April 1, 2013

Retained Placenta in the Beef Cow

First of all, I hope most of you got some much needed rain last Friday night. I know there were some good rains in the Aurora Cooperative trade area! Rain definitely will have a large play in our lives in the coming months.

A lot of my customers are calving right now. It seems even with last summer’s excessive heat cows bred well in our area. A problem that can arise with calving is the dreaded retained placenta, also known as a cow that doesn’t “clean.” A retained placenta is defined as a cow that doesn’t clean the fetal membranes within 2 -12 hours post calving. Although typically not life threatening to the cow when treated, it can be frustrating to the cowman to find retained placentas in the cowherd.

There are several factors why a cow doesn’t clean the fetal membranes. The factors that increase the chances for retained placenta include premature calving, abortion, twins, inducing parturition early, a hard birth and C-sections. There are also nutritional deficiencies that may create risk for retained placenta. These reasons include low calcium, vitamin E and/or selenium, deficiency in trace minerals and a negative energy balance.

The best way to prevent retained placenta is to make sure cows are healthy, with a strong immune system. This involves a good nutrition program with adequate trace minerals/vitamins. Farmers and ranchers should try to prevent prolonged dystocias as this causes a retained placenta – be there to assist a calving cow when appropriate. A cow might have a retained placenta after a breech birth and that’s just an accident. But you’d be suspicious of a herd health or nutrition problem, however, if you see more than just an occasional retained placenta.

To find out if your cows have a properly balanced ration and mineral program, visit with your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist today.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition division! I imagine most of you had to either feed or break ice or both Christmas morning before gifts were opened at your house. It didn’t take long for Mother Nature to give us a quick and long lasting blast of winter, and when this happens we tend to feed more harvested forage (hay) than what we typically do.

I thought this would be an appropriate time to write a little about feeding hay for this article. Cows usually do a good job of finding forage and corn when grazing corn stalks that are covered with snow. But when the temperatures drop to the single digits heifers, 2^nd calvers and older cows need some extra TLC, especially if they are in their late 3^rd trimester of gestation. It can be beneficial to give them dry forage when the mercury drops that low. With that being said, we should look at the a few facts about feeding hay.

We’ve always known that hay represented a cost to the cowherd, whether it was a direct purchase or home‐raised feed. But this expense has not typically been given much scrutiny. Hay is a bulk commodity, with relatively low per‐unit value. Transactions are often based on nothing more than a set price for a bale of a stated type of forage, possibly embellished with ambiguous adjectives like “good” and “tight.” We might chuckle at these terms, but aren’t I right? Read through any amount of hay ads, at these terms are used quite often.

But current conditions, driven in large part by the widespread drought, have many producers looking at hay in a different light. The first challenge is simply finding enough roughage to get cows through the winter - corn stalks, bean stubble, CRP and even baled cattails! We have become an innovative group of cattlemen to help us keep a cowherd together.

With these tight supplies, the basic laws of economics have come into play, and prices are at record levels in many areas. Under this scenario, anyone needing to buy harvested feed must be prepared to make sound purchase decisions. The key is knowing what your needs are, and then evaluating prices based on a given feed’s ability to meet those needs. And that is only possible with known quantity and quality measures.

Every other input for the operation is purchased by set amounts (pounds of mineral, gallons of fuel), and we need to look at hay the same way. A “bale” is a tremendously vague descriptor, and the pound of hay in each one is a function of size, density, and weathering.

Understanding these relative differences is important, but it is only part of the story. The density of a bale – that is, how much hay is contained in each cubic foot – can vary greatly. A 5 X 5 bale of loose forage may actually weigh less than a 4 X 5 bale of tightly packed fine grass hay. The only way to know is to physically weigh some representative bales. One final variable to factor in is time. A weight taken soon after harvest doesn’t mean much 6 months to a year later. Various research trials have shown storage losses of 5 to 50% of the original weight of hay bales, depending on storage location, configuration, and weather conditions.

The value of hay is determined largely by its quality, but “quality” is sometimes hard to define.

Basically, we need to consider nutrient content and digestibility (that is, how much of the “nutrition” contained in the feed can actually be used by the animal), offset by any anti nutritional factors or palatability concerns. The whole point in providing hay to our cows is to help meet their nutrient requirements for maintenance, production, and health. In most feeding programs, forage is expected to supply as much of the needed energy and protein as possible. Deficiencies will have to be compensated for by more expensive supplements. So it makes sense to compare hay prices on a per‐unit‐of‐energy or per‐unit of‐protein basis.

