Sow Housing Conversion Trends

Adapting to Sow Housing Conversion Trends

Guest Post:

Emily Herring, Livestock Agent from Pender County

The Situation

While attending the Swine Educators In-Service Training in Iowa I learned general information about a farm in Michigan who is converting from a sow gestation stall housing system into a gestation pen housing system. The reason for this change has been credit to the passing of legislation which passed in 2009 which prohibits sow gestation crates, stalls for veal calves, and cages for chickens. Discussions between the Michigan Pork Producers and the Allied Poultry Industries Association and HSUS (Humane Society of The United States) resulted in a bill that included confinement standards as dictated by the HSUS. These groups felt that an HSUS-driven ballot initiative would be too expensive to fight and might include even tougher regulations. In negotiating the legislation, HSUS said it would “not pursue a Michigan farm animal confinement-related ballot measure prior to the effective date of the law.” The law does not come into effect until 2020 so this would give producers time to convert typical stall housing gestation systems into pen gestation houses. Within the law it is acceptable to have stalls for breeding and for farrowing. The sows can stay in the stall until “confirmed pregnant” and then they are moved back into a pen. They are then moved into a farrowing crate one week before they are due to farrow.

Designing the Barns

The particular farm that was showcased at the training was Dykhuis Farm sow farm with 15,500 sows in 5 different commercial sow units and one breeding stock herd in West Michigan. The design of the buildings all vary somewhat from one building to another. They have a formula they go by for planning a barn for the number of pens needed; farrowing target multiplied by number of weeks in the pen (10). As a general rule at their farm, the stocking rate is 15 square feet per sow and by the end of gestation the goal is 18 square feet per sow. This includes their estimated fall out rate for that pen. Then they use another formula to determine stalls needed for bred sows; breeding target multiplied by number of weeks in the stall (6). Also, in designing barns they have to figure in the number of stalls needed for the hospital area, gilts, and wean sows. Another general rule of 2 sows per feeding box is implemented. Depending on the size of the pen and how it is designed the distance between the feed boxes vary from 18” to 4’ on their farm. So the actual inside design of the barn depends on several factors like size, shape and style of the barn along with the farrowing target rate.

Health Management

Pens are grouped by their due date/breed date and then by their size and parity. When pens are mixed for the first time an extra serving of food is delivered for 2-3 days to the sows to help minimize fighting. If a sow was to become sick, lame, or thin they are removed from the pen and placed in a hospital stall for 35 days to regain body condition and/or health. When sows come into heat they are checked, marked and then moved out of the pen to stalls where they are bred. Vaccinations and ultrasounds are said to be easier done in the pen versus a stall when all the sows are distracted by feed. When sows are due in a week to farrow they are then marked and moved into farrowing crates. They started converting their farms in late 2009 to try to meet the new rule. Since then, the houses that are pen gestation have had close to the same production numbers as they normally would have been in stalls.

Conclusion:

Seven states have passed such laws to band or limit usage of crates, either through legislation or ballot initiatives. States included are Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, and Oregon. All of the following states are ballot initiative states. North Carolina is not a ballot initiative state and this explains why North Carolina has not been affected yet by these types of laws. I thought this was important to bring to your attention because eventually this may become the situation for North Carolina farmers too. Farmers need to be aware of the animal welfare/rights organizations and what they are doing because 7 out of 50 states already have laws prohibiting any or all of the listed, gestation crates, cages for chickens and stalls for veal calves. The information the farm representative spoke on regarding their farm was great to learn about because of the lack of experience most farmers and myself have with pen gestation housing.

New Product for Weed Control in Bermudagrass

A New Product for Weed Control in Bermudagrass!

Eve H. Honeycutt

Livestock Agent, Lenoir & Greene Counties

There is great news this spring for bermudagrass pastures. Prowl H20 (pendimethalin) is now labeled for established bermudagrass pastures and hay fields for pre-emergent control of annual grasses.

This product has been in the works for many years. This application will provide excellent control of crabgrass and goosegrass and fair to good control of sandbur. If applied correctly, this treatment will provide season-long control of crabgrass and goosegrass, even with heavy populations. As you know, there are no registered or effective post-emergent

options for both of these grasses. But this treatment will prevent the need for

any post-emergent treatment for crabgrass and goosegrass.

There are two main points that need to be stressed to obtain season-long control. They are:

1. Prowl H20 needs to be applied at 3 lbs. active ingredient/acre and activated by water (rainfall or irrigation).

2. Prowl H20 needs to be applied by early March at the latest.

Crabgrass germinates when soil temperatures average about 55 degrees. This typically occurs by mid-March in sandy soil, particularly east off Raleigh. Also, the label states that it needs to be applied to dormant Bermuda.

