OFN 10-3-22

Steve Smith utilizes Charolais genetics at his Osage Ridge Ranch

rumor mill

Hall of fame nomination deadline is approaching: The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame is seeking nominations from the public for its next class. The nomination deadline is Nov. 1. The Ag riculture Hall of Fame recognizes Arkansans who are or have contributed significantly to the state’s largest industry, while spotlighting their contributions to the state’s economic development. Additional information and online nomination forms at www.arkansasaghall offame.org/. Forms can also be requested by calling Cindra Jones at 501-228-1609.

Farms receive grants: Twenty-six Northwest Arkansas farmers will be receiving a grant through a new program that aims to increase locally produced food in the area. The Arkansas Department of Ag riculture gave eligible farmers in four counties, Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll, grants of up to $15,000. The Arkansas Grown Grant for Northwest Arkansas Farmers Pilot Program was created with support from the Walton Family Foundation. Grants were given to farmers who are committed to increasing capacity for wholesale fruit and vegetable production resulting in more local food. Grant recipient farms are L King Rivers Farm, A & A Orchard, Mountain Garden Farm, Hatch Farm, Cochran Gardens, Middle Fork Farm, Hiatt Blueberry Farm, dH Farm, Neal Family Farm, Greenburrow Farm, Fat Top Farms, Omnom, GSS Group, Floraison Farms, Ozark All Seasons, Rios Family Farm, Rocky Comfort Natural Farm, Shimizu Farms, McGarrah Farm, Gifford Gardens, Peaceful Warrior Garden, Snuggle Bug Farm, Sunny Acres Farm, Sycamore Bend Farm and The Farm.

Program to help purchase Oklahoma-produced food: The Oklahoma Local Food Procurement Assistance (LFPA) program — created in cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) and Oklahoma Depart ment of Human Services (ODHS) — will help ODAFF to purchase and distribute Oklahoma grown, produced and processed food to local underserved communities, helping to expand economic development for both the producers and the communities they serve. To fa cilitate the connection between producers and purchasers, ODAFF will maintain a list of qualified producers that wish to sell products to food banks and other entities that target underserved communities. Producers that identify as belonging to a “socially disadvantaged group” will receive priority on the list while purchasers must buy products that are grown locally within 400 miles of the point of distribution. For more information, visit go.ozarksfn.com/i5i.

“When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.”

– Daniel Webster

Know a Good Rumor?

Do you have a rumor you would like to share with our readers? Mail them to: PO Box 1514, Lebanon, MO 65536; fax them to: 417-532-4721; or email them to: editor@ozarksfn.comOzarksFarm

The Ozarks Most Read Farm Newspaper OCTOBER 3, 2022 | VOL. 16, NO. 11

JUST A THOUGHT

3 Jerry Crownover – The need for emotional support

4 Jody Harris – The spirit of the season for the Harris family

5 Julie Turner-Crawford –Football and farming

MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS

7 Charolais cattle are the breed of choice for Steve Smith

10 Arkansas cave offers a glimpse of early mankind

12 Eye on Agribusiness spotlights Flat Belly Farm

13 Wyatt Ezell reclaims his family’s land

15 Town & Country features David Poindexter

18 Gary Pearson improves his flock and herd efficiency

20 Youth in Agriculture highlights Laney Slate

FARM HELP

21 Agvisor: Know the score

22 Getting the facts about nitrates and prussic acid

23 When is it time to help out?

24 Does weather impact fetal calf development?

25 Getting pastures and fields in shape after a drought

26 Gut health in cattle

27 Fighting scours

Life Is Simple

By Jerry Crownover

What’s On Your Mind, Ozarks?just a thought Life isSimple

You probably saw the news clip a few weeks ago of the young girl at the water park leading her pet alligator on a leash. City officials, who were in charge of supervising the park, allowed the animal to accompany the girl because she claimed the reptile was an emo tional support animal.

ByJerryCrownover

Jerry Crownover is a farmer and former professor of Agriculture Education at Missouri State University. He is a native of Baxter County, Arkansas, and an author and professional speaker. To contact Jerry, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’

It was difficult for me to determine the size of the gator from the picture since I’m unfamiliar with estimating the weight of alligators, as they go through the sale ring at the local livestock auction, but it appeared to be somewhere around 4 to 5 feet in length — about the same as the height of the young lady on the other end of the leash. My first thought was what kind of parent would allow their young daughter to lead around a potentially deadly animal in a public place? Looking back on when my sons were about that age, I can remember times when I would like to have fed them to an alligator, but I had enough self-restraint to not actually follow through.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen people boarding planes and entering other public venues with strange creatures of all types under the guise of being emotional support animals. I guess I’m more than a little old-fashioned, but when I think of emotional support animals, I think of dogs, maybe cats, and possibly (worst case scenario) a gerbil. However, in this era, people are allowed to enter public spaces with their individual versions of support animals, that may include everything from chickens, snakes, lizards, pigs, llamas and ferrets, to…alligators.

The gator story made me start wondering what our favorite animal-rights group would think. Surely, taking a wild animal out of its original environment, restraining it in a har ness, and leading it around by a leash would be severely criticized. But, no. Their official — Continued on Page 6

Larry & Peggy Aschermann Carthage, Missouri (417) 793-2855 cell • (417) 358-7879 e-mail: hayhook@gmail.com www.aschermanncharolais.com

PO Box 1514, Lebanon, MO 65536

Toll Free: 1-866-532-1960 479-846-1002

• Fax: 479-846-1003

E-mail: editor@ozarksfn.com

Eric Tietze

Publisher

Administrative

Amanda Newell, Marketing Manager

Eric Tietze, Accounting Advertising

Pete Boaz, Display & Classified Sales

Amanda Newell, Production Sales Circulation

Eric Tietze, Circulation

Editorial

Julie Turner-Crawford, Managing Editor

Jerry Crownover, Columnist

Jody Harris, Columnist

Production Amanda Newell, Production Contributors

Ozarks Farm & Neighbor accepts story suggestions from readers. Story information appears as gathered from interviewees. Ozarks Farm & Neighbor assumes no responsibility for the credibility of statements made by interviewees. © Copyright Ozarks Farm & Neighbor, Inc., 2022. All rights reserved. Printed in USA.

Kacey Frederick, Michael Kinney, Cheryl Kepes, Erin Harvey, Sheila Stogsdill and Terry Ropp About the Cover

Steve Smith says many commercial producers are seeing the benefits of Charolais genetics. See more on page 7.

Photo by Terry Ropp

just a thought

Freshly Picked

By Jody Harris

Ihave fond memories of homecoming festiv ities in my hometown in Missouri. Nothing draws a small town together quite like a Friday night football game against a neighboring high school. The parade, queens and a great football game make for great memories. Our young est daughter got to experience this for the first time with her classmates in Elkins, Ark., recently.

Leadership is innate for our ninth-grade daughter. When she started high school this year, she got involved with a student council election. She and some of her friends are officers for their class. The first item of business was to plan and execute a class homecoming float.

My husband is the master of tools and shop work, so it was decided to host the construction of the float in our shed for the few weeks leading up to the parade.

Jody Harris is a freelance communications specialist, gardener, ranch wife and mother of four. She and her family raise Angus beef cattle and other critters on their northwest Arkansas ranch. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Jody, go to ozarksfn.com and click on ‘Contact Us.’

We hosted several work nights at the farm. I was impressed with the number of students and parents who turned out to help.

It was fun watching the kids turn their sketch into a float they could all be proud of. The kids were in charge and several dads helped them with the power tools. They worked furiously to stuff tissue paper into chicken wire and attach glitter and bling where it was appropriate.

Some of the moms and I made trips to get pizza and to craft stores to get all the supplies they would need. All the parade floats were to follow a theme for movies. They had chosen the theme, “Go Elks, Beat the (Gravette) Lions! No Smurfin’ Around.” This theme was no easy task. They laid outdoor carpet at the base, created a giant Smurf house/mushroom and decorated the float into a lovely Smurf village/football field.

The day of the parade, I followed my husband into town as he drove slowly and carefully. We backed up traffic several times and had to pull into the turning lane to let people around. At last, we made it to the high school. We parked the float and let the students get to work on the final touches. They were determined to make it the best float. Then we left it for the official judging.

We came back that afternoon for a school pep rally. We enjoyed seeing the cheer leaders get everyone fired up for that night’s big game. The candidates for homecoming and their escorts looked fabulous. School spirit was in the air. At the pep rally, the winners of the float competition were announced. They Class of 2026 – also known as the freshmen class took first place. They were energized.

We hurried out to the float so the kids could get their blue Smurf paint on their arms, legs and faces to ride in the parade. This was messy and hilarious; we all had a great time.

Our daughter is a cheerleader and she got to ride in the parade on one of the fire trucks. It was a fun day followed by a great football game that night. The Elkins Elks football team prevailed over the Gravette Lions.

School spirit and homecoming magic are alive and well, neighbor.

just a thought

Across The Fence

By Julie Turner-Crawford

Football season is kind of a big deal at my house. I enjoy watching the Kansas City Chiefs, but I have things to do other to than plan my Sun day afternoon around which team is playing and when the games come on. Bill, on the other hand, is a superfan.

Every Sunday, I hear, “Jules! What network is this?” “Jules! What time is it on the East Coast?”

Julie Turner-Crawford is a native of Dallas County, Mo., where she grew up on her family’s farm. She is a graduate of Missouri State University. To contact Julie, call 1-866532-1960 or by email at editor@ozarksfn.com.

Bill starts planning his football season menu this time of year. It’s usually things like smoked jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon, burgers, brats, pulled pork, ribeyes, pizza, chicken wings, ribs, chili, cheese sticks and na chos. You won’t, however, find a veggie tray. Before I go to the store each week during the football season, I ask Bill what he wants for the weekend, but there always seems to be a trip back on Sunday morning for something. I have to remind him it’s just the two of us, so there will be no buffet to graze upon all day.

