BEEF
NEWSLETTER
Fall 2012
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/
Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association
Annual Meeting
The Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association will be holding its annual meeting on
Tuesday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Buckaroo’s Restaurant. After a beef supper
sponsored by the Jackson County Bank, Farm Credit, PRTC and Southeastern Farm Supply, the
association will hold a business meeting, elect officers and directors for the upcoming year and
update the group on the activities for the past year and the next few months.
Please register for this meeting by calling the Extension Service at 287-7693 by Monday,
October 15. It is important that you register in advance so that meal plans can be made
since space may be limited.
BECOME A MEMBER
If you would like become a member of the Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association you can get an
application at the Jackson County Extension Service. The membership dues are $30.00 each year single or
$45.00 per couple. By being a member you have the opportunity to attend various cattlemen related
educational activities and functions and will receive a monthly copy of the Cow Country News, which is an
excellent publication for cattlemen of all sizes and scopes. For more information contact the Jackson County
Extension Service at 287-7693.
Jeff Henderson
County Extension Agent
for Agriculture and Natural Resources
KENTUCKY BEEF CONFERENCE
“Today’s Challenges, Tomorrows Opportunities”
October 23, 2012
Fayette County Extension Service
1140 Red Mile Place
Lexington, KY 40504
PROGRAM:
9:00
Registration
11:45
10:00
Presiding Nick Carter, Fayette County Agent
for Agriculture & Natural Resources
12:30 Reproductive Implications of the 2012 Drought
Dr. Les Anderson,
University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Animal and Food Sciences, Beef Extension Specialist
Welcome and Opening Comments
University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service
Dr. Gary Palmer, Assistant Director
for Agriculture and Natural Resources
1:15
Pinch Your Pennies, Pay the Price— Feeding
Considerations with High Feed Prices
Jeffery Lehmkuhler,
University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Extension Beef Specialist
2:00
Marketing Strategies for 2012
Lance Zimmerman, Analyst for Cattle-FAX 3:00
Current Beef Cattle Situation
Lance Zimmerman, Analyst for Cattle-FAX
11:00
Economics of Heifer Development—
Kenny Burdine, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Marketing & Profitability for Livestock, Forage and Equine
Lunch
Adjourn
For more information and to pre-register, contact the Jackson County Extension Service at 287-7693 by October 19.
I plan to attend and anyone who wishes to go can ride with me as long as I have space available. Please contact me if you
are interested in attending.
There will be a $10.00 registration fee for each person attending to cover lunch and refreshments when you sign in.
HAY TESTING – A WISE INVESTMENT
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has an excellent hay and haylage testing program.
The program has been improved and expanded. A toll free call to the Kentucky Department of
Agriculture Forage Testing Program 1-800-248-4628 will get quick results. A trained individual will
come to your farm, take samples of your hay/haylage and get the test results back in a short period of
time. The results can be used to accurately, efficiently and economically determine your feeding and
supplementation program. The cost is $10.00 per “lot”. A “lot” of hay/haylage is hay/haylage taken
from the same harvest, the same field, same type of harvest conditions, and with the same method of
storage and same weather conditions during harvest.
The testing program can also aid in marketing hay. When your hay is tested, you can list that
hay for sale on the Department of Agriculture’s computer hay listing service. There is no additional
charge for the listing. If you want to buy hay, call the toll free number (1-800-248-4628) for a list of
tested hay for sale in Kentucky.
Calculating hay supply
Source: Tom Keene, UK hay specialist
The arrival of fall is an important time for livestock producers to assess their winter hay supplies.
Kentucky forage and livestock producers made a lot of hay this September, and for much of the state, hay
supplies should be adequate for winter feeding.
With the majority of this year’s hay made, now is the time to determine whether you have enough to get
your animals through the winter. Determining this is not difficult. Here’s how to get a fairly accurate
estimate.
1. Estimate the number of days you’ll feed hay this winter. In a normal year, Kentucky producers average
120 days (from Dec. 1 until March 31) of feeding hay. This will vary depending upon your situation.
Some producers in Western Kentucky never really stopped feeding hay this year, due to the drought.
2. Determine the amount of feed your animals will consume each day. Cattle and horses consume an
average of 2.5 percent of their body weight every day. To determine this, multiply the average animal’s
weight times 0.025 (2.5 percent). Multiply that by the number of animals you plan to feed.
3. Multiply the products of No. 1 and No. 2 together. This will give you a good idea of the approximate
pounds of hay you’ll need for the winter.
4. Take three or four hay bales to a facility with a scale, such as the local feed store. Take the bale’s
average weight and multiply that by the number of bales you have. Compare this number to the amount
you need.
5. You also need to allow for storage and feeding losses, and adjust your hay supplies to cover these
losses. If you store your hay outside, your losses may be more than 50 percent. A 50 percent loss
would mean that you need to double the amount of hay you calculated is needed to feed your animals.
BEWARE OF CYANIDE (PRUSSIC ACID) POISONING
A one-two punch of overgrazing in many fields during the 2010 drought followed by an extremely wet
2011, resulted in johnsongrass taking hold in pastures where it’s never been before in 2012. A warmseason annual, johnsongrass has the potential to cause cyanide poisoning in ruminants. Make sure hay
coming from a field containing johnsongrass is completely dry before feeding it to your animals. Thorough
drying will allow any potential cyanide threat to dissipate. If you want to use a field with johnsongrass for
grazing, wait at least two weeks after a light frost, three days after a killing frost or until the johnsongrass is
completely dry before you allow the animals to graze the field.
If large amounts of prussic acid are consumed, the compound interferes with oxygen utilization and
livestock can die from respiratory paralysis. Symptoms appear quickly after forage is consumed. These
symptoms may include cherry red colored blood, staggering, labored breathing, spasms, foaming at the
mouth, falling, thrashing, severe convulsions, and death. Immediate treatment by a veterinarian is needed
to save livestock suffering from prussic acid poisoning.
When cut for hay, prussic acid content decreases significantly during the curing process. A fair amount
of this poison escapes as gas during fermentation when used for silage. Although the risk decreases, it is
still important to be cautious when feeding forages with possible high prussic acid content.
Using caution when grazing these forages during times of stress can usually eliminate the possibility of
prussic acid poisoning in livestock. Wait the recommended time before grazing after a frost. Mixing
nonthreatening forages into the diet can be beneficial as well. Using “test” animals is another option rather
than turning the whole herd onto a field.
The risk of prussic acid poisoning this season can be reduced by following these practices:




Wait 10-14 days after non-killing frost with no additional frost action before grazing.
Do not graze after a killing frost until plant material is dry (the toxin usually dissipates within 72 hours.)
Do not graze at night when frost is likely. High levels of toxins are produced within hours after frost
occurs.
Delay feeding silage for six to eight weeks following ensiling.