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Volume 4 Number 6
| June 2014
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| News and events of interest to beef producers in Maine from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Maine, Department of Agriculture, Maine Beef Producers and other agriculture organizations in Maine. |
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Spring Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale
a Success!
Sponsored by the Maine Beef Producers
The Maine Beef Producers Association (MBPA) is sponsored a preconditioned feeder calf sale at the Northeast Livestock Expo on Saturday, May 17th at the Windsor Fair Grounds.
Cow Calf producers preconditioned their calves for this sale to reduce the incidence of respiratory disease, enteritis and pinkeye by increasing the immunity of the calf in preparation of the stress of weaning and shipping. Dehornings and castrations were healed
unless noted.
| | No. of Animals | Av. Price per pound | | Steers | 29 |
$1.54
| | Heifers | 31 | $1.47 | | Bulls | 4 | $1.61 |
Some cow calf producers consigned animals to the sale with signed affidavits attesting that their animals were raised under the MBPA Natural Meats program protocol of never having received hormones, antibiotics, or feeds or feed supplements containing animal-by-products. And/or their animals were 100% grass (forage) fed, no grains, grain-by-products, grain crops, grain crop silages, or other prohibited feeds under the USDA grass fed guidelines have been fed.
The sale average price was $1.51 with a total of $68,069 for 45,148 pounds sold.
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Beef Cattle and Calf Prices from Flame Stockyard
June 2010 to June 2014
Beef producers selling through auction houses try to compare the price they receive with the industry average. But that average varies according to when and where the auction is, type and condition of the animals, number of animals in the various categories, number of buyers present, etc. Flame Livestock Auction Report in the Weekly Market Bulletin from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture http://agriculture.nh.gov/market-bulletin/index.htm
This is a comparison of five years sales at approximately the same time of year, first week of June . ($/pound)
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 Preventing Baleage Spoilage Round bale silage (baleage) is often produced on Maine farms to overcome the difficulty of making high quality dry hay under wet, humid conditions. Incidences of toxicity and death of cattle consuming baleage that has spoiled because of improper bale management can occur. In West Virginia research project on-farm management and fermentation data was collected to identify the most critical risk factors that contribute to poorly preserved baleage. Their data showed that success in baleage production can be consistently achieved by following best management practices that emphasize optimum forage moisture (50 to 60%) and bale density (> 20 pounds per cubic foot). Best management practices (BMP's) that minimize the risk of spoilage include 1) cutting at early stages of maturity, 2) wilting to 50 to 60% moisture, 3) make tight, dense bales, 4) wrap bales within 2 hours after baling, 5) store in a clean, well-drained area to minimize tears and damage, and 6) inspect regularly and repair tears and holes with tape designed for that purpose When baleage has not fermented completely, Clostridia bacteria may reproduce in sufficient numbers to produce butyric acid and ammonia which prevents the pH from getting below 5.5, thus allowing continued microbial activity that can cause a buildup of toxins that result in poor livestock health and can cause death. To view complete research report go to http://www.nacaa.com/journal/index.php?jid=341 Shockey, Straight, Rayburn, Loyd,Effects of On-Farm Management Practices on Round Bale Silage Fermentation, 2014, Journal of NACAA, Vol. 7, iss. 1 |
 2012 Census of Agriculture State and County Level Data
Maine had an increase of over 100 farms that sold cattle and calves. Those farms sold almost 8,000 more animals in 2012 than 2007. Here is a chart showing the percent increase in farms and number of animals sold by county. 100% would indicate no change in farms or numbers sold. The counties with the greatest percentage increase in farms that sold cattle and calves was Washington followed by Lincoln. The Counties the the greatest percentage increase in the number of animals sold was Washington followed by Aroostook. (Table 11)
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 Calving Season Report Card - Get Your Grades In Now
While it is fresh in your mind, now is the time to do a quick evaluation of your calving season. Calf Crop Percentage is the number of calves weaned compared to the number of cows you bred last year provides an indication nutrition, herd health, bull fertility, genetic selection and calving management. While the calculations are not difficult, because it involves data collection from the breeding season in the year prior to the calving season, some data can be lost or forgotten. To demonstrate the process 2012 calving data from the Cornell University Beef Herd is used below. The following calculations are from the Standardized Performance Analysis, which standardizes the measures across the US. Information can be found at http://www.beefusa.org/spacalculationsworksheet.aspx .
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Determining Calf Crop Percentage
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1
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Exposed females in 2011 (Number of females exposed to bull or bred artificially)
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74
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hd
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2
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Pairs or pregnant females sold before weaning, 2012 (including pregnant cull cows sold for poor performance)
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11
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hd
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3
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Pairs or pregnant females purchased/transferred into herd before weaning, 2012
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0
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hd
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4
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Adjusted exposed female inventory (line 1 minus line 2 plus line 3)
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63
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hd
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5
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Number of females that are pregnancy tested, 2011
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65
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hd
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6
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Number of females diagnosed as pregnant, 2011
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63
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hd
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7
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Pregnancy percentage ((line 6 divided by line 5)) x 100)
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96.9
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%
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8
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Total females calving (full term live or dead calvings), 2012
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60
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hd
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9
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Calving percentage (line 8 divided by line 6) x 100
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95.2
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%
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10
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Total calves weaned, 2012
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59
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hd
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11
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Weaning percentage ((line 10 divided by line 4) x 100)
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93.6
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%
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According to industry standards Calf Crop Percentage should be greater than 85%. How is this data turned in to information? Here is some explanation, which might help.
