Extension Works to Get Farmers On the Road Again

Submitted by Lynn Stillwell, Livestock Agent

Sampson County

North Carolina ranks number two in Hog and Turkey production with around 10 million hogs and 35 million turkeys produced each year. The State also ranks number 5 in broiler production with around 760 million birds produced . While these animals provide a significant amount of low cost, safe food for consumers, they also generate a significant amount of waste that must be dealt with by the farmer who raises them. Waste must regularly be removed or cleaned out and properly land applied as fertilizer.

Transporting tons/gallons of waste has proved to be not only costly for the farm in terms of dollars spent trying to stay within the regulations set forth by the NC Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR), but also in fines given out by the NC Highway Patrol. In years past farmers hauling animal waste from farm to field were continually stopped by Law Enforcement Officers and given heavy fines sometimes amounting to over $1500 for their vehicles being overweight.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension worked closely with local house representatives and NC Farm Bureau Board Members throughout the State to get the law changed so that farmers would not accrue these hefty fines. As of December 1, 2010 House Bill 1729 was changed to give exemptions to farmers hauling animal waste from the farm to the field. As long as farmers abide by other regulations for hauling animal waste, they should not have to worry about being fined for overweight vehicles.

Are You Overstocked?

Submitted by Emily Herring

Pender County Livestock Agent

Being a Livestock Agent I have heard this question several times, “I’ve got 10 acres of pastures, how many cows can I have?” and I have also heard “I’ve got 3 horses and 1.5 acres of pasture, why can’t I grow any grass?” Do you know the answers to these questions? Both of these questions have to deal with carrying capacity. The answers to these questions could be very simple or complicated; it just depends on a combination of different factors. Carrying capacity is defined as the stocking rate that achieves a targeted level of animal or economic performance over a defined period of time without causing deterioration of the pasture ecosystem. Stocking rate is defined as the number of animals stocked per acre of grazing land in a management unit for a defined period of time and is correlated with carrying capacity. Carrying capacity depends on several factors including- soil productivity, rainfall, and management ability of the landowner. If a producer has pastured land that is very sandy then in general it is safe to say the land is not the most productive soil type available for growing all types of grasses. Sandy soil does not have the capability of holding moisture because of the lack of clay in the soil and the size of the particles of the sand. This is a factor that is out of the producer’s hand, but is a deciding factor when determing pasture grasses to plant and management schemes for your operation. For example a sandy soil would be able to grow a warm season grass like Bermuda or Bahiagrass with proper management and would not be able to grow fescue. Therefore as a manager you could have summer grasses for grazing and would have to feed hay in the winter and/or overseed with ryegrass or a small grain for supplemental grazing. These things should be taken into consideration when deciding stocking rates. How do you know if you are overstocked? One way to tell is if the planted grass in your pastures is not present during the times it is supposed to be actively growing, then there is a good chance you may be overstocked if all other factors are not the problem.

Stocking rate is the number of animals on an acre of grazing land in management for a certain period of time. If Producer A and Producer B both have the same number of acres of Bermuda pastures, with the same number of cows, on the same type of soil and Producer A is able to run more cows per acre than the other with a healthy stand of Bermuda year after year, what other factors do could be in his favor than Producer B? The planning process of establishing pastures in the beginning has a huge impact on carrying capacity. Producer A could be taking soil samples yearly and applying the proper amount of nutrients and lime needed to help his bermudagrass grow more efficiently. He may have also anticipated on having brood cows when establishing pastures whereas Producer B anticipated having goats when establishing his pastures. Producer A could also have his pastures broken up into different fields for the use of rotational grazing with his brood cows and Producer B just allows the cows to graze the same pasture without rotation for the entire season. Properly fertilized/limed, what animals will be on the pasture, what stage of production they are in, and how you manage them on the pastures are all important factors that affect the capability of the pastured land to hold a certain number of animals. For help with determining your carrying capacity and stocking rate for your situation please contact your county Livestock Agent for assistance because there is so many different factors that determine your carrying capacity.

Are Your Sows in Condition?

Submitted by

Eileen A. Coite

Wayne County

With winter in full swing, one of the most critical goals of any livestock producer is making sure his or her animals are in suitable body condition to brave the cold temperatures. Luckily for our sows, most of them (unless you are an outdoor producer) are tucked away in a nice climate controlled building, equipped with gas heaters. In fact, we’re usually more concerned about sow comfort in the summer months, making sure no one is overheated. Either way, its important to make sure these ladies are comfortable and healthy year-around so they can do their job well.