Want to find out more about calculating the cost of hay, or getting a nutrition sample on your hay? Contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition specialist today to get a nutrient analysis of your hay and also to help you develop a least cost ration or hay feeding plan for your operation.

This article was written using information from QLF’s Cattle Sense newsletter.

Article by Meghan Anderson November 19, 2012

Most cattlemen across the Aurora Coop trade area have already weaned calves or sold them directly off the cow. The continuing drought has forced us to rethink marketing strategies and possibly change pen management strategies. This fall I received several calls about calves with possible coccidiosis infection. Lack of pen space and stress from dust seemed to feed coccidiosis outbreaks this fall.

Coccidiosis continues to be one of the major disease problems for cattle producers. It is caused by microscopic, one-celled parasites. Coccidiosis occurs more frequently in calves from one to six months of age. Young calves are usually infected when they are placed in pastures or lots contaminated by older cattle or other infected calves. Occasionally, mature cattle are infected when they are brought in from large pastures and crowded into small feedlots or barns. It can be a major economic loss, but management strategies can keep infection from spreading.

Typical signs of coccidiosis are diarrhea, rough coat, loss of appetite and weight, and general emaciation. The general weakness may cause the calf to defecate without rising, thus soiling its tail and hindquarters. In more severe cases the manure may contain blood, mucus, and stringy masses of tissue. This occurs because the destruction of the epithelial cells results in the sloughing of the epithelium lining the intestine.

As in many diseases, it is easier to prevent coccidiosis than it is to treat it. Separating a cow and calf from a contaminated lot interrupts the life cycle and helps control the disease. This is probably the easiest management decision to control the infection.

To help control the infection, segregate severely parasitized animals and treat them with a coccidiostat. Having a coccidiostat in the starter pellets helped control the start of an infection. In the cattle I saw infected, it seemed those cattle that did not consume the coccidiostat up front were the ones that suffered with loss of feed efficiency and average daily gain.

Aurora Cooperative has many options to treat and prevent a coccidiosis infection. Contact your Animal Nutrition representative to find out more about starting a plan for your herd before it’s too late.

ARTICLE BY MEGHAN ANDERSON

October 1, 2012

Prussic Acid Poisoning

With fall grazing underway and the threat of frost fast approaching, prussic acid poisoning should be on the radar of producers with these forage options.

Sudangrass, forage sorghums and sorghum-sudangrass crosses are often planted for summer/fall pasture and sometimes fed as green chop, silage or hay. Under certain environmental conditions, livestock may develop symptoms of prussic acid poisoning when these forages are pastured or fed as green chop. Death can result from prussic acid poisoning, most commonly when livestock have fed on plants that are very young, stunted by drought or frosted. Cattle and sheep are more susceptible than swine, since they are more likely to consume large quantities of the poison.

As with nitrate toxicity, most problems with prussic acid can be avoided with proper management of forage and animals. Test any forage crop thought to contain prussic acid before animals are grazed or fed. Sorghums fertilized heavily with nitrogen and stunted by drought or cool, cloudy weather should be suspected. Reduce risk of poisoning from sorghums by using a maximum of about 50 pounds of nitrogen per application.

Young plants have a higher prussic acid potential than more mature ones, so do not graze sorghums until plants are 18 to 24 inches high. This practice also applies to regrowth that occurs after cutting for hay or grazing. If regrowth occurs following frost, delay grazing until a hard freeze kills the entire plant. Do not pasture sorghums following a killing frost until plants thaw and wilt for a few days. Spraying of cyanogenetic plants with a herbicide may increase the toxic hazard.

Graze pastures to a uniform height, and then remove animals to prevent selective consumption of lush regrowth. Rotation grazing and heavy stocking rates help in this regard. To acclimate cattle to new pasture, fill animals on native grass or hay during the day, and then graze sorghums in late afternoon and evening.

Plant varieties differ in their potential for prussic acid poisoning. As with nitrate toxicity, chances for prussic acid toxicity are somewhat lower with true sudans and sudan-sudan hybrids than with sorghum-sudan or sorgo-sudan hybrids.

Test all potential fields for prussic acid. Select random samples of fresh forage from several locations in the field. For hay, take cores from several bales. Seal two or three handfuls per sample in a plastic bag, store in the dark, refrigerate unfrozen, and deliver to the laboratory without delay.