Line 2. Six pairs were sold: two at the Cornell Beef Replacement Sale and 4 for poor udder quality and/or calf weaning weight. Five bred heifers were sold at the Cornell Beef Replacement Sale.
Line 9. Calving Percentage. There were 63 pregnant cows with only 60 calving. One aborted fetus was found. Other than miss-diagnosis on pregnancy, they could only assume re-absorption of fetus or aborted fetus not found.
They worked with the veterinarians to evaluate their herd health program. Are there changes in vaccination schedule or diseases that need to be changed?
Body condition score of cows are 6-8, so energy and protein are not limiting.
Line 11. Weaning percentage. One calf found dead on pasture. Cause of death was not determined.
Calving distribution by 21-day periods provides an indication of the nutrition program, bull fertility and herd health. Calves born early in the calving season are older at weaning and therefore generally heavier. Also having more of the calf crop in the first 21 days increases the consistency and therefore marketability.
To calculate distribution, start with the date that the 3rd mature cow calved. In their case that was April 7. During the next 21 days 26 cows calved which is 44%. The goal is to have 60% of the herd calve in the first 21 days, which they did not attain. One reason is this is a teaching herd and cows used by students can impact breeding schedule.
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Calving Distribution in Cornell Beef Herd, 2012
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% in 21 days
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44
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% in 42 days
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25
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% in 42 days
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31
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Getting in the habit of recording this data will make it easier to calculate these values. Tracking them over time provides a report card on how well you are managing your resources.
Source: Baker, M., Beef Cattle Comments, Vol 22 No 2, June 2013 www.ansci.cornell.edu/beef/
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Maine Beef Producers Association Website Is Here!
www.mainebeefproducers.com is current official website of the Maine Beef Producers Association. As with any new website there will be a time of transition while all information is being updated. The committee is working with a web designer to make this site an asset to the members of MBPA, potential members and people interested in finding out about beef production in Maine. The committee welcomes your suggestions and recommendations to make this site as helpful as possible. Please send your suggestions to:
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To receive Maine Beef News: All Maine beef producers are welcome to subscribe to the Maine Beef News for free. To keep costs down we are asking folks to sign up for the electronic version at http://bit.ly/PPfarming.
You can also access the archived issues of this newsletter at this site.
Please note that we do not sell or share your contact information.
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 Join the Maine Beef Producers Association
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2014 year. Annual dues are $35. for an extra $25 you can get a year subscription to County Folks. For more information on this organization and for membership application go to http://bit.ly/19oljzu
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 Tick ID Website Information on how to get ticks identified, tick biology, tick removal, tick management and tick-borne diseases. Most UMaine Extension offices will have tick removal spoons available while supplies last. |
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Featured UMaine Extension Publications
The following agriculture related Extension publications are available or can be ordered at the Extension Office nearest you. You will notice that some publications are free and some have a cost recovery charge. Many other publications are available for free online or may be purchased at our secure publications web site. - Insect Repellents # 5108 Enjoying the Maine outdoors often involves facing an onslaught of arthropod pests including ticks, mosquitoes, black flies, midges, and other biting flies. This publication can help you choose the right repellent that best fits your needs. 3 pages. © 2011, 2012 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Download it for free or buy a color copy.
- Mosquito Management #5110 Mosquitoes are a familiar nuisance in Maine during the summer months. This fact sheet discusses the different controls and personal protection. 3 pages. © 2010 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Download it for free or buy a color copy.
UMaine Sustainable Agriculture Publication - Quackgrass Management on Organic Farms by Heather Westwood, Kara Cox and Eric Gallandt. Quackgrass (Elytrigia repens) is not native to North America, and probably traveled from the Mediterranean in alfalfa seed during the mid-1600s. It is well established and may reduce crop yield and the quality of forage. This factsheet covers the life cycle, growth habit and management strategies. (pdf)
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Calendar
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June 26, 2014 - UMaine Sustainable Agriculture Twilight Tour. Sustainable Agriculture Research at Rogers Farm, Stillwater, Maine. 4 p.m. - weed walk with Eric Gallandt; 4:30 - registration; 5 to 7:45 - tours cover sustainable ag in Denmark; weed management, weed communities and climate change; plants to support native pollinators; alternative weed management strategies for vegetables; opportunities and challenges with fall-seeded crops (winter canola, wheat, rye, spelt, triticale); field pea varieties for livestock feed; incorporating wheat into organic forage rotations. No pre-registration required. Refreshments provided. 2 certified crop advisor credits and 1 pesticide credit will be offered. FMI: Ellen Mallory, ellen.mallory@maine.edu, 207-581-2942. Directions: The UMaine Rogers Farm is located on Rt. 16, 1.5 miles north of Stillwater, Maine. Take exit 193 off I-95 and head east toward Old Town on Stillwater Ave. At the third set of lights, turn left onto Bennoch Rd. (Rt. 16). The Rogers Farm is 1.5 miles north on Bennoch Road. - July 26 & 27, 2014 Beef Basics at Aldermere Farm, Rockport. http://www.aldermere.org/
- July 27, 2014 Maine Open Farm Day - statewide
- Spring and Summer Pasture Walks - TBA - Maine Grass Farmers Network - Co-coordinated and co-sponsored by MOFGA with UMaine Cooperative Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA) and the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources.
- December 6, 2014 Maine Beef Conference - Ramada Inn, Bangor.
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Contact Info
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
207-564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491
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Information in this newsletter is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned in this newsletter. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.
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