BEEF
NEWSLETTER
April, 2015
Cooperative Extension Service
Jackson County
1408 Main Street South
P.O. Box 188
McKee, KY 40447
PHO: (606) 287-7693
FAX: (606) 287-7694
Email: http://ces.ca.uky.edu/jackson/
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/JacksonCoExtensionService
Beef Production Meeting Scheduled
The Jackson County Cattlemen Association’s is sponsoring a meeting that will feature Dr. Philip
Bundy, Veterinarian, who will talk to the group about health management during breeding season. This meeting
will be held at the Billy Joe Rose building in Sand Gap on highway 421 on Thursday, April 16 at 6:30
p.m. Every cattle producer is encouraged to attend.
This will be a very informative meeting. Attending this meeting will fulfill the requirement by the
state to attend an educational meeting should you apply and qualify for the 2015 CostShare Programs that will be starting this spring. The JCCA will provide coffee and donuts for this meeting.
Please register for this meeting by calling the Jackson County Extension Service at 287-7693.
JCCA Equipment Rental Program
The JCCA recently acquired the no till seeder from the Jackson County Conservation District. The seeder is
available for $20 per day or $30 per weekend just like the other equipment with an additional $2 per acre charge.
Other equipment available includes:
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Chain Drag - It is a 16 ft. wide mounted on tires with an 8 ft. center and 4 ft. left and right hand wings that
are hydraulically controlled.
Portable Cattle Squeeze chute/headgate,
Round Bale Hay Hauler
Boomless Sprayer for weeds with a 150 gallon tank.
All of this equipment is located at Russell Pennington’s Garage in Annville and each piece can be rented for $20
per day, $30 per weekend. You can call Pennington’s garage at 364-3243 to schedule the equipment.
The JCCA recently secured some funding from PRTC that will help with their next equipment purchase which will
be a lime spreader as voted on by beef producers in the county as the most needed piece of equipment at this time.
The JCCA hopes to have the lime spreader available for rental within a couple of months.
Jeff Henderson
County Extension Agent
for Agriculture and Natural Resources
Understanding Grass Tetany
Source: Michelle Arnold, extension ruminant veterinarian
Spring in Kentucky is a great time of greening and warming, but it’s also a time when livestock producers need to
watch out for grass tetany, also called spring tetany or grass staggers. Some people also refer to it as wheat pasture poisoning,
winter tetany or lactation tetany. Regardless, it’s a condition caused by an abnormally low level of magnesium in the blood of
livestock.
Maintenance of normal blood magnesium is completely dependent on absorption of magnesium from the diet.
Deficiencies occur most often in beef and dairy cows in early lactation that graze lush pastures high in potassium and
nitrogen and low in magnesium and sodium. Affected cattle often have low blood calcium. Typically grass tetany occurs
when grazing ryegrass, small grains (i.e. wheat, rye) and cool season perennial grasses from February through April, although
it can occur in fall-calving cows. Fast-growing spring grass is usually high in potassium and crude protein and low in sodium
and magnesium.
The earliest signs are twitching of the facial muscles, shoulder and flank. As the blood magnesium level drops, muscles
stay contracted, so legs are stiff and rigid and eventually cause the cow to stagger and fall. Rapid convulsions or seizures
quickly follow, with chomping of the jaws and frothy salivation.
Affected animals lie with the head arched back and the legs paddling. The heart rate may reach 150 beats per minute
(normal is 60 to 80) and can often be heard without the use of a stethoscope. Respiratory rates of 60 breaths per minute and a
rectal temperature as high as 105 degrees F may result from the excessive muscle activity. Animals may stand up and repeat
these convulsive episodes several times before they finally die. A moderate form of grass tetany can occur with milder signs
of reduced feed intake, nervousness and reduced milk production.
Animals with grass tetany need immediate veterinary treatment. Response to treatment depends largely on the length of
time between onset of symptoms and when treatment begins.
Producers who want to prevent grass tetany should start supplementing feed with a high magnesium mineral at least 30
days prior to calving. Cows require 20 grams of magnesium daily or 4 ounces per day of a 15-percent magnesium mineral
mix during the late winter and early spring. Don’t let your mineral feeders get empty, because consistent intake is important
for prevention. Kentucky Beef Integrated Resource Management (IRM) mineral recommendations for free-choice
supplements for grazing beef cattle include 14 percent magnesium in the complete mineral mix—all from magnesium oxide,
no dolomitic limestone or magnesium mica. At least a third of your magnesium oxide should be in the prilled form to
increase palatability.
In addition to supplying supplemental magnesium, you can do several things to decrease the risk of grass tetany. These
include: soil testing and applying needed lime and fertilizer, feeding legumes, feeding small amounts of hay or grain to cattle
that are grazing lush pastures, and grazing less susceptible or non-lactating animals (heifers, dry cows, stocker cattle) on the
higher risk pastures.
Calendars Available
The 2015 Beef Integrated Resource Management
Calendars are available so stop by and pick yours up
today at the Jackson County Extension Service.
The Cooperative Extension Service prohibits discrimination in its programs and employment on the basis of
race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.
To file a complaint of discrimination, contact Tim West, UK College of Agriculture, Lexington, KY 40546 (859-257-3879); Terry Allen
or Patty Bender, UK Office of Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity, Lexington, KY 40546 (859-257-8927); or the USDA, Director
Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Bldg., 14th & Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 (202-720-5964).