A few other key points from the label:

· Apply only to established Bermuda (planted in the fall or spring and gone through first mowing/cutting) when in winter dormancy;

· Rate range: 1.1 to 4.2 qt /A per season;

· Dense grass infestations; Apply at least 3 lb ai/A(3.2 qt/A)

· Split application timings: ½ rate at onset of dormancy followed by ½ rate prior to spring greenup.

RESTRICTIONS:

Do not apply in standing water

Do not exceed 4.2 qt/A/year

60 day hay restriction

45 day forage harvest or grazing restriction

*Always read and follow label directions.

Disclaimer: The use of brand names and any mention or listing of commercial products or services in this publication does not imply endorsement by North Carolina State University nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned.

Stockpiling Cool Season Grasses

Stockpiling for the Winter

Guest Post:

Submitted By: Margaret A. Bell, Assistant Livestock Agent in Craven & Jones Counties

Adapted from an article by Dr. Matt Poore, NCSU Ruminant Specialist

For beef cattle producers, the winter can be the hardest time of the year. Producers have to get the tractor out everyday and have to purchase a lot of hay to get their cows through the winter successfully. Here is an alternative to that vicious cycle. Have you ever thought about stockpiling your fescue so you don’t have to feed hay constantly through the winter? The average savings was $0.89 per cow per day as opposed to feeding hay.

Tall fescue is a hearty grass and responds well to fertilization in the late summer. If a pasture of fescue is allowed to accumulate from late summer and fall until winter, cows can be fed efficiently without the mud associated with a long winter hay-feeding season. This is also a much more economical alternative to feeding hay all winter. If you want to “stockpile” fescue, you would apply 50 to 75 pounds of nitrogen per acre to a healthy fescue field in late August to early September. For our area, the ideal time is September 1 to 15. It is important to graze or clip the fescue to about 3 or 4 inches and let it rest several weeks before the fertilizer is applied. The nitrogen source that you apply is also very important. Ammonium nitrate gives the best response and liquid nitrogen gives the least response. Also, make sure that other soil nutrients such as potassium and phosphorus are at least at medium levels and pH is about 6.0 to get the best response.

Another important aspect of preparing to stockpile fescue is the timing of the rainfall. You want to make sure to get your fertilizer out before the rain. Use the rain to your advantage. By November you will know how much forage you will have for the winter to graze. During a normal year, you can expect to have about 2,500 to 4,000 pounds of grazable forage dry matter per acre. This amount of forage is equivalent to about five to eight 4’ x 4’ round bales of hay per acre.

When you are planning how you’re are going to stockpile your fescue, it is important to think about your herd and their needs. A 1,200-pound gestating cow can be maintained on about 20 pounds of stockpiled fescue dry matter per day. With about 15% waste, one acre would feed 100 to 160 cows per one day. Lactating cows will need 30 pounds per day with a 25% waste allowance, meaning one acre would give you 65 to 100 “cow days.” In other words, one acre of stockpiled fescue will give a dry cow enough to eat for well over 100 days and a lactating cow for 65 to 100 days. You can often manage your lactating cows with just adding a mineral supplement during the winter when you are implementing nutritional stockpiled fescue practices.

According to the research, the best technique to graze your cows is called “strip-grazing,” or “frontal-grazing.” This is when you allot your cows a strip of grass using a roll of polywire and temporary posts every one to three days. When they graze the target height of 2 inches, they are moved to a new strip. Start the cows near the water giving them fresh strips and slowly move them away from the water. There are many advantages to this including cows become tamer because you are in close contact with them every day. Also, manure is more evenly distributed than with a typical hay feeding system, so your soil fertility will increase. Thirdly, your cows are cleaner because there is less mud, meaning your calves will most likely be healthier.

You can also stockpile other grasses, including bermudagrass and rye/ryegrass.

Criteria for Culling Cattle- a new approach

A New Culling Criteria: Hair Coat Shedding

Guest Post:

By Eileen A. Coite, Wayne County

Compiled from: Differences in hair coat shedding and effects on calf weaning weight and BCS among Angus dams, K.A. Gray, et al.

