan ways to minimize feed losses, he said. Producers could consider using a feeding pad (geo-textile fabric and gravel) with hay feeders to minimize mud and waste. Cost share programs may be available in some areas for permanent feeding Continued on page 3.
You are Invited
The Heartland Limousin Association would like to invite everyone to attend their annual meeting, banquet and benefit auction. Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 10, 2015. The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the FFA Building (west of the cattle barn) on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. This annual event will be held in conjunction with the Iowa Beef Expo. The Association is seeking items to be donated for the benefit auction. In the past there have been a wide variety of unique and interesting things donated as well as food items. There also have been cattle supplies and semen donated. The money raised from this auction goes to support the travel expenses of the HLA Executive Secretary. Please contact Dean Summerbell or any member of the HLA board of directors if you have items to be donated or if you would like to leave a bid for items. Check out the HLA website at www.heartlandlimousin.org for updated information on the banquet and a list of items on the benefit auction.