The following are suggested guideline when grazing sorghum and sudangrass varieties, crosses and hybrids:

Because sudangrass and sudangrass hybrids pose the lowest prussic acid poisoning potential, they should be planted for pasture use, instead of sorghum and sorghum sudangrass hybrids.
Do not graze sheep on sudangrass or hybrids until the plants are 12 to 15 inches tall, and for cattle do not graze them until they are 18 to 24 inches tall.
Sorghum-sudangrass hybrids should be safe to graze at a height of 24 inches or more.
Sorghum may not be safe to graze until fully headed. Regrowth sorghum should not be grazed until after the plant is completely killed by frost and dried.
Do not graze sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids or sudangrass during or after a drought, or if the plants show visible signs of moisture stress. Have the plants tested for toxicity levels before grazing.
Do not graze short regrowth forage following hay or silage harvest or following a period of close grazing
Do not graze sorghum or sorghum-sudangrass hybrids following a series of light frosts, as the potential for poisoning increases for a short period of time after frosts. Allow 7 to 10 days to pass before grazing after a light frost.
Do not graze sorghum or sorghum-sudangrass hybrids following a killing frost until the plant has dried, approximately 7 days.
Do not graze hungry livestock on sorghum or sorghum-sudangrass hybrids. Poisoning potential increases with the amount of high- risk forage consumed

Information compiled from the extension services of Oklahoma State University, Colorado State University and Purdue University.

ARTICLE BY MEGHAN ANDERSON SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Use Caution Grazing Corn Stalks

Cattlemen are turning cows out on corn stalks much earlier than normal this year because of the persistent drought. Caution should be used on dryland corn stalk grazing because of nitrates accumulated in the lower portion of the stalk. Drought-stricken forages that accumulate nitrates can kill grazing livestock, quickly.

Large grasses, such as corn, sorghum and sudangrass hybrids, are most often the cause of problems. Johnsongrass and other common weeds can be deadly also.

Nitrogen is essential for forage and grain-crop production. Nitrates are in the plants all the time, creating normal growth. Nitrogen picked up by plant roots from the soil moves up into the plant. Eventually the plant stores that energy in the seed heads as protein.

Nitrates are converted into amino acids, which are building blocks for plant proteins. Protein is an essential part of animal diets. Lack of moisture stops the flow of nitrates up the plant and the conversion to protein. The roots continue to bring nitrogen into the plant, where it accumulates first in the stalks. Too much unconverted nitrate can become toxic.

In a drought, cattlemen needing forage turnout cows to graze corn, sorghum or other large grasses. Usually the only time a farmer grazes corn would be when it is obvious the plant will not make ears of corn for grain harvest. Baling and chopping silage are also an option during a drought.

Nitrites tie up the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood hemoglobin. Without oxygen, the cow suffocates. At even low levels of nitrate, pregnant cows can lose their calves.

When grazing drought-stressed cornstalks over grazing of fields should be avoided. Cows prefer eating the leaves, followed by shucks and finally the stalk. The leaves typically have less nitrate content than stalks.

Management-intensive grazing works when a strip of a cornfield is fenced off with an electric wire. When the herd eats all of the leaves, but before they start eating nitrate-rich cornstalks, the cows are moved to a new grazing paddock.

Even after rains come, the water won’t clear up problems overnight. It takes the plant at least five days to convert nitrate to safer levels of amino acids. If there are no ears of corn on the standing stalks, conversion takes longer.

With proper management, grazing drought-stressed corn fields can be advantageous to the producer, however caution needs to be exercised.

Your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist can help test corn fields, silage, hay and other feedstuffs for nitrate toxicity. Contact them today if you have any questions.

The following link is a video on grazing cornstalks during a drought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQMwZln9LMM&feature=share

July 9, 2012 Article (Nitrate poisoning)

I began testing summer annuals for nitrates last week, so I thought this would be a good week to discuss nitrate toxicity in livestock. With the hot and dry weather that we have been experiencing lately, nitrates are definitely a concern.

Summer annuals are often used by farmers and ranchers for summer grazing or harvested for hay. Plants such as Sorghum-Sudan hybrids, Sorgo-Sudan hybrids, Sudan-Sudan hybrids, and millets, all fall in this category. These summer crops can be very productive and high quality, but can also accumulate toxic levels of nitrate when stressed. The heat and dry weather of the past three weeks has caused many of these plants to become very stressed.