Football and food go together, and if it weren’t for farmers and ranchers, football wouldn’t be the same. Humans would still be nomadic hunter/gatherers without agriculture. There’s

MAIN DISH

Chicken Pot Pie

OFN Staff favorite

• 2 pie crusts (either store bought or homemade)

• 1 pound diced chicken breast (can used precooked chicken)

• 1 bag (16 ounces) peas and carrots

• 1 can cream of chicken

• 1 can cream of celery

• Chopped green onions

• Salt and Pepper

• 1 Egg

• Garlic salt

Lay out one pie crust in a greased pie plate. In a bowl, crack the egg and whisk. Use a pastry brush and brush egg on to the pie crust in the pie dish. In a bowl mix together chicken, peas and carrots, green onions, cream soups and seasoning. Pour into your pie crust. Lay second pie crust onto top of the filled pie dish. Crimp pie crust onto into the bottom pie crust. Cut slits into top crust for venting. Brush the crust with the egg wash. Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees. Turn your oven up to 395 for 15 to 20 minutes make the crust golden brown (Note: If using precooked chicken, cooking time may be shortened.)

Know a Good Recipe? Send in your favorite recipe to share with our readers. Mail them to: PO Box 1514, Lebanon, MO 65536; fax them to: 417-532-4721; or email them to: editor@ozarksfn.com

just a thought

918-696-6029

918-696-0793

918-658-4781

Across the Fence

Continued from Previous Page

no time to play or watch games when it’s a struggle to survive.

The tie between football and agriculture goes beyond food. Most folks have heard the football called the “ol’ pigskin,” but early balls, much like the ones used in early rugby and soccer games, were more oval and were made from animal bladders. Historical accounts said an animal bladder, more than likely a pig bladder, was inflated and placed inside a pigskin covering, and the “pigskin” was born.

I know necessity is the mother of invention, but how does using a pig blad der to make a ball even come up in conversation? You know there were no air compressors back then, so someone had to blow it up. Was it a dare between a couple of buddies hitting the mead a lit tle hard, or did someone blow one up to see what happened?

I don’t think the typical American realizes how essential agriculture is. Ag riculture is all around us, and it’s not just food. Nearly everything wear comes from an animal or a plant. Many manufactured fibers like rayon are made from cellulose polymers found in cotton, wool, hemp or flax, which come from farms. Then there is the whole “what’s made from animals” list.

Many anti-agriculture folks follow a vegan or vegetarian diet with fake

meat and non-dairy milk. Farmers are still needed to grow the plant-based products used in producing the “meat substitutes,” and grow and harvest the almonds, oats or soy used in non-dairy “milk.”

Kind blows their “farmers are bad” motto right out of the window.

I watched a rerun of my favorite T.V. show the other night that showed the disconnect many people have with agriculture. One of the main characters asked a not-so-welcome guest if she liked wheatgrass, which the guest said she did. The main character said they had a whole field of it. The guest touted it wasn’t the same wheatgrass. Let’s say the guest got a little ag education; it was an excellent speech.

I hope one day, everyone will truly understand that the real professionals in this world are the farmers and ranchers who make life as we know it possible.

In the game of life, if the farmers and ranchers lose, we all lose.

Life Is Simple

Continued from Page 3

stance is that caring and loving people who share their home with an animal, and said animal can provide support and companionship in return is totally acceptable.

The animal-rights group that thinks it’s perfectly fine to lead around an alligator in a city park, is the same one which criticizes and condemns those of us who are involved in animal agriculture. My dog offers constant companionship and support to me as I go about my daily ac-

tivities, and far be it for me to question whether or not the alligator does the same for its human counterpart.

I’ve learned my lesson from this sto ry, however, and the next time I’m ap proached by one of the people lambasting me for my occupation, I’ll simply remind them that my cattle are emotional support animals for me.

One can never have too much emotion al support.

meet your neighbors Creating His Own Market

By Terry Ropp

Steve Smith utilizes Charolais genetics at his Osage Ridge Ranch

Above the Osage Creek in the Illinois River Basin is the Osage Ridge Ranch, established in 2014 by Steve and Kellye Smith two years after they married.

“When we had our first date, I made sure we had dinner out of town so I would have enough time to talk to her on the drive there and back to figure out if she might be the one,” Steve confided. “She was and establishing a new ranch was a logical step, especially considering her profession.”

Kellye, now retired, was an ophthal mologist who worked at hospitals in Springdale and Fayetteville. Steve and Kellye’s home had been in Hindsville, too far away according to hospital on-call protocols. When the Realtor showed them the property, he first took Kellye to a hillside and showed her a view that took her breath away, a perfect location for a new home. Fortunately, the land layout was equally as good. It boasted multiple springs, the

Osage Creek bordering precious bot tomland and numerous Ozark hills and valleys to provide herd shelter from summer heat and winter winds.

When Steve was a child, he had won derful farming experiences and adven tures with grandfather Clyde Perryman in Salem, Ark., As a 5-year-old, he loved feeding the hungry bottle calves. Soon came the grave responsibility of leading a haltered young calf to a pen. The small, but sturdy calf dragged young Steve. In protest though, the determined youngster didn’t let go. Early on, Steve’s father Robert tried to dis courage Steve from becoming a cattle man, pointing to dubious financial rewards. However, Steve didn’t listen and appreciates that the cattle let him vent and yell in frustration but al ways love him…when he has a bucket of grain. His was and is a country soul.

Osage Creek Ranch is Steve’s third cattle location. He ap preciatively remembers Willard Walker introducing him to Charo-

lais in the early 1990s, a time when the breed was very large but beginning to modify size, something that made sense to Steve. Charolais became and are his breed.

Following the crowd does not suit Steve so everyone else raising black enhanced Charolais attractiveness. He also recognized the breed’s potential, especially a hybrid vigor that produc es calves with exceptional daily weight gain meaning more pounds and more money when they’re sold. According to Steve, today many use Charolais to crossbreed with red and black Angus calves buyers appreciate due to their weight gain/food efficiency ratio.

The Smith herd is comprised of 75 to 80 cows and three breeding bulls, including one for first-calf heifers. Steve arrived at that number as the maximum his 340 acres can handle while maintaining peak grass conditions. Part of making that work is purchasing most of his hay. Other land management practices include fertilizing in

— Continued on Next Page

Steve Smith began rais ing Charolais cattle in the early 1990s.

Tontitown, Ark.

Photo by Terry Ropp

meet your neighbors

Creating His Own Market

Continued from Previous Page

the spring with both chicken litter and commercial fertilizer. To prevent runoff pollution of the creek and later the Illinois River, Steve keeps careful records. Another is adding seed to the fertilizer, as needed. Steve also pays close attention to forage quality and rotates his herd accordingly. When rains are plentiful, he rotates more frequently and is some times forced during dry periods to move a herd to land not completely recovered from the last cycle but with more to offer than the current pasture. Finally, he tests his Bermuda/fescue pastures to determine exactly how much additional supplementation they need rather than guessing and taking an unnecessary financial risk. He grains his herd to promote good growth and potential.

Breeding also has its own protocols with Steve continually pushing and refining bloodlines. First, he matches bulls and cows to compensate for genetic variations and also purchases replacement bulls because he is not a fan of line breeding. Another practice is to AI at least half of his females while also using embryo transplant.

“ET is an expen sive process and takes only about half of the time,” Steve said. “The profitability is probably not there so using ET does not make economic sense. However, the challenge of creating a ‘super’ bull or heifer nips at the ego until I believe I can figure out what others cannot though obviously, I cannot,” Steve finished with a grin.

Careful management of the heard health and productivity is essential. To that end, Steve retains a sufficient number of heifers to replace aging cows or a cow who has skipped a season unless, she an exception al female. She is then moved to the spring calving herd for one more try.

Steve finds fall calving works best for him. He has observed his cows having lighter birthweights in the fall and therefore fewer birthing issues. Fall/winter grass quality

also significantly decreases the likelihood of calves developing scours. A final and financially important advantage is being able to sell bull calves at 18 months rather than 2 years, saving significant input costs.

Steve creep feeds calves until weaning when he separates the heifers and bull calves. During that separation, he culls the bottom tier of males and females and sends them to the sale barn so that his customers receive only the best breeding stock. He pushes a bit more grain to the bull calves than the heifers so his bull calves are ready at 18 months and his heifers will breed well because he controls their fat level. Steve worms twice a year with varying products to prevent resistance and treats flies by spray or pour on but only as needed. Perhaps most importantly, all cattle are vaccinated twice a year.

“Through the years I have become very disciplined, especially in terms of vaccinations because if I don’t, something always goes wrong,” Steve explained. Marketing for a breeding producer is different than one for the commercial market. Steve sells at breed sales from Kansas City to Dallas and from Oklahoma City to Memphis, with some sales being local and by private treaty. In addition to selling bulls at 18 months, heifers are sold between 2 and 2 1/2 sometimes as bred heifers.

Steve has a habit of picking up a few acres here and there when they connect to his land but is rapidly approaching a point where he wants more time for other things.

“I love to bow hunt and now love fish ing when I didn’t have the patience for it before,” Steve said. “Kellye and I are also raising our granddaughter, a delightful use of our time. We have taken care of her most of the time since she was 2. Now 11 and in the sixth grade, Blakely is very busy and thinks the cattle are pretty but wants little to do with them. While I may be wanting to slow down in other ways, she keeps us young and looking towards the future.”

Photo by Terry Ropp

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coated seed

50 KENLAND, Inoc., Not Coated 90% 2.98 Equivalent to $1.93 coated seed

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Not Coated, 75% Red Clover, 25% Hulled Orchardgrass

60 HAY ‘N GRAZE MIX, Inoc. 90% 2.78

Not Coated, 70% Red Clover, 30% Haygrazer Alfalfa

50 MEDIUM RED, Raw/Not Coated 90% 2.78

OTHER CLOVERS

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ozarks roots the people, places and traditions that make the ozarks home

Navigating the Past

By Julie Turner-Crawford

Arkansas cave holds a glimpse of early mankind

In Fairfield Bay, Ark., history is found in an unlikely place — the Indian Hills Golf Resort.