One of the critical management factors we need to continually evaluate in the sow herd is body condition. Maintaining the ideal body condition score is key to keeping sows fertile, pregnant, or lactating, depending on where they are in the production stage. Of course, it’s a big circle anyway and getting out of condition in any stage will have an impact down the road. Not to mention it will impact the feed bill when sows aren’t in consistent body condition. Having to “bump up” too many feeders can have a tremendous impact on these costs in addition to the delay in her production efficiency, whether it be from delaying her breeding cycle, slowing down her milking ability, or weaning her litter.

So what is ideal? It depends on the production stage she is currently at. If we start with farrowing, the ideal condition would be a 3 to 3.5. Scoring this at farrowing will give her the best potential to stay at or above a score of 2.5 at weaning, which will put her in ideal condition for breeding. A good goal would be to have 80% of farrowed sows scoring at least a 3 at farrowing. Remember, getting sows too fat before farrowing is no good either. Overweight sows can have dystocia (difficult farrowing) problems as well as lactation issues once the pigs arrive. Often overweight sows will have milking difficulties as much as an underweight sow. The chart seen below is widely used across the swine industry for body condition monitoring. Points to evaluate on the sow are the ribs, the backbone, the “H” bones (hip or hook bones) and the pin bones. It is often useful to actually feel the sow instead of just visually evaluating her, and remember that different animals will show condition in different areas, just as we do. Using the Body Condition Score (BCS) chart seen above (Fig 2) will help illustrate this.

The best time to score sows would be at critical times in her gestation, or at times when she is being monitored for something else as well. For example, at breeding is a good time to score her, and again approximately 30 days later at pregnancy checking. Other good times would be at day 80 when we look for visible outward signs of pregnancy. Checking about every 3-4 weeks, usually at these critical stages is a good rule of thumb, since a visible change in her condition is hard to detect on a more frequent basis.

After assessing the sow, adjusting the feed (if needed) is the next most obvious, critical management strategy. So how much should we adjust? First, it’s important to have what’s called a “base feeding rate” during gestation. Usually, this would be somewhere in the 4.5-5 pound range of a corn/soybean meal based diet. If you are a contract grower, your company service person or training staff will be the best resource for recommending the base-feeding rate for your sows. After the base feeding rate has been established, then you can add or take away to meet condition. If the sow were a score of 2, she would need an additional pound added to her ration. For a score of 1 she would need at least 2 pounds more. On the other end of the scale, a score of 4 would merit a reduction of ½ pound, while a score of 5 needs a pound taken away. BCS scoring and adjusting feed is very subjective, and it is critical to make sure the SAME person (or persons) does this job each time! Never send a different person out to condition score and adjust feeders, and each of us may score slightly different. Consistency is the key here.

As always, consult your veterinarian or nutritionist as to the best management system for your herd. If you are a grower with a particular company, you will most likely have guidelines for BCS scoring that the integrator expects you to follow, which take into account the genetics of your sows. The article should serve as a guideline but in no way replace recommendations of your service or training personnel, nutritionist or veterinarian. Information used in this article can be found at: www.thepigsite.com. Search for “Assessing Sow Body Condition”, written by R.D. Coffey, G.R. Parker, and K.M. Laurent, University of Kentucky, 1999 UK Cooperative Extension Service.

Are Ewe Kidding?

By: Margaret A. Bell, Extension Agent – Livestock

Complied from: Managing Kidding and Lambing. Mary C. Smith, DVM. 2005. Cornell Sheep & Goat Symposium.

When your does and ewes go into labor, you want to make sure you are prepared to help them kid or lamb, if the need arises. As a livestock owner, you should familiarize yourself with symptoms of dystocia (difficulty during parturition) and know what to do in the event of an emergency.

Typically, most does and ewes are going to successfully complete parturition without human assistance. The doe or ewe is likely going to wait until she is by herself or the surrounding areas are quiet before she begins to kid or lamb. Sometimes it is just best to step aside and let mother nature take over. However, sometimes, it is best to aid a doe or ewe in distress.

When in doubt, a good rule to use is the 30-30-30 rule. Allow 30 minutes for delivery to be completed after a doe or ewe goes into labor. As an exception to this rule, do not wait 30 minutes for the kid or lamb to be born if it is yellow with meconium. This is an indication it is already not receiving enough oxygen and should be delivered immediately. If things appear to be normal and the mother has not had any problems so far, you may allow an additional 30 minutes before you step in. Lastly, if the doe or ewe has already had one or more fetuses without human assistance but you believe there to be another fetus, you may allow another 30 minutes to pass before you help deliver that fetus.

