April 5, 2021 | Vol. 14 : No. 3
Rain, snow and warming temperatures are making their way again as forecasts indicate another wet spring for the Northern Plains. However, after last year’s flooding we’re a little wiser as to how to tackle the predicted flooding.
In this month’s edition we highlight a wool calf warmer, a new round baler, a feeder-calf program and BRD treatment.
Imagine a life filled with dust. Inhaling, only to choke on dust. Eating it on every scarce bite of food. Seeing a dust outline on the bedding when you wake in the morning.
I’ve been reading accounts from the Dirty Thirties. I don’t know if I’m drawn to the unimaginable awfulness of it all, or the amazing hope. Those of our Greatest Generation, who lived through the droughts and erratic weather, endured things I can hardly comprehend.
The relationship between average daily air temperatures during the last trimester a cow is pregnant and calf birth weights has been documented in research done by the University of Nebraska from 1992 to 1998. During six years, 285 2-year-old cows and their subsequent calf birth weights and calving difficulty were recorded.
Ensuring that cattle and any other livestock being pastured in exposed areas have adequate access to shelter to escape the wind and cold is especially important. Livestock grazing open crop residue fields or large pastures can be left exposed during extreme bouts of cold, and producers should try to mitigate these effects. In addition to cold, wind chills will increase heat loss dramatically by penetrating even the thickest winter coats, increasing livestock energy requirements to maintain body temperature, thus driving up feed costs. When temperatures drop below 30° Fahrenheit (F), energy requirements increase approximately 13% for every 10° decrease in wind chill, and cattle can experience cold stress below 18° F.
No one needs to stretch their memory too far to see the devastation that can be caused when severe weather strikes. The recent arctic blast across many parts of the United States — and especially in Texas — is a blaring testimony to the destructive effects on communities and livelihoods.
University of Missouri Extension forage researchers studied the effects of treated urea products on soil fertility, forage yield and quality. This information can help producers control risk on nitrogen investments, improve tall fescue forage yields and improve water quality.