Hot dry summer weather brings about heat and drought stress on summer annuals. Stressed plants such as the forage sorghums can occasionally accumulate dangerous concentrations of nitrates. These plants, either standing in the field, or fed as hay, can cause abortion in pregnant cattle, or death if consumed in great enough quantities. Nitrates do not dissipate from suncured hay (in contrast to prussic acid), therefore once the hay is cut the nitrate levels remain constant.

Some of the management techniques to reduce the risk of nitrate toxicity (the risk of this poisoning cannot be totally eliminated), include: 1) Raise the cutter bar when harvesting the hay. Nitrates are in greatest concentration in the lower stem. Raising the cutter bar may reduce the tonnage, but cutting more tons of a toxic material has no particular value. 2) Cut in the afternoon or early evening hours. Some research has indicated that nitrate accumulation increases during the night time when photosynthesis is not occurring. After several hours of daylight, the plant begins to grow and utilize the nitrates for protein synthesis. 3) Know the extent of nitrate accumulation in the hay. Send a forage sample to a reputable laboratory for analysis, to get an estimate of the nitrate concentration. This will give some guidelines as to the extent of dilution that may be necessary to more safely feed the hay. 4) Allow cattle to become adapted to nitrate in the hay. By feeding small amounts of the forage sorghum along with other feeds such as grass hay or grains, cattle begin to adapt to the nitrates in the feed and develop a capability to "digest" the nitrate with less danger.

Producers should avoid the temptation of feeding the high nitrate forage for the first time after a snow or ice storm. Cattle will be stressed, hungry, and unadapted to the nitrates. They will consume unusually large amounts of the forage and be in high risk for nitrate toxicity.

If you have summer forages you need tested, contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist today. They can also develop rations to utilize these forages.

Information in this article was compiled from the University of Nebraska, Oklahoma State University and Colorado State University Extension offices.

Links

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/livestk/01610.html/
http://www.agweb.com/livestock/beef/article/when_pastures_turn_deadly/

ARTICLE by MEGHAN ANDERSON - JULY 23, 2012

Why Should I Supplement Protein on Pasture? (July 23)

With the ongoing hot, dry temperatures and what seems like no relief in sight, many farmers and ranchers are questioning if protein supplementation will help cattle digest the poor quality forages available and keep body condition score. The answer is simple – yes protein supplement will help your cattle digest the poor quality forages that have overtaken many pastures in our area.

Breeding failure is the most important adverse consequence of the cow herd during drought. This is due to reduced forage quality and availability, resulting in nutritional stress. As forage quality decreases, lignin and other more slowly digestible components of forage increase. This lower quality forage remains longer in the rumen before exiting, reducing forage intake. Thus, the cow may be unable to eat enough forage to maintain body weight.

During early to mid-lactation, a beef cow will consume from 2.5 to 3.0% of her body weight in forage daily. During drought, stocking rates may need to be adjusted to increase forage for each animal unit, but forage quality may drop thereby preventing adequate digestible nutrient intake. As forage digestibility drops, passage rate of undigested dry matter decreases and forage intake declines. Forage intake at this level is inadequate to furnish the necessary nutrients for milk production and maintenance of cow body condition. To survive drought and maintain acceptable rebreeding percentages and economic viability, the cow herd should be managed for acceptable body condition. Forage should also be monitored for total production and quality to determine if the cow’s nutritional needs.

Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition offers several protein supplement strategies for cattlemen in our area. These options include high protein, high energy liquid feed, SmartLic protein barrels, highly palatable distiller pellets and cubes and also other range cube formulas.

One thing cattlemen may want to consider during a drought especially is if a commercially blended supplement is used (e.g., range cubes), consider the inclusion of an ionophore. The use of ionophores (Rumensin and Bovatec) has become a standard practice in growing cattle diets. Rumensin is the only product approved for use in mature beef cows. Research conducted with cows indicates cows fed 200 mg/day of Rumensin required 5%-10% less feed to maintain the same weight and body condition as cows not fed Rumensin. This could be a big help in times of drought and limited available forage.

To find out what protein supplement strategy will work the best in your situation, contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition specialist today.

Article by Meghan Anderson - June 26, 2012

This is a continuation of the previous weeks articles of the drought situation in Nebraska and Kansas.