Located at the resort are four caves, and one of those caves, the Indian Rock Cave, is the largest cave in Arkansas with petroglyphs (rock carvings).

Marilyn Robertson, curator and local historian, said it’s unclear how long the Indian Rock Cave was in use before homesteaders came to the area or exactly how old the petroglyphs are. It is one of two caves on site with the carvings.

“They have to be millions of years old,” Marilyn said. “The water is constantly chang ing and evolving the cave. When you talk about shale, it’s layers of different kinds of minerals and rocks. When it rains, it goes all through there, and the cave is dripping and changing. It is, however, absolutely humongous.”

Indian Rock Cave is nearly 100-feet wide, 100-feet deep and 50-feet tall.

Marilyn has been researching the region’s history for more than 30 years, writing 15 books on history in Van Burren, Cleburne and Stone counties, but neither she nor the archaeologists know what the petroglyphs mean.

“An archaeologist told me it’s like drawing a hap py face with no documentation, and in 2,000 years, someone wanted to know what you meant,” she said. “If you look at the drawings, some have a lance with feathers coming out and there’s a horse, but the marks had to mean something, and that’s the part that gets confusing; we don’t know what they meant when they marked it.”

Early tribes in the area were the Osage, Caddo, Quapaw, Choctaw and Chero kee. Marilyn said the cave could possibly be from the Mississippian period, the period when shallow seas covered much of North America more than 300 million years ago, or the Paleoindian Period, which is about 12,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age when humans first appeared in the archaeological record in North America. It wasn’t until the 20th century that explorations began into the history of the cave.

“Archaeologists came down and did a dig in 1931,” Marilyn said. “The early pioneers were here way before the archaeologists came around. It’s believed the cave served as a tribal meeting place, perhaps as far back as 1000 B.C. In the late 1950s, that’s when they took 10 feet of dirt out of the bottom of the cave to make the ceiling higher because the kids wouldn’t stop drawing around the petroglyphs.”

As the cave was excavated, the soil removed was carefully examined for artifacts. Some of the items discovered are part of the on-site museum, as well as other items.

“I have a peace pipe from 1600 A.D. that comes from the Chippewa tribe in northern Minnesota and was unearthed here in 1931,” Marilyn said. “I also have a 4,000-year-old metate stone, which is a grinding stone that came out of a hole when they were putting the golf course in. It predates all of our local tribes. We have prehistoric people who were over 7 feet tall who predate our Indian tribes that roamed this part of the Ozark Mountains.”

The museum also houses many other artifacts and information about the region and beyond.

“I also have artifacts that go back to 950 AD and was unearthed in Crowley’s Ridge, Ark., and that goes back to the Mississippian period,” Marilyn said.

In addition to artifacts from the Indian Rock Cave, visitors can find historical items from the pioneer era, photos of the petroglyphs taken in 1931, and a detailed history of the building of the Greers Ferry Dam.

“When (President John F.) Kennedy dedicated the dam, it was the last thing he did as president before he went to Dallas,” Marilyn said.

The Indian Rock Cave is a highly sought backdrop for many activities. According to Marilyn, the Arkan sas Symphony holds its annual Easter Sunrise Service at the cave, and members have stated that the acoustics are the “best they ever played in.”

“Mrs. Bradbury (an early homesteader to the area) taught in the cave back in 1902 and said it just echoed,” Marilyn said of historical accounts of the cave being used as a make shift school for the children of homesteaders in the region. “She couldn’t wait until they

An 1850 log cabin on the property is also the back drop for movie producers are hoping to be picked up by a major streaming service.

About 13,000 visitors come to the museum, cabin and caves annually. Marilyn said so far in 2022, guests have come from as far as Czechoslovakia, Norway, Ireland and Kenya. Marilyn offers a guided tour from her golf cart for those who might have physical limitations that prevent them from walking the trails to the caves.

“Some people just can’t make it, so I take them down and give them a history lesson on the way, then bring them back,” she said, adding that tours history lessons are very popular with local teachers.

The museum is open daily, except in January and February. Marilyn said if it’s a warm March, normal operations might begin early, but it is typically midMarch before they are in full swing for the season. Marilyn is at the museum during the winter months, and will give tours if contacted.

“Everyone knows just to call me, and we will accommodate them,” she said.

Since 1942

(573)

Fax (573)

email: meadangus@yahoo.com www.meadfarms.com

Alan Mead, Owner (573) 216-0210 Scott Wall (309) 212-5450

Jennifer Russell Sales & Marketing (573) 721-5512

Submitted Photo

eye on agri-business

meeting the needs of farmers

Flat Belly Farms

By Kacey Frederick

s Owners: Ginger and James O. Hanna s Location: Fort Smith, Ark.

History: James O. Hanna has run Flat Belly Farms, a produce store, since 2014, with his wife Ginger and grandchildren. Though he grows and sells vegetables, James had not always been a gardener. He grew up on his family’s farm in Scott County, but they predominantly dealt with livestock, and are in the cattle and chicken business to this day.

“It’s hard to grow vegetables in Scott County. That’s why there’s cattle and chickens down there; there’s too many rocks,” James explained with a laugh.

Initially, James had no interest in farming. “I grew up on a farm. And I left the farm because I didn’t like the farm.” He went on to have a 34-year career with the Arkansas River Valley Electric Co-Op, beginning in 1979 and ending with his retirement in 2013.

Around 20 years ago, James’ brother became ill with colon cancer, and after researching the topic, James learned how beneficial a diet with vegetables could be not only for his brother’s health but his own as well. This motivated him to start gardening, and after he retired he dedicated more time to his garden. People began to take notice, and James was approached by a man who lived nearby asking if he could buy some of the okra he had grown.

“No,” was James reply. “But you can go out there and pick all you want.”

Afterward, the idea to sell his okra began to appeal to him, and a sign advertising okra for sale was placed by him outside. Flat Belly Farms is located beside Highway 45, the route people most frequently take on their way to and from Fort Smith and Hackett. After the sign was placed outside, people dropping in for fresh okra soon followed.

Services: Since 2014, James has expanded his goods to vegetables beyond okra, and sells different crops year-round. In February, they plant cabbage and onions, and those are the first crops they will offer until the end of May.

In June, they sell cucumber, squash, and zucchini, and about mid-June they will have tomatoes.

Those crops will last about 20 or 30 days. Then in August, they sell okra. If the weath er permits, they will attempt to plant greens such as kale, collard greens, and cabbage. “If it doesn’t rain, we don’t waste the irrigation on it,” James said.

Future plans: Currently, James is satisfied with what Flat Belly Farms offers, and doesn’t plan to expand their catalog.

“I don’t fool with fruit; if I have to bend over to pick it, I’m not gonna plant it,” he said. Flat Belly Farms gets quite a bit of business as it is, with James having to direct traffic outside his house.

James prefers being able to work within such a short distance to his home, and with Flat Belly Farms sitting beside his house, he has no plans to move elsewhere.

Photo by Kacey Frederick

meet your neighbors

theReclaiming Family Ranch

By Michael Kinney

Wyatt Ezell bought back his family’s original property and added more land to it

Wyatt Ezell remembers almost every detail about his fami ly ranch. As a young boy in Eastern Oklahoma, he worked and played on land that had been part of his lineage since the early 1900s.

Back when Wyatt’s great-grandfather purchased 160 acres, Oklahoma had re cently become a state. It was not only a dairy farm, but it also produced peanuts and cotton.

By the 1950s, the property grew into a sprawling 650-acre dairy farm in Musk ogee County.

However, through the years, Wyatt saw the land sold off and it dwindled to 150 acres. At the same time, the business had become a shell of its former glory.

“I grew up here and it was actually going downhill,” Wyatt said. “My grandpa was taking care of everything and he was getting older and it was kind of looking like it was going to disappear. He basically had sold everything out to where it was just a little hobby at that point, and it wasn’t really a profitable operation.”

Despite that, Wyatt had a special feeling for the place and hated to see the shape it was in. So, he decided to do something about it.

Wyatt bought the ranch from his grandfather in 2015 with designs to bring it back to the way he remembered it.

However, taking over the ranch was only the first step in what Wyatt knew was going to be a long journey back to profitability for the Ezell Cattle Co., and he was going to have to do it with little to no money to put into the operation.

“I started from there and did odds and end jobs and other things for different people for several years until I could get enough money to get the cattle herd built back up and take back some land that was originally the family land,” Wyatt said.

While seeing the ranch make money again was important, Wyatt’s main priority was getting his family’s land back.

Seeing the land that had been part of his heritage since around the time Okla homa had become a state in someone else’s name did not sit well with him.

Wyatt Ezell worked for other producers before he was able to be full time on his own cattle operation, Ezell Cattle Co.

Council Hill, Okla.

It took five years before Wyatt was able to buy back all of the original property. Since then, he has nearly doubled the size of the ranch to around 1,200 acres.

“That was my first goal was to get it all back together like it used to be,”

Wyatt said. “I know in today’s world if I was wanting to do this for a living, you know, a 100-percent full time, that wasn’t going to be enough for me to survive off of. But once I got to that point, I knew that I could do some off-and-on odd and end jobs until I could expand enough to make it where I can do it full time; and that’s exactly what I did. But most of all the land is still family owned. If it’s not owned by me, it’s now owned by someone in the family, and I lease it from them. That was my goal; get it all back together and keep it that way. And I’d like to see it stay that way forever. It’s got a lot of history.”

— Continued on Next Page

Submitted photos

meet your neighbors

To bring it all together, Wyatt connected with another rancher a couple of years ago, which helped infuse his operation with some much-needed capital.