It’s always exciting when we learn of new university research to pass on to you, the producer. After all, that is a big part of what Extension does. So, when I learned of beef cattle research being conducted in North Carolina and Mississippi that could impact management and decisions of cattle producers, I was excited to share the news. At our annual livestock agent training held each August, agents are given time to interact with one another and NCSU specialists, in an effort to gain the most up to date knowledge, practice skills, and share ideas. This year, amongst many presentations and workshops, we learned of collaborated research being conducted by the Department of Animal Science at NC State University and the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at Mississippi State University with regard to the impact hair coat shedding has on calf weaning weight and body condition score of Angus cattle.

Angus producers have long been interested in finding ways to help their cattle get through the hot summer with less stress and complications from the heat, particularly because of their black hair coat. Humidity in the southeast added to the hot summer temperatures creates risks of heat related challenges for all livestock, but particularly cattle with dark, thick coats. For these reasons, researchers at NCSU and MSU teamed up to learn how much variation in shedding exists among purebred Angus cows, and the effects of this shedding on weaning weight of their calves and the cow’s body condition score. Researchers of this project adapted a scoring system to evaluate a cow’s shedding progress, referred to as a hair shedding score.

So what did they find? Through evaluating over 500 Angus cows in four different locations of MS and NC, cattle were grouped in five categories of shedding, ranging from a full winter coat to a slick, short summer coat. All cows weaned a calf at approximately six months of age and weaning weights were recorded and submitted to the American Angus Association. Data was analyzed to show how early cattle began to shed, an indication to how well adapted they were to the heat of the southeast. The study found that there was a definite correlation between speed of shedding and weaning weights, showing cows with slower shedding to raise lighter calves at weaning. The study states that there are many possible reasons why this relationship is present. One possible reason there is a connection between weaning weight and hair coat shedding is that prolactin levels in cows were affected. Prolactin is a hormone present in cows that affects lactation, but also has effects on hair loss. The study brought about possible conclusions that higher prolactin levels could influence hair shedding as well as milk production, leading into heavier calves at weaning.

The study concluded that even though more research is needed to fully understand this correlation, a conclusion was made that producers could lessen heat stress in their herds and improve weaning weights by culling cows that are slow or poor at shedding. Scoring cattle for shedding in late May or early summer, and removing cows from the herd that receive scores that reveal little to no shedding should increase herd productivity by increasing weaning weights of calves produced.

Drenching for Sheep and Goats

Drenching, Do It and Do It Right!

guest post:

Emily Herring, Livestock Agent

Pender County

Drenching in sheep and goats can be the oral application of medications into the throat of the animal. This is the recommended way to administer dewormers to sheep and goats. There are other methods of administering dewormers such as injectables and pour-ons, but I will only focus on the oral method in this article. Intestinal parasites are the biggest threat to sheep and goats causing numerous health problems like weight loss, low birth weight, un-thriftiness, and even death. The best medications will not work properly if they are not given to the animal correctly. In Australia resistance to drenches is becoming a noted steadfast problem as well as other parts of the world, due to the incorrect methods of drenching. Parasite resistance is not a welcome problem among any farmer. For a refresher on oral drenching I have included some key steps a producer needs to remember to do before and after drenching a sheep or goat.

Before drenching an animal make sure the drench gun is calibrated and is not leaking. Check the nozzle for rough edges that may cause discomfort when medicating. Then think about how you are going to medicate the animals, as in how much you will administer to each of them. If the animals are various in sizes, group them into smaller groups according to their size. Then physically weigh the heaviest animal in the group and treat all animals in that group to that weight to make sure enough dewormer is given. Remember underestimating the weight of the animal promotes parasite resistance and has been one of the main contributing factors in parasite resistance, so don’t guess. Be sure to read and follow the specific labeled directions on the medication given.

When giving medications make sure the sheep/goats are properly restrained and can’t leap around when you are orally drenching. Hold the animals head horizontal by placing your hand under his chin. This encourages that the animal will swallow the whole amount given. Sheep and goats can suffer serious injury, or even death, if they are not restrained properly if the gun strikes the tissues at the back of the mouth. So be patient and don’t rush. Place the nozzle in the gap between molar and incisor teeth and then over the back of the tongue. Be sure the animal swallows the medication before letting the head go. If drenching is not done properly the animal will not receive the medication within the stomach and it can possibly go into the lungs, which can be fatal to the animal.

After giving the drench, be sure to record what and how much you gave to your animals and then place all unused drench back into original container. Be sure to clean your equipment by following the manufacture’s cleaning instructions. If you have any questions or need help with drenching contact your local County Livestock Agent.

