October 2002
Farm Bill Decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Feed Costs Increase Pork Breakeven . . .
West Nile Virus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hidden Soybean Yield Loss . . . . . . . . . .
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Farm Bill Decisions
by Ron Hook, ISUE Farm Management Specialist
Signup for the 2002 Farm Bill is scheduled to
begin October 1, 2002, and end June 2, 2003. By
April 1, 2003, landowners will need to decide if
they are going to update their base acres and
payment yields from those used in the previous
farm program to those experienced over the past
four years.
There are several calculations that need to be
completed when making this decision. ISU
Extension and Texas A & M have spreadsheets
available at http://www.extension.edu/feci/ and
http://www.afpc.tamu.edu/models/bya/,
respectively, that make these calculations.
If you have a computer, you may access the ISU
or A & M spreadsheets by going on-line to the
appropriate address, by e-mailing
rhook@iastate.edu to request a copy of the ISU
spreadsheet to be sent as an attachment, or by
calling (712) 754-3648 to request a copy of the
ISU spreadsheet on a floppy disk.
If you do not have a computer or desire some
assistance, you may call and request an
appointment to have an analysis done for your
operation using the ISU spreadsheet or the Texas
A & M Base and Yield Analyzer.
In order to complete the analysis, you need the
following information:

The letter from FSA detailing the planted
acres for 1998-2001 and 2002 PFC acres
for each FSA farm number in the
operation.
The current program yields for the 2002
PFC acreage bases.
The 1998-2001 yields for each crop that
can be proven to FSA.
While the exact rules for proving yields have
been and are still being revised, the basics of the
program have been established. If you don’t
fully understand the details of the decision you
are making, there is plenty of time to ask
questions so that you can make the best decision
for your operation.
Feed Costs Increase Pork Breakeven
by Dave Stender, ISU Extension Swine Field Specialist
Feed prices have been rising due to loss of
production and drought in parts of the U.S.
What is the impact of price changes in corn and
soybean meal on your operation? How high can
corn and Soybean Meal (SBM) prices go?
A simple price matrix can be developed between
price of corn and price of SBM based on your
operations F/G (lbs of feed to lbs of gain) or FE
(feed efficiency). Suppose an operation has a 3.0
F/G. This would be the same as stating it takes
300 lbs of feed to produce 100 lbs of live weight.
Finishing diets (50# to market), on average will
be about 78% corn and 18% SBM (remaining
4% would be premix and other ingredients … to
simplify calculations use 80% corn and 20%
SBM).
Example 1: Operation has F/G of 3.0 - uses 234
lbs (4.2 bushels) of corn and 54 lbs SBM to
produce 100 lb live wt gain.
West Nile Virus
by Beth Ellen Doran, ISU Extension Beef Field Specialist
As of September 16th, 96 Iowa counties reported
West Nile Virus (WNV) activity. The Iowa
Department of Public Health announced two
additional presumptive cases, bringing the
human total to 8 cases. An additional 225
horses, 113 birds and 7 chickens have tested
positive for WNV. According to Nolan Hartwig,
ISU Extension Veterinarian, this outbreak should
be considered a serious episode.
Table 1. Cost per cwt of gain changes as corn
and Soybean Meal price changes (Note: only the
cost of corn and SBM are included in the
cost/cwt, no premix or other ingredient cost)
SBM-$/ton $150
$160
$200
$250
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Corn $/bu
Cost of gain $/cwt
$1.90 |
$11.99
$12.26
$13.34
14.69
$2.00 |
$12.41
$12.68
$13.76
15.11
$2.50 |
$14.50
$14.77
$15.85
17.20
$3.00 |
$16.59
$16.86
$17.91
19.29
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne virus that
was first detected in the U.S. in 1999.
Mosquitoes acquire the virus from birds and pass
it on to other birds, animals and people. The
virus is not directly transmitted from horse to
horse, horse to people or people to people.
Experimental tests suggest that sheep, chickens,
and pigs could be affected by the virus, but no
cases in these animals have been reported in the
U.S. Cattle may show antibodies to WNV, but
do not show any clinical signs or become ill.
Example #1 = Rule of thumb for 3.0 feed conversion:
Corn - For every $.10 (dime)/bushel move, it will
increase/decrease feed cost $.42/cwt of live weight
SBM - For every $10 /ton move it will
increase/decrease feed cost $.27/cwt of live weight
How important is feed efficiency?