“I took on a partnership with another individual in my neighborhood. Then that’s kind of what really helped me get everything back together,” Wyatt said. “I’ve got a 50-50 partnership with anoth er guy that’s got land. That basically is all just right here in my area within a few miles of me. I take care of a bunch of cattle for him on 50-50 splits. And that helps me. That helped me get all the family land back together and make it back to where it’s a profitable endeavor.”

Once Wyatt got his land back, and more, he was able to stop doing side jobs for oth er people, like welding, custom hay bailing and fence building, and just focus on his cow/calf operation. With more than 600 head of cattle that he had to tend to daily, that is enough work to take up all of his time.

“I’d say normally hay season is what takes up more time than anything,” Wyatt said. “We’re generally bailing anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 tons a year now. And that takes up pretty much ev ery day and all day in the summertime, other than this year. We’re in a pretty bad drought and some things have happened this year and we haven’t had near as much hay to bail. But I’d say bailing hay, and then feeding the cattle in the winter, that’s seven days a week, regardless of the weather and time.”

Wyatt’s herd is made up primarily of Angus females, which they run with Charolais bulls. That is the combination that he feels works best for his customers.

“We’ve done all kinds of different stuff. We’ve run Hereford and Angus, Red An gus bulls. We’ve done a lot of different things and went different routes where we were trying to maybe raise some replacement females,” Wyatt said. “We ended up going to the Charolais deal about three years ago and it’s just proven that the calves are going to be heavier and stouter out of the Charolais bulls. And we’ve really just stuck with that. It’s kind of

our reputation now. Our people expect our calves to be Charolais cross caves at this point. I haven’t seen anything that’s made us wanna change at this point.”

Once the cattle have been raised and are ready to be sold, the work continues for Wyatt. Unlike past generations, he needs more than one option if he is going to get the best prices for his cattle. That is especially true this year as inflation has jumped higher.

“One of the biggest things I’ve learned is to not expect to do the same thing ev ery year if you want to make it,” Wyatt said. “We have sold cattle in every different way you could possibly dream of selling them. From internet sales to a private treaty, to sale barns. Every year is different and there’s always a different way to make a few more dollars if you are open-minded to doing something different. That’s a big thing that’s kind of kept us going is just being open-minded.”

Now that Wyatt has the business back on track, he wants to make sure and keep it in the family. At some point, he is hoping to pass the property and cattle company down to the next generation.

If that does happen, Wyatt will look to pass down knowledge and experiences that will hopefully keep them out of the same predicaments the ranch encountered in past years.

“The most important thing I would say is if you’re wanting to survive, have the least amount of debt possible to start out with,” Wyatt said. “If at all possible, your cattle need to be paid for in cash some where or you know you can get a loan on the land, but if you get a loan on the land and a loan on your tractors and then a loan on your cattle, they won’t pay.

“There’s just no way you can’t make a living that way. I’ve seen so many people lately that they don’t understand that there are so many more input costs go into a cattle operation that you just don’t see on paper, and you don’t expect and you can’t see coming. There’s just no way to make a living if you owe the bank for everything.”

David Poindexter

By Sheila Stogsdill

s Hometown: Grove, Okla.

In Town: David Poindexter has been a Delaware County (Okla.) County Commissioner for nearly a decade.

As county commissioner, David is in charge of a multi-million dollar county budget, day-to-day county operations and answers to the constituents in his district.

In the Country: For 25 years, David has worked with black Angus cattle.

For the Grove cattleman, the operation started with his grandfather’s dairy business, which was phased out before David was born.

“I don’t think my dad really wanted to milk cows as he had as kid growing up on a dairy farm,” David said.

When the elder Poindexter was discharged from the Army, he told his young son “there won’t be a milk cow on the place.”

“It’s been a beef operation for over 60 years,” David said.

David runs a 35-head herd.

“Due to the drought, I had cull down,” he said.

By reducing the heard, David said he is saving grass and the hay needs are reduced.

“Generally, the herd is 50 on a rotational grazing system,” he said. “The main goal is to be as efficient and good stewards of the land.”

A rotational grazing program utilizes less acreage with the ability to run more head per acre, he said. Using rye and wheat in the fall can extend grazing needs into early winter before having to feed with hay and supplements.

“Cattle can graze their needs much cheaper than we can provide with hay and using equipment,” David explained.

The cattle predominantly get their nutritional needs from winter wheat and rye, clo vers and summer grasses In the winter months, when those resources are exhausted, the cattle are provided with hay and high protein cubes, David said.

Calves are marketed in the spring, after being weaned for 45 days and ready for grass pasture.

“This has resulted in good returns,” David said.

David prefers fall calving.

“Generally, fall-born calves don’t have to contend with wet, cold conditions as in early months of the year,” he said. “We use natural cover and EPDs are a big part of the selection of bulls. In the past few years, genomics has brought another aspect to bull selection that we have looked at our selection process.”

Cattle are vaccinated and wormed regularly.

“Fly control has been a big issue this year with the dry conditions,” David said. Periodically during the summer months, he will apply fly spray to keep the flies under control.

“Thankfully, we’ve not had any pink eye issues due to flies,” he said.

Submitted Photo

meet your neighbors

Striving for Perfection

By Katrina Hine

Gary Pearson has developed efficient methods of herd and flock management

Gary Pearson, owner of GMP Farm, grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., and considers himself a Jack-ofAll-Trades.

He has been a mechanic, fuel service truck driver, welder/machinist, salesman and manager for a large equipment com pany mining gold in Nevada.

“When I served in the Marines and was stationed in Japan, we would share pictures of where we were from,” Gary recalls. “This guy shared pictures of Mis souri, and it was the most beautiful thing I had seen. Snow glistening on branches as the sun was going down. I always remembered that.”

Moving to Northwest Arkansas 20plus years ago, he continued in the mechanical field, working for Caterpillar and others while purchasing houses for resale. Reflecting on a conversation with a woman he described as a “hippie” who said, “Just go with what comes your way.” And that is what he has done, forward movement in all areas of his life.

One day he decided he was done and took a complete turn in his career, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

“I am a people person, and my mom was a nurse,” he said. “I wanted to do some thing to serve others.”

The move to rural Missouri was a leap of faith. “I would have never in my life at my age imagined myself living this kind of life out here,” Gary said.

Purchasing a log home on 40 acres in rural McDonald County, Mo., seemed another direction change for the California native. There was a lot of underbrush and scrub to control; then he heard about goats.

Having no farm experience to draw from, he dove into research on goats, grazing, pasture management, and what animals are best suited for the geography of the Ozarks.

Gary Pearson has changed careers a number of times, and has now added sheep and goat production to his resume.

“Fencing is your first line of defense in keeping predators away from your animals,” he said. “Then I took a grazing class through Crowder College to learn how to rotate the herds to take advantage of the pasture I have.”

Thus, began his dive into animal husbandry and raising registered Kiko goats and Barbado Black Bellied sheep.

rier and always said, ‘It costs as much to raise a good horse as it does a bad horse so raise a good horse.’ So, I decided to raise all pedigree goats and sheep,” he contin ued.

With this in mind, he is able to meet different needs within the goat market; breeding stock, meat, show animals or pets.

Noel, Mo.

Kiko goats come from New Zealand and are known for being hardy and parasite-resistant with excellent maternal traits.

“My uncle used to be a far

As he gained more knowledge of goats and their particular maintenance needs, he began to look into a companion animal that would complement the goats grazing habits with a different set of hab its, particularly in parasite tolerance.

Photo by Katrina Hine

meet your neighbors

A natural companion to goats are sheep which eat close to the ground, whereas goats are more browsers and eat things above ground level. He opted for the low-maintenance Barbados Black Belly sheep because of their strong resistance to heat and parasites.

Gary developed a strategy of running the goats in paddocks where the grass is very tall and removing them when the grass reaches about 6 inches. The sheep follow behind to graze it down and ingest any parasites unsavory to the goats. He rounds the animals up three times a year for routine checks and worming when necessary.

His passion for research and analysis allowed him to develop the most efficient methods in handling and keeping his animals healthy while reducing hands-on time. Simple things, such as multiple paddocks, automatic waterers, electric fence, portable bins and mobile chutes are time savers.

“Making the best use of my time and put ting forth the effort to design a process to do that is the goal,” Gary states. “I essentially work three jobs, and I am very busy.”

This year he bred 40 does, resulting in 80 kids and about 20 ewes dropping about 40 lambs, totaling more than 100 young animals. Quads were born to a couple of his ewes in the last couple of years.

His fondness for research allows him to be proactive when situations arise. For example, one of his does displayed weakness in her rear legs. He diagnosed the symptoms and verified with his own microscope that it was Meningeal worms, more commonly known as the “deer worm” or “brain worm.” He immediately treated the animal, and she recovered in time to give birth.

He keeps his standards high when culling his stock to ensure the quality and reputation of his animals. A self-described data fanatic, he measures weights throughout the breeding and birthing cycles of the does, looking for a minimum body condition score of three. If a doe weans her weight in offspring, that is the female he keeps.

“I put all my emphasis on my does because you can always find a good buck,” he said. “I just keep the best of the best of the best.”

Berryville

344 Hwy. 21 North 870-423-4245

Flippin • 9095 Hwy. 62 East 870-453-4400

Green Forest • 181 West Main 870-438-5184

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Powell Feed and Milling is a full service farm store, providing everything from livestock and pet feed to fencing and hardware. Be sure to like our Powell Feed & Milling Co. Inc. Facebook page to keep up with new products, specials, coupons, giveaways and much more!

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youth in agriculture

tomorrow’s ag leaders Laney Slate

By Kacey Frederick

Ozarks

s Hometown: Greenwood, Ark.

s Age: 16

s Parents: Brittany and Dwayne Slate

s Sibling: Drake Slate

s 4-H Club: Dayton 4-H

s Club Leader: Brittany slate

What is your involvement in agriculture?

“I show livestock with my local 4-H chapter, who I’m proud to represent as a 4-H state ambassador. I help younger 4-H members get their projects ready, especially for county fair. I also judge livestock and live on a commercial cow/calf operation with my family.”

