TURNING UP THE HEAT!

Sale Managers: Eberspacher Enterprises 507-532-6694 Val Cell 612-805-7405 • sales@ebersale.com Catalog will be online at www.ebersale.com Steve

One way to assess maturity of alfalfa hay is the snap test. If a handful of hay bends easily in your hand, the fiber content is relatively low. The hay will be more nutrient dense and digestible (with less woody lignin), than if the stems snap like twigs.

Hay samples can be tested; core samples from several bales can be sent to a hay testing lab for analysis. This is always wise when trying to evaluate hay for protein or mineral content. You should also open a few bales and look at the hay inside, to check texture, maturity, color and leafiness. Check for weeds, mold, dust, discoloration due to weathering (to know if the cut hay was rained on before being baled and stacked). Check for heat (and smell the hay) to know if it’s fermented.

Also check for foreign material in the bales, such as rocks, sticks, baling twines or wire. The latter can cause hardware disease in cattle if ingested wire pokes through the gut and creates peritonitis. Cattle often eat hurriedly and don’t sort out small foreign objects. Baling twines in hay can also be hazardous if eaten. Calves often chew on and eat twines, which can create fatal blockage in the gut.

Rained-on hay that had to be redried will be dull in color— yellow or brown, rather than bright green. All hay will weather; the sun bleaches the outside of the bales. You often can’t tell the quality of hay by looking at the outside. The inside should still be green, however, even if the outer edges have faded due to exposure to rain and sun.

Odor also gives a good clue to quality. Hay should smell good, not musty, sour or moldy. Flakes should separate easily and not be stuck together. Moldy hay, or hay that heated too much after being baled will usually be heavy, stuck together, and dusty. Alfalfa hay that has heated excessively may be brown and “caramelized,” smelling sweet or a little bit like molasses. Cattle like it, but some of the nutrients have been cooked; much of the protein and vitamin A have been destroyed. Good hay will be uniformly green and smell good, with no brown spots or moldy portions.

Try to select hay that has been protected from weather by a tarp or hay shed, unless you are buying it directly out of the field after baling. Rain on a stack can ruin the top layer or two, soaking in and causing mold. The bottom layer of bales may also be moldy if the stack sat on ground that draws moisture. Top and bottom bales will weigh more (adding cost) and have spoilage. n

H d Sire

LKCC BOLD VENTURE 194F X CONLEY LUCY F49

Owned with Conley Cattle

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RP/B C R EMINENCE H005

WLE COPACETIC E02 X RP/MP BUILT TO LOVE A021

Owned with Conley Cattle & C-4 Land & Cattle

H d Sire

HCC0 PAYBACK 166H

PROFIT X HCC0 COUNTESS 477C

H d Sire

NEXT LEVEL

KRJ DAKOTA OUTLAW G974 X KRDL CAEDENCE C37

Owned with Boyert Show Cattle

H d Sire

B C R PLATINUM 309H

WLE COPACETIC E02 X STF BS45

H d Sire

STAG HIGH DEFINITION 110 ET

BAR-E-L NATURAL LAW 52Y X NORDS LUCY 8022

Owned with Stagemeyer Cattle Company & Rosebud Cattle Company

H d Sire

CHESTNUT PERFECT TIMING 341

S&R STABILITY J824 X TR MS BLACK ROSE 8158F

Owned with Chestnut Angus Farm & Schae er Show Cattle

Mead Upscale X883

Mead Justified X313

PRODUCTION SALE - 1 PM MST - MARCH 23, 2023

JOIN US AT THE RANCH-CRAWFORD, NEBRASKA

WCS MR RED EMPIRE 2818K

ASA: 4149186 | PB SM

Sire: BAR CK RED EMPIRE 9153G • MGS: JF MILESTONE 999W

Homo Polled red hided calving ease herd sire prospect that ranks Top 10% CE, Top 3% BW, Top 4% MCE, & Top 30% API. His maternal granddam is a FULL SISTER to SVF Steel Force S701!

WCS MR STAY 2121K

ASA: 4149241 | 1/2 SM 1/2 AN Sire: W/C MAINSTAY 355F • MGS: HARKERS BANDITO UNO Impressive SimAngus™ herd sire prospect that is among the Top 10% WW, Top 15% YW, Top 10% MWW, Top 15% CW, & Top 10% REA!

WCS MR GLOCK 2125K

ASA: 4149160 | PB SM

Sire: WCS GLOCK 357 7117E • MGS: LRS TURNING POINT 3117A He ranks Top 25% WW, Top 20% MWW, and Top 15% CW. He posted an adjusted weaning weight of 847 with a WWR @ 114!

JOCK & BRENDA BEESON

100 Wohlers Drive - Crawford, NE 69339 Brenda. 308-430-2117 - Jock. 308-430-0668 wcsbeeson@bbc.net - www.westerncattlesource.com

SALE MANAGED BY - INNOVATION AG MARKETING GRAHAM BLAGG - 530-913-6418 JERED SHIPMAN - 806-983-7226 TIM ANDERSON - 605-682-9343 WWW.NNOVATIONAGMARKETING.COM

Coming Ivf Dates

FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY

Thurs. 2nd - Williamsburg

Thurs. 2nd - State Center

Thurs. 16th - State Center

Thurs. 23rd - Winthrop

MARCH

Thurs. 2nd - State Center

Thurs. 9th - Williamsburg

Thurs. 16th - State Center

Thurs. 23rd - Winthrop

Thurs. 30th - State Center