I have been getting a few calls about early weaning calves the last 10-14 days. Calves can be weaned as early as 56 days of age with proper management. The dry conditions across the Aurora Cooperative trade area have definitely given farmers and ranchers something to ponder as they figure out ways to keep cow herds together. Our neighbors to the west have already begun to reduce cow numbers. The Torrington, WY livestock market has already begun weekly large runs.

I have already discussed early weaning with several customers. We have discussed economics of feeding calves vs creep feeding in the pasture. Creep feeding definitely helps, but when forage is limited, early weaning with good management may be the tool of choice. Early weaning takes pressure away from an already stressed pasture situation. This management tool leaves the forage for the cows so cattlemen can keep their herds together.

The team of Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition specialists have the knowledge and tools to build rations and develop your early weaning program. Contact your Animal Nutrition specialist today to discuss if this option is right for you.

More information on early weaning and managing the drought situation in Nebraska and Kansas.

http://www.extension.org/pages/64452/early-calf-weaning-may-prove-beneficial-this-year

http://www.agweb.com/livestock/beef/article/dry_season_pasture_management/

Weekly Animal Nutrition Article by Meghan Anderson June 11, 2012

It’s getting hot and the rains have slowed down - this is usually a statement that we can make in July. Unfortunately, for many cattle farmers and ranchers in south central Nebraska, drought has reared its ugly head far too early in the year. Many areas are below half of the normal precipitation levels since last August. Pastures and hay areas are quickly succumbing to the lack of precipitation and unseasonably warm temperatures.

There’s one thing to be said about a drought situation – farmers and ranchers are a gritty, smart, problem solving group of people. For decades and decades, they have found a way to survive drought and whatever else Mother Nature throws at them. This year will be no different in Nebraska. We will find a way to survive this drought. This drought may not be as tragic as what our neighbors to the south and west faced last year, but it will definitely be a test.

When facing a drought situation, cattlemen need to have a drought plan in place. I have been answering questions the past week about supplementing cows and calves on pasture, and also what can be done to ease the pressure from the dry rangeland situations.

- Creep feeding. During drought, creep feeding is useful tool that some producers may wish to consider to ensure heavier calves at weaning. Creep feeding will also take stress away from the pasture and the cow as well. With proper management, it can help stretch out the grazing days of rangeland. With the record high calf prices, everything needs to be done to ensure heavy calves when it comes time to market them.

- Supplementing with Aurora Coop’s high energy, high protein Liquid 1610 feed. We have also had customers successfully use this in the past as a creep feed.

- Supplementing with SmartLic barrels or SmartLic FlaxLic barrels to improve feed efficiency.

- Supplementing cattle with range cubes or distillers cubes.

- Early weaning. Calves can be successfully weaned as early as 60 days from the cow. Early weaning helps take stress off the cow by eliminating lactation and thus reducing her protein and energy needs. This helps her keep her body condition score up going into the fall and winter months. Early weaning also leaves extra grazing days in the pasture for the cow, thus reducing the cows need for supplementation.

These are just a few ideas to help ease the stress on cattlemen and their cow herds entering a drought situation. To find out more on supplementing during a drought situation, managing a cowherd during drought or creep feed formulas, contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist today. The Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition team has the knowledge and products available to help you work through a drought.

The links below are two recent articles about managing cow herds in drought situations. They are well worth your time to read.

http://beef.unl.edu/web/cattleproduction/replacingsummerpasture

http://hayandforage.com/grazing/pastures-going-toast-consider-early-weaning

Preparing Your Horse For The County Fair - June 4, 2012

Lately, I have been getting a few questions with customers wondering what it takes to get a horse ready for the fair. Training and riding is a big portion of it, but presentation closely follows. I am offering some of my tips I give my 4H’ers for their fair presentation.

The popular saying, "you never get a second chance to make a good first impression," is very true when it comes to showing your horse. Whether you are showing in halter or under saddle, your entrance into the arena is the moment that the judge gives you his undivided attention to make his initial overall assessment. When you come into the ring, the first thing the judge will notice is your horse's overall appearance and presentation. This is your best chance to make a good first impression.

A judge can tell a lot about how much an exhibitor cares about his horse by how well presented that animal is to the judge. When an exhibitor is proud of their horse, it definitely shows!

The first thing a parent can do is make sure their child’s horse is on a properly balanced ration. All the grooming products in the world cannot fix a poorly fed animal. There is no single secret formula for show ring success, as several factors are involved in getting you and your horse to look right on the important day.