What is your favorite part of being involved in agriculture?

“I like the experiences you can make, especially with showing and stuff. Last year I got to go to Nebraska, this year I’m going to Arizona to show, and I like the friendships you can make along the way.”

What are your future plans?

“I’m not sure what I want to do yet, but I’ve narrowed it down to three choices: a large animal veterinarian, a livestock nutritionist or an agriculture teacher.”

What is the best advice about agriculture you have receivedfrom adults?

“I would probably say ‘don’t give up.’ If whatever you’re doing is hard, it will usually get easier. A livestock judge named Ryan Rash once shared something like that on Facebook once that I really liked.”

Awards: “This year at county fair, I placed third and fourth overall with my mar ket lambs. I placed third overall with my hog in the market class, and 10th overall in the breeding class. I also got the herdsman award for chicken barn.”

Submitted Photo

Advice from the ofn ag-visors the professionals Know the Score

By Erin Harvey

Football and school are

in full swing, the temps are dropping and pumpkin spice everything has debuted again… It’s finally fall in the Ozarks, folks!

I think I can speak for most everyone involved in agriculture; the summer of 2022 is one for the books. My family, like many others, has anx iously awaited relief for our livestock and pastures from the summer heat. Now, as we forward look to the final quarter of the year it’s time to set our sights on year-end financial goals and what may be on the horizon as the new year begins. It’s also a great time to sit down and dig into your credit history. More and more in today’s financial arena ag vendors and lenders are more often using credit reports and scores in their processes.

Erin Harvey is a CRCM and assistant vice president at Lamar Bank & Trust Company in Lamar, Mo. She can be reached at ehar vey@lbt.com.

report once every 12 months from the major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax and Experian). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may check your report once a week for free through the end of 2022. To get your free reports go to annualcreditreport.com. Be sure to take the time to review and check the report for correct information. A great first step in improving your credit is knowing what is actually there. Unfortunately, there is no free annual credit score. Be careful of services that charge for the score and credit monitoring. You may pay for something you don’t need. Before you decide to pay a company to get your score, ask yourself if you really need to see it. If you know your credit history and performance is good, then your score will be too.

well you have handled your finances, so I urge you to ask questions and be open and honest with your lender regarding your credit. This will not have any impact on your credit score, but will go a long way in establishing a long term relationship with your lender. Pay all of your bills on time, every time, keep the balances on your revolving credit cards to 30 to 50 percent or less of the available credit, and have at least one active major revolving account, such as a bank credit card. These small steps will set you on a successful path for strength in your credit and provide peace of mind for the next time your history is investigated.

Your credit history and score are essentially a quick measure of your financial health. Credit matters to practically everything. It can affect your ability to get a loan or credit card, a job, renting a home and even the amount you will pay for insurance premiums. Lenders, landlords, employers and others want to know how you handle your bills and finances. Most people are surprised to find out that in addition to open debts listed on the report, public records like tax liens are also reported. Often ac counts such as utilities, taxes and medical debts that were sent to collection agencies are also reported, in addition to previous bankruptcies. Inquiries are also disclosed, so every time a credit report is pulled, it be comes part of the report.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act provides you the right to get a free copy of your credit

Credit scores are calculated by complicated algorithms and each of the three main bureaus have their own calculation. There are different weighted factors that affect your credit history. While the factors can vary by industry, generally the most popular one that lenders use is the FICO. FICO considers how much credit you have, how much is in use, repayment history, types of credit, and length of time you have had accounts. Generally, scores range between 300 and 850. The higher the score, the better, and generally in dicates you are less risk, which means you are more likely to be approved for credit and could pay less for your home and auto insurance for example. Having a lower score could make it more difficult for credit approval and potentially cost you more in higher interest rates and premiums.

Bottom line, your credit report and score impact much more than just credit approval and denial. Take the time and dig into your credit. Lenders can quickly determine how

farm help

Making farming a little easier

Forage Safety

By Cheryl Kepes

The facts about nitrates and prussic acid

Some producers throughout the Ozarks could be storing hay or si lage that contains dangerous levels of nitrates or prussic acid. Due to the recent drought, conditions are particularly conducive for problems.

“I have seen more Johnsongrass this year than I have seen in 20 years,” Craig Roberts, Ph.D., state forage specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, said. “At the same time, people are putting it up for hay because we have a hay shortage. So, you take those two things together and you have a recipe for a disaster.”

The ingredients in this recipe for disaster are dangerous levels of nitrates and prussic acid found in forages like Johnsongrass. Elevated levels of nitrates or prussic acid can be fatal to animals. However, there are steps producers can take to make sure their forages of safe for their livestock.

Nitrate Accumulation: Toxic levels of nitrates can occur in warm season grasses such as Johnsongrass, sorghum and sorghum-Sudan grasses. After nitrogen gets applied to pastures, the grasses take up nitrogen from the soil in the form of nitrates. During normal growing conditions, grass will convert nitrates into plant protein. However, if the plant growth is stunted due to drought or other factors, the plant continues to pull in the nitrates but cannot convert them to protein. Thus, creating nitrate ac cumulation in the plant. When the nitrates pile up to an elevated level, they are toxic.

Prussic Acid: Prussic acid is created when a plant takes up nitrates and converts the nitrates into a potentially deadly compound.

“The nitrates are pulled up and they are assimilated,” Roberts explained. “Then they are incorporated into a compound that is part sugar and part cyanide.” At this stage the prussic acid is not toxic.

The danger arises when an enzyme is released in the plant that breaks apart the compound comprised of sugar and cyanide. The enzyme gets released when an animal chews the grass stem, or during a frost or when it is broken in another way. The cell containing the sugar and cyanide bursts under stressful conditions, releasing a fatal dose of cyanide into the animal.

Plants most commonly convert nitrates into prussic acid during times of quick new growth. In particular, after they endure a drought or sustain damage due to frost, hail or herbicide application. The weather pattern most producers have experienced this year has created conditions for the formation of nitrate accumulation and prussic acid in forages such as Johnsongrass, sorghums and sorghum-Sudan grass forages.

Levels in Hay: There is good news in regard to prussic acid levels in stored hay. Prussic acid does not remain in dry baled hay. Over the course of several weeks, the prussic acid dissipates in the form of a gas.

On the other hand, nitrate accumulation does remain in hay. County extension offices have nitrate test kits available to determine if the hay contains low or high levels of nitrates. If the level is high, producers should reach out to an expert to further test their forage for possible toxic levels of nitrates.

Levels in Silage: If the grasses containing elevated levels of nitrates are properly chopped, rolled, baled and wrapped for silage, then as many as half of the nitrates will dissipate. During the ensiling process, a chemical reaction takes place causing some of the nitrates to disintegrate. “Eventually, half of those nitrates will disappear. Unfortunately, the other half is still there,” Roberts stated. Therefore, producers should test their silage to make sure it is safe for consumption.

Managing Regrowth: Many areas in the Ozarks have now received sev eral rounds of rain, spurring regrowth of forages including those susceptible to nitrate accumulation and prussic acid formation. The nitrates are highly concentrated at the base of a plant. Therefore, forage specialists recommend only allowing animals to graze after those forages have reached 2 feet.

“We just like to see that because you can test the tips and the tops and there is not a lot of nitrates,” Roberts explained. “You test the crown and the bottom, and it can be super toxic.”

Though nitrate accumulation can be problematic for producers, if managed properly the forages can be safe for livestock to consume.

what do you say?

Why should producers test their forages?

“If you don’t test, you guess at what the cattle need and provide too little supplementation, which hampers growth, or too much, which eats into maximum profit.”

Steve Smith Benton County, Ark.

“On a regenerative farm, the process is unnecessary. The land management protocols, including specific rotational grazing, allows the land to recover and thrive on its own.”

Kevin Ault Delaware County, Okla.

“That way, you know how to adjust your feed rations, and better meet the cow’s needs and your production needs, be it growing heifers or feeding steers.”

Heath Thomas Van Buren County, Ark.

Lewis DeWitt Logan County, Ark.

“If producers don’t test their forages, they don’t know what kind of supplements they need to feed, or how much they need to feed.”

farm help

Stepping in During Delivery

By Cheryl Kepes

Determining when a cow needs assistance

The stress of calving season is felt by novice and experienced farmers alike. No matter how many times producers go through a calving season, they are sure to come across a few curve balls along the way. One of the more perplexing scenarios to master, is determining when to step in and assist a cow during delivery. In some situations the answer is clear; but in others, deciding what to do and when it do it, is more challenging.

First Observations

One of the first observations producers should make is the position in which the calf is being delivered. The calf should present with its head and front feet coming out first. According to Dr. Craig Payne, veterinarian with the University of Missouri Extension, a rule of thumb for a calf that presents normally is once the front feet appear, birth should be completed within two hours. “Considering we may not know when the feet first appear, I often recommend waiting 30 minutes and if no progress has been made during that time, consider examining the cow,” Craig Payne, DVM, extension veterinarian with the University of Missouri, explained. However, Dr. Payne added at this point in time if the cow hasn’t had the calf, it doesn’t necessarily mean the cow will need assistance. “Sometimes a cow or heifer just needs a little more time, and ex perience will help you sort out when you need to step in,” Payne shared.

Stepping in to Help

In some situations, producers should not wait for the cow to try to deliver the calf on her own. Dr. Payne recommends producers immediately step in to help a cow when the position of the calf is an abnor mal presentation. For example, in cases in which the calf is backwards, has its head turned back, a front leg turned back, or when the calf will not fit in the birth ca-

nal; immediate assistance is required.

Calling the Vet

There will be times when the problem is too complicated for producers to handle. Producers should call their herd veterinarian when they think there is a problem but do not know the solution. They should also reach out for professional assistance when they know there is a problem and what the solution is, but the problem is not something they can fix. Additionally, a veterinarian is needed when producers know the problem and solution but are unsuccessful in correcting the problem within 30 minutes.