Managing Cover Crops for Grazing

So you've planted your winter cover crop...now what? If you planted at the proper time- mid September- you should be seeing some great growth the past few weeks. (If you got a little behind and still have planted yet, there is still time. As long as there is about 3-4 weeks of warm days, cool nights, and adequate moisture, your cover crop has time to germinate and get some growth to avoid a winter kill.)

The Benefits: By choosing to plant a cover crop for grazing, you have done yourself a favor in more ways than one. All of the cover crops (rye, and oats being the most common) are great erosion fighters. They have extensive, soil holding root systems, and establish quickly even in poor, rocky, or wet soils. The dense yet shallow root systems act as soil builders, improving water infiltration. The rapid aboveground growth helps supply organic matter. There is usually little weed pressure until spring, but if you planted properly, the stand density will shade out most of your weeds and prevent seeds from germinating. You have also provided a cheap and efficient source of winter feeding, which is way more convenient and economical than feeding hay.

What to Expect: No matter what cover crop you chose most of them will behave about the same throughout the cool season. These crops love warm days and cool nights, with just the right amount of rain. If you plant early enough, you might be able to graze it before the first frost. However, during the coldest weeks between January and February 15, there will be little growth. Grazing should be reduced during this time to allow the stand to survive. By mid-March, the weather should be optimal for great growth and any animal grazing should be quite satisfied.

Maintenance: Avoid overgrazing or mowing cover crops closer than 3 to 4 inches. For average phosphorus and potassium conditions (based on soil test), apply 500-600 pounds of 10-10-10 at planting. On sandy soils make additional applications of 60-80 pounds of nitrogen per acre when plants are 2-3 inches tall in November, and topdress with 50 pounds of nitrogen on or near February 15.

The Disadvantage: The biggest downfall with using a cover crop in established bermudagrass pastures, hayfields, or sprayfields, is timing. Around the middle of March to the middle of April, your cover crop is growing like crazy. The animals grazing on it will probably be standing knee-high in the most beautiful green grass. However, your bermudagrass, lying dormant beneath all this action, is waiting for it's chance to shine. In early April, bermudagrass needs constant sunshine in order to green up and get ready for the warm summer season, when many farmers depend on it the most. If your cover crop is still on top of it, you are going to deny it the energy it needs to thrive. This is where you have to make a crucial decision. Ideally, you would need to kill the cover crop (or at least mow it very close to the ground), in order to provide the bermuda the sunlight it needs to grow. It seems against the laws of mother nature to destroy the beautiful spring growth of a cover crop, so you have to decide which is more important. A stand of bermudagrass with a cover crop that lasts later into the spring will greatly reduce the first cutting of summer hay.

Cover crops are beneficial to all aspects of the farm- including the soil and the grazing animals. So bundle up, sit back, and dream about spring!

Irrigation Calibration Update- for Animal Waste Operators

Eve H. Honeycutt, Extension Livestock Agent, Lenoir and Greene Counties

Recently, NCSU Specialists in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering announced that using rain gauges to perform an irrigation calibration is no longer necessary for swine farms in NC.

Calibration of the irrigation system is still a requirement under the State general permit, and it must be performed every other year. Previously, NCSU and NC Soil and Water guidelines stated that using the rain gauges to test for uniformity was recommended every 3 years. New guidelines have been established that recommend rain gauges no longer be considered an acceptable method of calibration.

Acceptable methods of irrigation calibration include using a flow meter, and performing a field calibration. Using the flow meter is easy and only requires that the flow meter be properly connected, then the user reads the flow rate that shows up on the meter. Proper documentation must be kept as a record of the flow meter use. There is a flow meter for rent in the Greene County Extension office for $25. Anyone can rent the meter by calling 252-747-5831.

Performing a field calibration is also easy and does not require any specialized equipment. Three measurements need to be recorded- the wetted diameter, the nozzle/ring size, and the pressure at the gun. To measure wetted diameter, turn the system on and measure the diameter of the spray area. For ring/nozzle size, you may find the size stamped on the end of the nozzle. If you can't find it, you should measure it accurately with a pair of calipers. Finally, make sure you have a working pressure gauge at the gun and record the pressure with the system in operation. Once you have these three measurements, you should look at the manufacturer's performance chart for your equipment. It can be found online, or with the help of your Extension agent. The chart, along with your measurements, will help you determine the flow rate for your equipment. All of this data should also be documented for your records.

Having your irrigation system calibrated ensures that you are applying your nutrients at the proper rate. It is also a requirement of your permit, so don't forget this important procedure as you prepare for the fall season.