The equine nervousness problems reported by many show riders relate to overfeeding and underworking the horse. So, don’t be afraid to feed grain or sweet feeds containing grain, provided you get the right balance between work and feed. Horses need work and high-quality feed to develop muscles, and show horses need to be well muscled and have some (fat) cover. Some horses do benefit from specialized low-starch or grain-free show feeds designed for the high-strung horse. Remember your horse will need free choice access to salt and fresh water as well.

It is vital to remember dental care and parasite control so your horse gets the most out of its feed. It’s no use spending a lot on horse feed if the horse can’t chew effectively or carries a heavy parasite infestation. It goes without saying that a balanced diet is vital, and this can be achieved using a well-formulated feed or supplement program and good-quality roughage. And don’t forget the work–your horse needs muscle as well as fat cover.

Some other tips I give my 4H’ers –

1. Curry, curry, curry every day! There is no substitute for good old fashioned elbow grease!

2. Have someone who knows how to run a pair of clippers help clip your horse several days before your show. This includes long facial hair, a bridle path and the hairs around their muzzle and eyes.

3. Clean all your tack. Fancy tack isn’t needed, but clean well taken care of is a must to impress the judges.

4. And last of all, remember to smile and have fun! There is a lot of hard work that goes into the horse project and the fair is the time to show off those efforts!

These are just a few tips. Visit with an older 4H’er or an experienced showman to find out more on getting your horse ready for fair.
If you have questions on any feeds, feeding programs or nutrition questions for you horse, contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist and they would be glad to help you.

May 29 (Beef show feeds)

After what seemed like a long spring, summer is finally showing its face in south central Nebraska. The days are getting really long and schools out for the summer. And many farm parents know what this brings – getting 4H projects ready for fair! This week’s article will be concentrating on the Aurora Cooperative line of beef show feeds.

Raising a show prospect requires a thorough understanding of the fundamental principles of good animal husbandry. The Aurora Cooperative show feed program will help you step into the spotlight with your market animal or breeding heifer. The following four principles offer what it takes to soar to the top in your class at the fair.

1. GOOD BREEDING: Practicing a sound genetic program of selection and culling pays off in the show pen. Visit a professional breeder to help you get started.

2. GOOD NUTRITION: Proper nutrition for different needs and lifestyles starts with Aurora Cooperative products. Visit with an Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist to determine the best program for your show animal.

3. GOOD MANAGEMENT: A clean environment minimizes stress and improves average daily gains. Clean stalls, remove debris and provide fresh water daily. The daily attention to detail will pay off in the show pen.

4. GOOD HEALTH: Establish an effective health plan with your local veterinarian. A sick animal never makes it to the top. This includes a deworming program for internal and external parasites.

Feed Aurora Cooperative beef show feed products with confidence knowing these feedstuffs are helping your show animal step into the spotlight -

Beet Pulp. A very palatable roughage source for increased gain and show bloom. Helps reduce digestive upset.

Oats. Improves diet texture, promoting appetite and gain, while providing a unique combination of digestible fiber and energy.

Limited Ingredient Variation. Helps prevent feed refusal or digestive problems caused by formula change.

Diamond V Yeast Culture is a true, fully fermented yeast culture developed specifically for optimum animal nutrition. Research proven, Diamond V Yeast Culture has a unique ability to enhance ration digestibility, palatability and intake by delivering a rich all-natural nutrient source to the animal’s digestive bacteria. Yeast Culture can help your animals reach a higher nutritional plane.

Bio Mos. Gastrointestinal health and integrity is essential for animal performance and Bio-Mos ‘feeds the GI tract,’ and thus plays a critical role in animal nutrition and production.

Zinpro Availa 4 Minerals. These minerals provide critical highly-available minerals that help immune response, improve health and hair coat quality. This is critical for healthy traveling show cattle. It helps maximize growth and muscle development allowing cattle to reach their full potential.

Tasco. Research has shown that TASCO helps lower body temperature during heat stress. This helps keep animals on feed.

What I have talked about today are the building blocks of the Aurora Cooperative show feed program and the keys to a successful show season. Practical application of these basic principles will not only enhance your animal’s growth and development, but also increase its potential of winning in the show pen.

Aurora Cooperative has several different show feed formulas to fit the needs of 4H’ers in our area. Visit with your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist today to find out what formula will fit your goals for the county fair!