ImportantRemindersDelivery

When stepping in to assist a cow during delivery, there are some important factors to keep in mind. “The mucosal lining of the birth canal is easily irritated, so use plenty of lubrication on your arm when you do an exam or correct an abnormal presentation,” Payne explained.

In addition, if producers are attempting to correct an abnormal presentation, they should proceed with caution to prevent tearing the uterus during manipulation. When producers need to use a calf jack, they should avoid using excessive force to keep from causing irreparable damage to the cow. According to Dr. Payne, a rule of thumb is to apply only as much force as two people that were pulling by hand.

Calving Season Supplies

Prior to calving season it’s a good idea to purchase and organize needed supplies. A few supplies producers will want to keep on hand include OB sleeves, OB chains or straps, OB handles, disinfectant and lubrication for their arm. Clean buckets and a calf jack are also items producers will want to have handy.

Vaughn 479-790-3432

479-790-9272

Bartholomew 479-263-9302

Isaacs 918-696-1558

farm help Birthweights and the Weather

By Cheryl Kepes

The impact of extremes on fetal calf development

Ever wonder why calves born in the fall sometimes seem smaller and lighter than their spring counterparts? Research indicates heat can be a factor in the fetal development of a calf. Additionally, drought conditions can also impact the growth of a calf in utero, de pending on the management practices of the cattle operation.

Heat Can Impact Development

According to experts, most of the re search on the impact of environmental heat on fetal development has been conducted in dairy breeds.

When the temperature rises, a cow’s body launches a wave of reactions in or der to cool down. “Heat exposure shifts blood flow from internal organs to the periphery of the animal to increase heat dissipation,” Craig Payne, DVM, extension veterinarian with the University of Missouri, explained.

When a cow’s body makes this shift to combat the stress of heat, the blood flow to the cow’s uterus decreases.

“If that decrease flow persists, placental development is compromised which in turn, restricts the amount of oxygen and nutrients going to the fetus resulting in a reduced growth rate,” Payne said. “Such is the reason why the average birthweight of fall born calves is less than spring born calves.”

However, some producers may wonder about the impact that heat and drought may have on their cows’ due dates. Payne said he is not aware of any research that demonstrates chronic heat stress leads to premature births.

Drought Impact on Growth

The impact drought conditions have on the birthweight of calves can be tied to whether cows received proper nutrition during gestation.

The supplemental feeding practices of the cattle operation during forage scarce conditions play a role in the development of the fetus.

“In cases where nutrient restriction has occurred, the impact on birthweight depends on a variety of things including severity and length of the restriction, time during gestation in which the restriction occurs and animal maturity,” Payne shared.

Payne emphasizes what producers may want to focus on regarding this topic is to recognize that nutrient restriction during gestation has been demonstrated to have an impact on the lifelong performance of progeny. This is often referred to as fetal programming. The concept of fetal programming centers around research that indicates a cow’s nutrition during gestation has a lasting impact on the health and performance of her calf.

Impact on Later Gestation Stages

The harsh, dry summer producers just experienced could impact cows in their second and third periods of gestation.

Though most of the research in this area has occurred in dairy cattle, the findings are worth noting for beef cattle as well.

Cows heat stressed during late gestation have impaired mammary growth and less milk production in the following lactation. In addition, their immune system function can be compromised. Lastly, if cows fail to receive enough nutrients during the later stages of gestation, they can incur other problems as well. “Regarding nutrient restriction, loss of body condition going into calving season can result in decreased colostrum production, prolonged parturition/increased dystocia and increased postpartum interval,” Payne added.

help

Maximizing Forage Opportunities

By Cheryl Kepes

Rebounding from summer drought conditions

A wet, rainy spring followed by a hot, dry summer created conditions that adversely impacted forages and hay crops. The first cutting of fescue hay fell short for many producers. The weather conditions caused a delayed fescue hay crop which led to it being more mature with a lower nutrient value. Then the drought eliminated the possibility of a second cutting of hay.

All these factors combined with a na tionwide hay shortage has some farmers concerned about how they will feed their animals through the winter. Forage specialists recommend producers focus on forage management to help carry their herds through the cold months.

Preparing Pastures

Stockpiling forages has been a strategy utilized by farmers for years to provide nutrition for their cattle in the winter months. Ideally, producers fertilize their fescue pastures in August and then close off the pastures until the fields are need ed for grazing in the winter months.

Producers may also want to plant turnips or fall oats when fertilizing.

Early fall is a good time to get some additional forages in the ground. “In September we focus on planting rye, triticale, barley or wheat for fall, winter and spring grazing,” Tim Schnakenberg, field specialist in agronomy with the University of Missouri Extension explained. “These can still be planted in early October, but tonnage potential for the fall is diminished greatly.”

Stockpiling Versus Feeding Hay

Though it is getting late in the season to plant or fertilize, it’s not too late to look at the differences of feeding hay

compared to grazing stockpiled pastures in the winter months.

“The cost of hay may exceed $150 per ton and is usually much lower in quality compared to lush pasture,” Schnaken berg said. “If you figure cost of feeding hay along with typical feeding losses associated with hay, it could potentially cost well over $3.00 per day to feed a 1,200 pound lactating cow.” The cost per day could climb even higher if a producer supplemented with grain, which is higher in price this year.

However, in many cases it will cost less to feed cattle stockpiled pastures. “Factoring fall pasture rent, the cost of putting about 40 pounds of nitrogen on your strongest fescue pastures, and closing gates until about December, the cost to feed during that time could be closer to $1.30 per day,” Schnakenberg stated. How well the grass will grow each year, depends on fall rains and the absence of early freezes.

Managing Stockpiled Forages

There are management strategies to help maximize forages for operations that plan to utilize stockpiled pastures in the winter months. “In the university models, improving grass utilization rates makes stockpiling most profitable,” Schnakenberg stated. “This involves raising use rates up to 60 percent or better.”

Forage specialists recommend improving utilization rates by strip grazing using short grazing intervals allowing the maximum use of the forage. “Those who stockpile routinely have the bene fit of having top quality feed that their cows are harvesting themselves versus having to rely on a more labor intensive, higher priced and lower quality feed source,” Schnakenberg added.

According to forage specialists, fall

growth may typically produce 1,500 to 3,000 pounds per acre of forage with good fertility. “I have calculated one to two acres of properly stockpiled fescue can meet the nutrient requirements of a 1,200 pound beef cow well into the winter months (50 to 100 days),” Schnakenberg explained. Producers with stockpiled fescue pas-

tures may turnout cattle to graze starting as early as October. But more typically the stockpiled fescue fields are utilized beginning in December, then rationed out to cows until it is depleted. Some operations can keep some stockpiled grass as late as February, if the weather remains mild.

farm help

Gut Health in Cattle

By Cheryl Kepes

Why a strong digestive system is important

Producers continually search for ways to improve efficiency and reduce costs on their operations.

Though it may not be the first area for improvement to come to mind, ensuring cattle have an excellent digestive system paves the way for better overall herd health.

Digestive System Basics

In cattle, their digestive system includes their mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, cecum, and large intestine. According to livestock specialists and researchers, the stomach is the most import ant component of the digestive system.

The stomach has four distinct compartments including the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. The rumen, which is the largest compartment of the stomach, can hold as much as 40 gallons in a mature cow.

Cattle rely on rumen fermentation for the digestion of cellulosic plant materials. “A healthy digestive system in cattle is crit ical for efficient feed digestion and utiliza tion, which provides cattle with sufficient nutrients for better growth performance,” Jiangchao Zhao, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Arkansas, said.

Furthermore, Zhao stated greater feed efficiency can also reduce feed costs and greenhouse gas emissions. A healthy digestive system provides other benefits as well. In cattle, a healthy digestive system can prevent the onset of some digestive disorders such as bloat, ruminal acidosis and diarrhea.

Connection to Immune Health

A healthy digestive system and a good immune system are interconnected and dependent on each other. The digestive system in cattle is a complex system that plays host to trillions of microbes including bacteria, fungi, methanogenic archaea, protozoa and viruses. The collection of all these microbes is called the microbiome.

The microbiome, especially the rumen microbiome, plays a significant role in feed fermentation and digestion. “Rumen microbiome includes microbes that can effectively degrade host-indigestible plant fiber and produce volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as acetate, propionate and butyrate, which are absorbed and used as energy by cattle,” Zhao explained. “In fact, these VFAs generated by rumen microbes can meet 70 percent of the energy need of cattle, which underlines the importance of the rumen microbiome in cat tle production.”

Improving Digestive Health

First, efficient feed digestion requires a healthy digestive system and the overall well-being of cattle. “To improve feed digestion the producers should also provide cattle with a well-balanced ration with consistent dietary nutrients,” Zhao stated. “Since rumen microbes are the major players in breaking down the plant cell wall components, a healthy and diverse ru men microbiome is needed to improve diges tion in cattle.”

Prebiotics and probiotics can improve feed digestion in cattle when they are administered in adequate amounts. Prebiotics and probiotics can modulate the composition, balance and activities of the rumen microbiome, therefore creating an environment conducive for better feed digestion.

Other Factors in Digestive Health

There are other factors that can impact gut and cattle health. Livestock specialists recommend producers take steps to reduce the amount of stress animals experience during difficult circumstances such as weaning, transportation and heat. Stressful situa tions can impact an animal’s immune health. “Better practices to avoid these stresses are desired to promote cattle health and production,” Zhao said.

farm help

The Scoop on Scours

By Cheryl Kepes

Causes and cures for scours in calves

Scours or calf diarrhea can be a serious problem for producers. In some cases, scours can be fatal in young calves.

“Calves that suffer from scours can become critically ill in a short period of time,” Jeremy Powell, DVM and Ph.D., with the University of Arkansas Divi sion of Agriculture, explained. “Scours can quickly lead to dehydration and electrolyte depletion which could eventually cause the animal’s death.”