After becoming comfortable with the above rule, there are several other helpful tips you should consider before you assist a doe or ewe during parturition. You want to keep the area as sterile as possible. This includes wearing sterile gloves and washing the vulva of the doe or ewe using a mild dish detergent or betadine. Also, you need to use lubricant when you examine the doe or ewe.

You may want to invest in a “lamb puller,” also known as a head snare. This tool can be very helpful in trying to correct a lamb or kid with its head back. Most kids or lambs can be delivered head first, known as anterior position or hind feet first, known as posterior position. Immediately after pulling a lamb or kid, you should clear its nose, and place it with the mother. Make sure to check for more fetuses. You will want to follow up with antibiotics if they are necessary. Always consult your veterinarian about vaccination protocol and dosage directions.

After the kid or lamb is born, proper care must be given to ensure a healthy start for the animal. Once the animal is born, you should shorten the umbilical cord with scissors and dip it into a 7% tincture of iodine. Strip the plugs out of the dam’s teats to ensure the kid or lamb does not have to suck hard to get its first drink. Watch closely to make sure the kid or lamb is actually sucking, but leave the dam and young alone. Lambs and kids need time to find the udder and begin to recognize their mother.

Also, make sure the kid or lamb is as dry as possible, especially if temperatures are low. You may need to use a knitted sweater, sock, or sweatshirt as a coat for the young, if temperatures are especially low. This may help to save the life of the kid or lamb. Overall, monitor your dams that are in labor. If you have any questions, you should consult your veterinarian

Length of Calving Season Can Affect Your Bottom Dollar

Submitted by:

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

Adapted from an article by Barbi Riggs, Crook County, Oregon State University Cooperative Extension

Cattlemen are always trying to figure out how to increase profits from the herd. There are lots of changes that can be made, but only a few will actually yield a good result. There is a tool that some producers have not used yet that can significantly increase income and save labor. The length of the calving season can be managed to produce more pounds of calf at weaning and therefore increase profit.

Weaning of calves is typically done at a given date regardless of weight or age of the calves. Young calves wean at lighter weight than older calves simply due to age. For example, a calving season of 180 days results in calves that may have weaning weights anywhere from 320 pounds to 560 pounds and ages of 4 months to 8 months of age. Let’s assume that the average weight for this set of calves is 480 pounds. Total weaning weight for 100 hd of calves is 48,000 pounds. Now, let’s assume that this same set of cows calve in 60 days rather than 180 days. Weight for these calves range from 500-560 pounds and let’s say the average is 542 pounds. Total weaning weight for the 100 hd of calves is 54,200 pounds. The difference in weight is 6,200 pounds or equivalent to selling 11 more calves OR an extra 62 pounds per calf if breeding season is shortened. Another way to look at this, in the shortened breeding season, the producer could experience 7% reduction in weaning weights or calf crop to have the equivalent income as the lengthened calving period. Assume calves are selling around $100.00 per cwt, this translates into an increase of $62.00 per calf. The results of a similar scenario in regards to potential income will vary slightly dependent upon price of calves. Lighter calves do bring more money per pound however, it has been estimated that a uniform calf crop that is similar in appearance can optimistically yield a premium of $50-$70 per head, further supporting economic benefit to shorter calving seasons.

Shortening the calving season has other benefits as well. Calving season of 60 days means fewer nights watching cows and fewer days tagging calves. Calf loss due to negligence or lack or recognition of dystocia problems is less likely to occur. My experience is that the last few cows to calve have a tendency to not be watched as closely because focus is on other projects such as seeding crops or fertilizing pastures. By shortening the calving season we are less likely to be distracted. Having a calving season of 45-60 days will result in a more reproductively sound herd. The females that do not breed back within this structure will eventually fall out of the herd leaving only the most reproductively sound females and will propagate reproductively sound replacement heifers.

How do we accomplish a tighter calving season? The strategy will depend upon how spread out your current calving season is and the number of cows in your herd. If you are currently calving year-round, it may take a few years to achieve a 60 day calving season without too much loss of revenue. However, the first line of attack should always be with your replacement heifers. A producer should pick his target dates for calving and plan appropriately for the replacement heifers. Be sure to breed the heifers 3-4 weeks prior to the mature cows in order to allow the growing heifer ample time to recover from calving/lactation before the next breeding season.