ARTICLE BY MEGHAN ANDERSON - MAY 21, 2012

The middle of May I was already receiving phone calls about calves stricken with pink eye. We may be in for a long season with eye troubles beginning this early in the grazing season. This is an informative article I found about some things you can do to help with a pinkeye outbreak in your cows and calves.

Get ahead of pinkeye now to avoid production losses

Update from Meghan Anderson - May 14, 2012

Many farmers and ranchers in our area are synchronizing heifers and cows for breeding or turning bulls out. If you are artificially inseminating your cowherd, you are putting a lot of time, effort and money into getting those cows bred. Get the most out of your efforts by making sure those cows are ready for breeding. Please click on the website below for more on the subject.

Beef Talk: Are Your Cows Ready for Breeding?

April 30,2012

If you haven’t made the decision on which replacement heifers to keep or buy, you

are probably getting close to reaching a decision.   I have had several questions the past few weeks on replacement heifer development and the costs associated with raising or buying them.

I found a good article that helps explain turning those heifers into productive cows.   I would like to share it with you.

If you have any questions about heifer development rations and which minerals work best on growing heifers, contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition specialist today.

http://cattletoday.com/archive/2012/April/CT2709.php

APRIL WEATHER AND CALF SCOURS
by Meghan Anderson April 17, 2012

Most spring calving herds in south central Nebraska are either calving or finishing up with calving right now.   The month of April historically brings large swings in temperature, and even some cool, wet days, both which we have had this year. This type of weather creates conditions ideal for calf scours.
What causes calf scours? As new calves arrive, so does the threat of the common condition known as "calf scours" or neonatal calf diarrhea. Infectious agents such as viruses and bacteria cause this condition. These agents have the common property of causing loss of water and electrolytes from the calf's body. This causes potentially life-threatening dehydration and electrolyte imbalances that can result in death.

The diarrhea is the result of a combination of factors including: dose (number) of organisms the calf is exposed to, calf immunity (colostrum) and stress on the calf. The number of organisms in the calf's environment is a result of sanitation or the lack of sanitation - mud, manure and other cattle. The immunity of the calf is dependent on the quality and quantity of colostrum that the calf received from the cow. Calves that do not receive adequate colostrum are much more susceptible to disease and are at much greater risk of dying from the resulting diarrhea that occurs. Stressful conditions (low milk production by underfed cows, bad weather, crowding) further increase the risk of diarrhea in young calves. The balance of all these factors determine if disease occurs and the severity of disease.

The biggest management practice to prevent calf scours is to turn pairs out on a clean pasture, and avoid overcrowding. If you have cool season grasses in your summer pastures, turn the pairs out a little early to utilize this forage. This is excellent grazing management also. Cows won’t eat cool season grasses once they mature.

If turning out isn’t an option, bed animals with clean straw to provide a clean, dry area for the calves to lie in. Also, if possible, avoid overcrowding of pens.

I get several phone calls this time of year regarding calf scours. Producers sometimes don’t know when to treat calf scours. Calves running around the pasture with their tails in the air, bucking and kicking with yellow or white diarrhea may not need treatment. The main indications for treatment are general disposition, appetite, dehydration and body temperature. If the calf is weak, depressed, or reluctant to move these are all indications that something is wrong. If the calf is not eating, the cow’s udder will be distended and this is sign of trouble also. To develop the right treatment protocol for your herd, visit with your veterinarian.

Aurora Cooperative has feed additives to help with a scouring situation. To find out more about these products, visit with your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist.

Common Insecticide Can Hurt Bull Breeding Ability

by Wes Ishmael

Mar. 30, 2012

Please click on the above link for this article from m.beefmagazine.com

April 2, 2012

Time to watch for grass tetany

With the fast growing grass in the Aurora Cooperative trade area, cattlemen need to watch for grass tetany in cowherds. If you haven’t started supplementing lactating cows with magnesium, now would be a good time to start.

Early spring grass is low in magnesium which can lead to deficiency because cows cannot store magnesium and rely on steady intake. Also called “grass staggers,” affected cows will have a staggering gait.

When supplementing magnesium, cows need to consume the mineral on a daily basis. Contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition specialist to find the best way to supplement your cowherd with magnesium to prevent grass tetany.