Example 2: Operation has F/G of 3.4 - uses 265
lbs of corn and 61 lbs SBM to produce 100 lb
live wt gain.
Most people bitten by an infected mosquito will
never develop symptoms. Mild symptoms may
involve fever, headache, body aches,
occasionally a skin rash and swollen lymph
glands. More severe infections include high
fever, neck stiffness, a decreased level of
consciousness, confusion, tremors, muscle
weakness and paralysis. In rare cases, an
infection can be fatal. There is no vaccine or
specific treatment in humans.
SBM-$/ton
$150
$160
$200
$250
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Corn
|
$1.90 |
$13.59
$13.89
$15.12
16.65
$2.00 |
$14.06
$14.37
$15.59
17.12
$2.50 |
$16.43
$16.74
$17.96
19.49
$3.00 |
$18.80
$19.10
$20.33
21.86
Example #2 = Rule of thumb:
Corn - For every $.10 (dime)/bushel move it will
increase/decrease feed cost $.47/cwt of live weight
SBM - For every $10 /ton move it will
increase/decrease feed cost $.31/cwt of live weight
The disease in horses can vary from unapparent
to severe cases involving death. Symptoms in
horses include loss of appetite, moderate fever,
"sleepy" appearance, aimless wandering,
standing in one place with the head down for
long periods of time, standing with hay
protruding from the mouth, prostration,
convulsions and death. Horses should be
vaccinated now, as the mosquito season may not
be fully concluded. The WNV vaccine is a killed
product. Two doses, approximate cost is $25,
must be given three weeks apart, followed by
Feed efficiency becomes more important as feed
price increases. Feed efficiency is impacted by
genetics, feeder management (reduce feed
wastage), ration formulation, market weight,
general herd health, rapid temperature changes
and other stresses. It is important to pay closer
attention to details during periods when feed
costs are up and market price is down.
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annual vaccination. The two most effective ways
to prevent the spread of WNV is to reduce the
mosquito population and prevent mosquitoes
from biting.
Hidden Soybean Yield Loss
by Paul Kassel, ISU Extension Crops Field Specialist
The table below lists the amount of hidden yield
loss that occurs when soybeans are harvested at
less than 13% moisture. Soybeans are sold at
13% moisture or 87% dry matter. However, if
soybeans are sold at less than 13% moisture you
are substituting dry matter for moisture content.
Therefore, part of the soybean crop is, in effect,
given away.
To reduce the mosquito breeding grounds:
* empty containers that hold water, such as
flowerpots
* cover tires stored outside so they cannot
collect rainwater
* repair leaky outdoor faucets
* keep gutters clean and in good repair
* stock ponds with fish that eat mosquito larvae
* fill potholes and puddles
* change water every 3-4 days in livestock water
tanks, birdbaths, pet bowls and wading pools
The table lists actual losses for different yield
levels and moisture contents. The rule of thumb
values may be easier to remember and are listed
as bushels per acre per point.
An example is as follows: 50 bushel per acre
soybean yield at 9 % moisture equals 2.4 bushel
per acre hidden soybean yield loss (13%
moisture minus 9% moisture equals 4 points of
moisture times 0.6 bu/point/acre hidden yield
loss, or 2.4 bushel per acre).
Mosquitoes will be active in Iowa until the first
hard frost. As the weather turns cooler, mosquito
activity during daylight increases, while night
conditions become too cool for mosquito flight.
Precautions to reduce mosquito bites include:
* wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants
* use mosquito repellents
* repair tears in window and door screens
There is often little than can be done to alleviate
this hidden loss once soybean harvest begins.
Some management things that can be done
(within reason):
- Plant soybean varieties with a range
of maturities
- begin harvest earlier
If you plan to use an insect spray on horses, use
only products approved for horses. Never mix an
insecticide with petroleum products for
application to horses. Light blankets and hoods
will also afford some protection to your horse.
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Harvest moisture level of soybeans
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rule of thumb
---------------Bushel per acre yield loss---------------------------------
Yield level
60 bu/a
4.1
3.4
2.7
2.0
1.3
0.7
0
0.7 bu/A/point
50 bu/a
3.4
2.8
2.2
1.6
1.1
0.6
0
0.6 bu/A/point
40 bu/a
2.7
2.3
1.8
1.2
0.8
0.5
0
0.5 bu/A/point
30 bu/a
2.1
1.7
1.4
1.0
0.7
0.4
0
0.3 bu/A/point
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