Remember that tight breeding season means tight calving season. Although you have less time to watch cows, intensity of calving can be great particularly if synchronization was utilized. Management of a short breeding/calving season will be successful only if the producer is firm with the dates. Bulls must be turned in with the cows on the appropriate date and must be pulled at the appropriate date regardless of other obligations. Cows that do not breed and calve within the set season must be culled without exception.

Shortening the calving season is a cost effective program that can increase profit and reproductive performance of the herd with little to no extra input costs.

Have Your Chickens Stopped Laying too?

Have Your Chickens Stopped Laying too?
Eve H. Honeycutt


This seems to be a very common question that I get in the fall. Just this Sunday at Church a friend stopped me to ask about his birds. "My girls have stopped laying. What's the matter with them?"

The best answer- and the usual problem- is they are molting. Molting is a natural process for chickens. The shorter days and cooler temperatures trigger this strange phenomenon. All of a sudden, your most beautiful bird begins to lose her feathers. You might notice her stop laying just before this happens. If all of your birds are the same age, the rest of them may start the molting process as well. Females housed together tend to do this. Fortunately, the birds at my house are different ages and not all of them molted this year. A few of them even molted in the spring, which was odd.

If your birds are in a coop full time, you will see an abundance of feathers on the floor. This is all normal. Occasionally this excessive show of skin can trigger non-molting birds to pick on those who are losing the feathers. Keep an eye out for any birds who look like they are getting picked on. You may need to separate the molting hens if the bullying continues. If your birds are pastured or in a large pen, they will not be as prone to bullying since they have something else to occupy their time.

Fear Not! Molting may take 6-8 weeks to completely shed and regrow the feathers. Your most beautiful bird will be beautiful again! And she won't lose all her feathers at once, but she will probably have bare patches here and there. She will begin to lay again one day. Birds that molt early in the fall may begin laying again the same year. Late molting birds may not lay again until spring. Some birds will molt every year, and some will only molt every few years. The feathers that grow back are the same color and texture, just a more brilliant color- at least until the first dust bath.

So even though you may be heckled by your neighbors for having some strange looking birds, rest assured that you will be able to share your eggs again soon.

Natural vs. Organic Beef: Is it for your farm?

Natural vs. Organic Beef: Is It For Your Farm?

Guest Post:

Margaret A. Bell, Extension Livestock Agent; Craven & Jones Counties

Complied from: Natural and Organic Beef. Tom R. Troxel, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist. University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service.

Over the past few years, “organic” and “natural” have become household terms. But what exactly do these terms mean? Is organic nutritionally better for you? Should you only eat food that is labeled as “antibiotic-free” and “hormone-free?” Let’s dig a little deeper into what these terms exactly mean for you as a producer.

Natural beef has become a legitimate option for many beef producers. It often offers a higher premium ranging from about $4 - $8 cwt. for calves and $2 - $4 cwt. for feeder cattle. Of course, these premiums depend on many factors, including quality, quantity, and location of the cattle. This increase in the product is usually necessary to offset the extra cost of management practices used to enable the producer to market their product as “natural.”

If a producer wants to market his product as “natural,” he has to do several things: 1) the product is to be processed as minimally as possible 2) the product is not allowed to have any artificial ingredients 3) the product is not allowed to contain any preservatives. However, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has no restrictions on the specific management practices during the life of the animal.

Organic beef is a term used to describe beef cattle that have not had any antibiotics or growth hormones. This type of beef is produced without using most common pesticides or fertilizers that are made from synthetic ingredients. One of the most credible ways to have your product labeled as organic is to get the “USDA ORGANIC” seal on your product, which means the product is at least 95 percent organic.

There are many management requirements you must consider if you are thinking about producing organic beef. You must abide by the following: 1) animals must be not given any antibiotics or growth hormones 2) producers are to give their animals 100 percent organic feed, but are allowed to provide vitamin and mineral supplements to the animals 3) preventive management practices will be used to keep the animals healthy, such as vaccines. However, the USDA does not make any claims that food produced organically is more nutritious or safer than food that is produced conventionally. The difference is how organic food is handled, grown, and processed.

In summary, if you are considering becoming an organic beef or natural beef producer, there are many options to consider and many factors to think about. Only you can decide what is best for you and your beef cattle, but the organic and natural beef markets will continue to thrive for the next few years. This may be a good opportunity for you to increase the value of your cattle and the return on your cattle. If you have any questions, you can contact your local Cooperative Extension Office.