There are several pathogens that can cause a calf to have scours. Those pathogens are E. coli, rotavirus, corona virus, cryptosporidium and Clostridium perfringens. “The agent that is responsible for the disease is usually determined by the calf’s age as well as the integrity of the calf’s defenses,” Powell stated.

The pathogens that cause scours are contagious. A calf with scours can contaminate the pasture or calving environ ment which can lead to scours in other calves. Fortunately, there are some preventative measures producers can implement to decrease the likelihood of a calf scours outbreak in their herd.

Maximize Colostrum Transfer

Newborn calves that receive an adequate amount of quality colostrum are better equipped to build the immunity they need to fight off pathogens that cause scours. “Colostrum plays a vital role in the newborn’s immune status during the first few months of its life,” Powell said. “Colostrum is made up of essential nutrients for the newborn calf including energy, protein and antibodies,” Powell said.

In many cases, if a calf fails to receive the proper amount of colostrum, it will be more susceptible to the pathogens that cause calf scours.

Vaccinate Bred Cows

Vaccinating a bred cow with a calf scour vaccine well ahead of calving pro vides protection for her future calf. The vaccination given to the bred cow helps to ensure the calf will receive defensive antibodies against calf scours from co lostrum. “To optimize a high level of an tibodies against calf scours in the cow’s colostrum, she should be vaccinated approximately six weeks prior to calving,” Powell stated. “If a scours vaccine has never been used in a herd, then a boost er dose may be required.”

Environmental Factors

Proper herd management through optimizing environmental sanitation and decreasing overcrowding on pastures will also help prevent calf scours. A rotational calving/grazing system will minimize overcrowding on calving pastures and decrease the likelihood of environmental exposure to pathogens.

According to Powell, producers should consider rotating heavy springing cows into fresh calving pastures every week or two of the calving season and leav ing behind those cows with newborn calves by side. This management practice helps to segregate newborns by age decreasing the likelihood for newborns to become exposed to calf scours and shared among the group.

Treatment for Scours

If a calf scours outbreak occurs pro ducers should focus their treatment efforts on correcting any fluid deficits, treating electrolyte imbalances, providing nutritional support and administering a broad-spectrum antibiotic if needed.

Proper Nutrition

For a cow to produce quality colos trum she must have adequate nutrition during her gestation period. Protein is the most important nutrient for the production of sufficient colostrum. Therefore, protein is essential in a cow’s diet in order for her to produce quality colostrum that will give her calf good immune health.

Colostrum contains large amounts of antibodies made of protein from the cow’s immune system. “Depending on breed, a cow in late gestation should receive 1.5 to 2 pounds of protein per head, per day to meet requirement,” Powell said. “Cows of adequate body condition (BCS = 5.5 to 6.0) should nor mally produce good quality colostrum.”

If the calf is suffering from dehydration, then oral or intravenous fluids may be used to remedy the problem. Electrolyte powders can be added to oral solutions in order to correct electrolyte imbalances. “Also, it is important to replace energy stores with oral or IV fluids containing glucose or dextrose supplements,” Powell added.

Lastly, a broad-spectrum antibiotic can be administered for calf scours caused by bacterial infections. It is important to consult with a veterinarian for treat ment advice if the operation has any issue with calf scours. “Remember that when dealing with calf scours the key is to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place,” Powell stated.

“Remember that when dealing with calf scours the key is to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place.”

— Dr. Jeremy Powell, University of Arkansas

LOOKING FOR FREELANCE WRITERS

Counties In Arkansas: Baxter, Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cleburne, Conway, Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Johnson, Logan, Madison, Marion, Newton, Pope, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Van Buren, Washington, White and Yell

Counties In Oklahoma: Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Le Flore, Mayes, Muskogee, Ottawa, Rogers, Sequoyah and Wagoner

Experience in agriculture preferred, but not required. Some photography skills needed. Freelancers should have excellent organizational and time management skills, the ability to produce feature stories following AP style and the guidelines of OFN. Freelancers should have a strong initiative, be able to meet deadlines and follow through with projects. Please send writing samples and a resume to julie@ozarksfn.com.

ozarks’ calendar

October 2022

5-16

Tractor Supply Clover Event – 100 percent of funds raised through the paper clover fundraiser support 4-H kids – for more information visit a Tractor Supply location near you

7-9 Ozarks Fall Farmfest – Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, Springfield, Mo. –ozarkempirefair.com – 417-833-2660 or contactus@ozarkempirefair.com

10-12 Cattlemen’s Choice Replacement Heifer Pen Show & Sale – Arkansas State Fairgrounds, Little Rock, Ark. – for questions call 479-970-6905 or 870-703-1270 – arbeef.org

11

Practical Homesteading Seminar – 6-8 p.m. – Faulkner County Extension, 844 Faulkner Street, Conway, Ark. – Cost: $20 per person, meal included –pre-registration is required by Oct. 6 – visit go.ozarksfn.com/l8a to register or call 501-329-8344

12

Private/Commerical Pesticide Applicator Lunchtime CEU Training – noon-1 p.m.

– Adair County Extension Office, Courthouse Basement, Stilwell, Okla. – must pre-register prior to meeting – 918-696-2253

14-23 Arkansas State Fair – State Fairgrounds, Little Rock, Ark. – arkansasstatefair.com – 501-372-8341 or info@asfg.net

November 2022

7-3/27/23 Master Cattlemen Program – Mondays at 6:30-8:30 p.m., no classes on holidays

– Northeast Tech Auditorium, Afton, Okla. – Cost: $150 per person or per couple

– for more information contact the Delaware County OSU Extension at 918-253-4332 or the Ottawa County OSU Extension at 918-542-1688

16 Private/Commercial Pesticide Applicator Lunchtime CEU Training – noon-1 p.m.

– Adair County Extension Office, Courthouse Basement, Stilwell, Okla. – must pre-register prior to meeting – 918-696-2253

December 2022

7 East Central Pesticide Conference – 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. – Sequoyah County Fairgrounds, Sallisaw, Okla. – for more information contact Jace at the Sequoyah County Extension Office 918-775-4022 or 918-775-4838

14 Private/Commerical Pesticide Applicator Lunchtime CEU Training – noon-1 p.m.

– Adair County Extension Office, Courthouse Basement, Stilwell, Okla. – must pre-register prior to meeting – 918-696-2253

October 2022

3 Express Ranches Annual Fall Bull & Commercial Female Sale – at the ranch, Yukon, Okla. – 1-800-664-3977 or 405-350-0044

5 Cantrell Creek Angus Sale – Niangua, Mo. – 417-872-5570

7 J&N Ranch Black Herefords Visit the Birthplace Sale – at the Ranch, Leavenworth, Kan. – 913-727-6446

7 Smith Valley Angus Annual Production Sale – Salem, Mo. – 573-729-2910 or 573-247-7165

Angus Alliance International Production Sale – Carthage, Mo. – 417-540-4902

Big D Ranch’s Building For Your Tomorrow Annual Production Sale – at the farm, Center Ridge, Ark. – 501-208-6119

East Central Missouri Angus Association Fall Sale – Interstate Regional Stockyards, Cuba, Mo. – 940-531-1851

— ZONE A AUCTIONS —

10/16 Estate of Dennis Swenson Auction –Grove, Okla. • Dwayne Craig Auction Service

— ZONE B AUCTIONS —

10/6 Edmund Stites Estate Auction ( Day 1 of 2 ) – Sallisaw, Okla. • Looper Auction & Realty II, LLC

10/8 Consignment Auction – Van Buren, Ark. • Faucher Auction & Realty

10/8 Edmund Stites Estate Auction ( Day 2 of 2 ) – Sallisaw, Okla. • Looper Auction & Realty II, LLC

10/8 Personal Property Auction – Heavener, Okla. • R.W. Williams Auction Service

10/8 Surplus Farm Equipment Auction of the Larry Couch Estate – Vian, Okla. • Border Town Auctions

10/15 Business Auction – Ozark, Ark. • Reading Auction Service

10/22 Annual Equipment Consignment Auction – Ozark, Ark. • Reading Auction Service

10/22 Real Estate & Personal Property Auction – Booneville, Ark. • Contrail Auction Service

11/5 Fall 2022 Classic & Collector Car Auction – Muskogee, Ark. • Tailpipe Events & Consignments

— ZONE C AUCTIONS —

10/3 Ruth Minor Living Estate Auction –Springdale, Ark. • Auctions by Larry R. Williams

10/8 Antiques, Guns, Jewelry, Furniture, Household Goods Auction – Harrison, Ark. • Graham and Olsen Auctions

10/8 Frank & Robin Taber Estate Auction –Omaha, Ark. • Bailey Auction Service

10/8 Real Estate & Personal Property Auction – Springdale, Ark. • John Reddish Auctions Service

10/9 Estate of Mike Blain & Living Estate of Linda Blain Auction – Bentonville, Ark. • Dwayne Craig Auction Service

10/10 Living Estate Auction, Smith, Roach –Springdale, Ark. • Auctions by Larry R. Williams

10/14 G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Treasures) Auction – Sulphur Springs, Ark. • Barber Auctions

10/15 Estate Auction – Fayetteville, Ark. • John Reddish Auctions Service

10/22 Jim & Joann Young Liquidation Auction – Parthenon, Ark. • Bailey Auction Service

10/23 Living Estate of Zeldene Harbor Auction – Springdale, Ark. • Dwayne Craig Auction Service

10/29 Estate Auction – West Fork, Ark. • Reading Auction Service

— ZONE D AUCTIONS —

10/8 Annual Fall Farm & Heavy Equipment Auction – Mountain Home, Ark. • Walker Auction Service

10/8 Estate of Bud & Polly Schneider Public Auction – Mountain Home, Ark. • Perryman Auction Company

10/8 Farm Estate Moving Auction –Jerusalem, Ark. • Roberson Auctioneers

10/8 Living Estate of Linda Dickey Auction –Greenbrier, Ark. • Midway

10/15 Living Estate of Joe Anne Nicholson Auction – Vilonia, Ark. • Midway

10/15 Public Estate Auction (Trucks, Trailers, Camper & Tools) – Gassville, Ark. • Walker Auction Service