I am including a link to an informative article on grass tetany, courtesy of the Purdue University Animal Science department.

http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/beef/articles/GrassTetanyBloat.pdf

The following link contains an article worth reading from the online site thefencepost.com.

http://www.thefencepost.com/article/20120323/NEWS/120319894/1032&ParentProfile=1001

Body Condition Scoring

March 19, 2012 - submitted by Meghan Anderson

http://farmtalknewspaper.com/editorials/x2029125280/Aim-for-avoiding-body-condition-loss

Calving season is in full swing in the Aurora Cooperative trade area. The grass is beginning to green up, but not enough to turn cows out. This is the time of year when supplementation will benefit cow herds.

Last year a late spring frost, high hay prices and a hot dry summer left many cattlemen with few forage options available for winter feeding. Additionally, much of the stored forage is of low quality and includes alternative forage sources such as baled corn stalks and soybean stubble. Given this scenario, without proper management, there is the potential that the nutritional requirements for late gestating and early lactating cows will not be met. This can result in loss of body condition prior to calving and the spring breeding season.

With the increased costs of buying additional hay or providing a feed supplement, producers might be tempted to “just get by.” This can result in cows losing body condition during the winter. However, such a decision, or lack of action, will in fact be more costly in the long run. Reproductive performance is greatly impacted by body condition at specific times during the production cycle. If cows are thin at calving, reproductive performance in the subsequent breeding season will suffer, resulting in reduced yearly profits per cow.

Aurora Cooperative has many available supplementation strategies – high energy Aurora 1610 liquid feed, SmartLic tubs and distiller products are just a few. To find out what supplementation strategy will best fit your herd, visit with your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist today.

Controlling Scours in Young Beef Calves

March 13, 2012 - Submitted by Meghan Anderson

Scours can be a major problem in cow-calf herds. There are a few management practices that can reduce the severity of calf scours. Two major factors often overlooked when diagnosing scours in young ruminant animals are cleanliness and overcrowding.

I often get phone calls about calf scours this time of year. Turning the cow-calf pairs into a new, clean area will often help clear up the calf scours. If this is not an option, bedding them with straw can also help. This gives them a clean place to lie down and can help with a scouring problem.

If you have a scour problem in your herd, there are feed additives that can help your situation. Adding BioMos to the animals’ diet can help with a scour problem. BioMos is a natural product, and not a medication.

Bio-Mos is derived from a specific strain of yeast and improves animal digestive performance. Gastrointestinal health and integrity is essential for animal performance and Bio-Mos 'feeds the GI tract' and thus plays a critical role in animal nutrition and production.

BioMos does two things in the gut. First, it binds to the attachment sites on certain pathogens (like E. coli and Salmonella) and prevents the bacteria from docking to receptors on the host animals gut lining. In doing so, it reduces the pathogens from causing damage to the host animals’ digestive tract which can lead to disease. Second, it provides a general stimulation of the immune system by evoking a direct antibody response against invading pathogens.

BioMos can be conveniently added to your herd’s diet via mineral supplement, a SmartLic block or creep feed. Contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist to find out if BioMos will work in your situation.

Article of the week

http://igrow.org/livestock/beef/scours-how-do-we-know-what-we-are-looking-at/

March 2, 2012

The importance of proper herd bull nutrition

Spring will soon be here in the Aurora Coop trade area. Cattlemen are busy with newborn calves. The sandhill cranes can be heard singing their song. Sprouts of green grass are popping up in pastures. And most kitchen tables are littered with bull sale catalogs!

Speaking of bulls now is the time to give bulls some added care before spring turnout. Take time to address body condition score problems. Bulls needing extra supplement should be sorted from the others. Bulls are an important investment to your operation and need extra care in late winter/early spring. Young bulls especially will benefit from extra nutrition this time of year. Supplementation can benefit both young and mature bulls before turnout.

Nutrition can affect bull fertility. Omega-3 fatty acids can affect motility and morphology of sperm. They are also involved in synthesis of important reproductive hormones. Flaxseed is an excellent source of omega 3’s. Flax can be difficult to transport, process, and store. The SmartLic FlaxLic block is stable and easy to handle, and contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

This may be a useful supplement for developing beef bulls. In study at Kansas State University, feeding FlaxLic blocks to developing bulls for 61 days prior to breeding soundness examinations increased rate of gain and percentages of motile and normal sperm.

Contact your Aurora Cooperative Animal Nutrition Specialist to see how FlaxLic, or other supplementation for your herd bulls, can work in your operation.

Article of the week – Proper Yearling Bull Management http://cattletoday.com/archive/2012/February/CT2670.php