10/22 Living Estate of Dale Mo ett Auction –Conway, Ark. • Midway

12/3 Multi Estate Auction Extravaganza –Flippin, Ark. • Double Diamond Auction

— OUTSIDE AREA —

AUCTIONS

10/8 Goebels, Hummel and 50 Air Ri es Auction – Glenwood, Ark. • McGrew Auction Service

10/8 Pickups, Tractor, Farm Equip., Tools, Guns, Ammo, Mounts, Etc. AuctionReed Springs, Mo. - Melton Auction & Realty Co., LLC

10/9 Sunday Precision Tool Auction - Webb City, Mo. - Venture Group Auction

10/15 Complete Farm Dispersal – Ava, Mo. • Cheyney Auction Company LLC

10/15 Steve & Vickie Phipps Real Estate & Personal Property Auction – Highlandville, Mo. • Essick Auction & Realty

10/15 Tractors, Autos, Trailers, Farm Equip., Tools, Guns, Misc Auction - Protem, Mo. - Melton Auction & Realty Co., LLC

10/16 Sunday Estate Farm Auction - Webb City, Mo. - Venture Group Auction

10/19 Equipment Auction Online – closes 10 a.m. Oct. 19, bigiron.com • Big Iron Auctions

10/21 Farm Machinery Auction - Aurora, Mo. • Essick Auction & Realty

10/22 Oil Capital Collectibles Live Fall Auction – Sapulpa, Okla. • Oil Capital Collectibles

10/22 Truck and Tractor Estate Sale – Rector, Ark. • Mavis Smith Auction Company

ozarks’ auction block

from Page 28

October 2022

8 Leachman Cattle of Colorado Fall Ozark Sale – I-40 Livestock, Ozark, Ark. – 970-568-3983

8 Lucas Cattle Company Fall Open House Bull & Heifer Sale – Cross Timbers, Mo. – 417-399-1241

8 Power Performance Pedigree Sale – Wright County Livestock Auction, Mountain Grove, Mo. – 417-293-8002

8 Texas Angus Autumn Classic – Texas A&M Beef Center, College Station, Tx. – 254-434-1095 or 806-255-6904

10 Complete Estate Dispersal of the Julia Weiker Angus Herd – Fayette, Mo. –816-532-0811

11 Checkerhill Angus Ladies with Style Online Sale – 417-855-9461, 417-274-8696 or 417-274-1630

12 Valley Oaks Angus Fall Bull & Commercial Female Sale – Chilhowee, Mo. –573-280-2351 or 816-229-8115

15 3C Cattle Company Fall Production Sale – Carrollton, Mo. – 660-542-1234

15 Angell-Thomas Charolais Fall Sale – Paris, Mo. – 573-682-7348

15 Aschermann Charolais & Akaushi 35th Edition Production Sale – at the ranch, Carthage, Mo. – 417-358-7879

15 Bradley Cattle Bull Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 417-848-3457

15 Byergo Angus Fall Production Sale – Savannah, Mo. – 816-261-7150, 816-261-5198 or 816-294-2225

15 Byergo Beef Genetics Private Treaty Bull Sale – Nevada, Mo. – 816-390-2426

15 Cannon Charolais Ranch Mature Cow Herd Dispersal – Newton, Iowa –641-521-8184

15 Fink Beef Genetics Fall Bull Sale – Fink Sale Facility, Randolph, Kan. –785-532-9936 or 785-410-5559

15 Gerloff Farms 15th Annual Bull Fest & Female Sale – Bland, Mo. – 573-437-3751 or 573-680-9117

15 Heart of the Ozarks Angus Association Fall Production Sale – Ozark Regional Stockyards, West Plains, Mo. – 940-531-1851

15 Seedstock Plus Fall Bull & Female Sale – Joplin Regional Stockyards, Carthage, Mo. – 1-877-486-1160

16 Express Ranches Annual Hereford Event Sale – at the ranch, Yukon, Okla. – 1-800-664-3977 or 405-350-0044

16 Frank/Hazelrigg Cattle Company 10th Annual Family Values Sale – at the farm, Fulton, Mo. – 608-279-3172 or 703-587-9959

17 Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus 7th Annual Fall Production Sale – at the farm, Nevada, Mo. – 417-944-2219 or 417-448-4127

19 21st Annual Thomas Charolais Fall Bull Sale – at the ranch, Raymondville, Tx. – 956-689-5162

22 Lacy’s Red Angus & MC Livestock Annual Bull & Female Sale – at the ranch near Drexel, Mo. – 913-909-1912

22 Linhart Limousin 13th Annual Fall Harvest Sale – at the farm, Leon, Iowa – 402-350-3447, 615-330-2735 or 256-962-0256

22 McBee Cattle Company Annual Fall Bull & Female Sale – at the ranch, Fayette, Mo. – 573-228-2517

22 Mead Farms 80th Annual Fall Production Sale – at the Mead Sale Headquarters, Versailles, Mo. – 573-302-7011 or 573-216-0210

23 1st Annual Missouri Angus Ladies of Autumn Sale – Wall Street Cattle Company Sale Facility, Lebanon, Mo. – 940-531-1851

28 Spur Ranch Performance Herd of the Heartland Sale – at the ranch, Vinita, Okla. – 918-256-5850

29 Cattlemen’s Preferred Sale – Cattlemen’s Livestock Auction, Harrison, Ark. – 205-270-0999

29 Fox Hollow Farms Fall Production Sale – at the ranch, Hulbert, Okla. –918-409-6068

29 Nipp Charolais Production Sale – Wilson, Okla. – 580-668-3332

29 Plyler & Son Get the Brand Volume 7 Bull Sale – Southern Arkansas University, Story Arena, Magnolia, Ark. – 870-703-1394

29 Wall Street Cattle Company Fall Production Sale – Lebanon, Mo. –417-288-4444

29 Ward Brothers Livestock Production Sale – at the farm, Plattsburg, Mo. –816-261-0891 or 816-261-7238

29 Wild Indian Acres Bull Sale – De Soto, Mo. – 636-586-2299 or 636-236-0306

30 P Bar S Ranch Proof of Progress Annual Production Sale – at the Ranch, Sand Springs, Okla. – 615-330-2735

31 Southwest Missouri Performance Tested Bull Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 417-293-8002

November 2022

1 ECP Cattle Online Production Sale – Adair, Okla. – 918-864-6567

4-5 GenePlus Brangus Production Sale – Chimney Rock Cattle Company, Concord, Ark. – 1-877-436-3877

4 Meyer Cattle Fall Sale – Bowling Green, Mo. – 573-808-0624 or 573-694-1622

5 B/F Cattle Company Maternal Integrity Balancer Bull & Female Sale –Bulter, Mo. – 660-492-2808

5 Henke Farms Fall Female Sale – Salisbury, Mo. – 660-676-6233

5 Seedstock Plus Red Reward Fall Edition Bull & Female Sale – Wheeler Livestock Auction, Osceola, Mo. – 1-877-486-1160

5 Worthington Angus 4th Annual Fall Bull & Commercial Female Sale – at the farm, Dadeville, Mo. – 417-844-2601

5 Wright Charolais Fall Event Sale – Kearney, Mo. – 816-776-3512

7 Sandmeier Charolais Matriarch’s of the Midwest Female Sale – at the ranch, Bowdle, S.D. – 605-281-1259 or 605-281-1564

12 Four State Shorthorn Association Sale (Sale Canceled) – Diamond, Mo.

12 Thomas Farms Limousin & Limflex Production Sale – Leslie, Ark. –501-745-8484 or 501-757-1088

12 Valley Oaks Fall Registered Angus Female Sale – Oak Grove, Mo. –573-280-2351

17 Runft Charolais Complete Herd Dispersal – Belleville, Kan. – 785-527-1269

19 Heart of Missouri Limousin Sale – The Exchange at Wall Street Cattle Company, Lebanon, Mo. – 402-350-3447 or 320-287-0751

19 Sydenstricker Genetics 44th Annual Production Sale – at the farm, Mexico, Mo. – 573-581-1225 or 573-473-9202

21 Green Springs Bull Test – Nevada, Mo. – 417-448-7416

26 Galaxy Beef Production Sale – at the farm, Macon, Mo. – 816-244-4462 or 660-254-1337

December 2022

3 Heartland Highland Cattle Association 6th Annual Fall Highland Auction – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 417-345-0575

3 Ridder Farms Family Values Female Sale & Annual Bull Sale – at the farm, Hermann, Mo. – 573-680-4692 or 573-280-5795

10 Shepherd Charolais 2nd Annual Female Sale – Cow Palace, Anita, Iowa –515-321-6870 or 402-880-5179

15 Glendenning J Bar J Holiday Classic – L365auctions.com – 402-350-3447 or 417-588-6121

17 Bradley Cattle Bred Heifer Sale – Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, Springfield, Mo. – 417-848-3457 or 765-376-8784

BALANCER

Rumfelt Farms

Phillipsburg, Mo. 417-664-6936 brumfelt7556@gmail.com

BRANGUS

Horsehead Ranch Talala, Okla. 918-695-2357 www.HorseheadRanch.net

GELBVIEH

Rumfelt Farms

Phillipsburg, Mo. 417-664-6936 brumfelt7556@gmail.com

LIMOUSIN

Glendenning J Bar J

Lebanon, Mo.

417-588-6121 417-664-0913 417-664-1186 jack@jbarjlimousin.com www.jbarjlimousin.com

RED ANGUS

Watkins Cattle Company

Harrison, Ark. 870-741-9795 870-688-1232 watkinscattleco@ windstream.net

ULTRABLACK

Horsehead Ranch Talala, Okla. 918-695-2357 www.HorseheadRanch.net

Country Veterinary Service Tim E. O’Neill, DVM 479-267-2685 Farmington, AR cvsvet.com 30 years of serving both farm and family.