ISU Extension
IA State Univ.
IA Dept. of Ag
IA DNR

August 2003

In this issue
Evaluating Roots- Preparing for Next Year Beef News
Beef News
COOL
Swine News
Managing According to the Dairy Cow’s Daily Time Budget 
August Leasing Meetings

Evaluating Roots - Preparing for Next Year
by Joel DeJong, ISUE Crops Field Specialist

Many producers do not spend a lot of time in their fields during the month of August.  However, I maintain that some field scouting should continue.  Watching for disease development, monitoring crop progress, and planning for next year are good reasons to be out there.  Every year I get phone calls after harvest has started asking what happened out in a disappointing field.  But honestly, I rarely can give a good answer at that stage of the game. Problems should have been identified earlier when more evidence existed.

I think that now is a great time to evaluate the root systems of corn and soybeans and let them tell you their story of how the year is going.  Under good weather conditions a poor root system can still produce pretty good yields.  But, when environmental conditions are less favorable, these crops respond (for the worse) much quicker if the root system is not good.

What do you look for?  In corn I would suggest digging up several roots in a field.  I look at the shape of the root system.  Is it round?  Are the roots directed down or flat (a compaction indicator)?  Are roots quite straight or do they have a lot of knots and direction changes (another indicator that the root hit a hard area and had to change direction)?  Is there insect feeding damage on the roots?  How was planting depth (you can often still find the seed)?  If you are considering a tillage change on your operation, ask what it will do for you.  If you think there is a compaction zone in the root system, do the roots tell you that?  If it is deep tillage you are thinking about, dig roots to that depth and see what they are telling you.  Maybe that machinery expense and added fuel cost are not justified.

For soybeans many of the same questions can be asked of those root systems when you dig them.  What is that tap root doing?  Is there a zone where significant direction changes are occurring?  You won’t find rootworm damage on these roots, but look carefully for Soybean Cyst Nematodes.  That’s one pest you want to identify early so tolerant varieties can be used in the future to prevent greater yield losses from this pest.  Don’t know what they look like?  Use this web site to find out: www.soybeancyst.info,  or contact your Extension office to print it out for you.

Management of the crop continues even in August.  The game plan for next year needs to be developed and it needs to start now.  Don’t ignore those crops, keep managing them!

Beef News
by Beth Doran, ISUE Beef Field Specialist

Iowa Quality Beef:  The Iowa Quality Beef harvest facility at Tama opened July 21.  The Iowa Quality Beef Supply Cooperative now has more than 900 participating members located in 97 of Iowa’s 99 counties and 11 surrounding states.  About 90% of the fed cattle and Holstein shares offered have been sold to co-op members.  Those committed shares account for 83% of the fed cattle needed by the Iowa Quality Beef plant.

New Beef Ingredient:  The Food and Drug Administration has just approved a new feed ingredient, OptaflexxTM, which is fed to cattle during the final stages of the finishing period.  It increases live weight gain, improves feed efficiency and increases red meat yield.  While currently not available, OptaflexxTM will be marketed in the near future by Elanco Animal Health. The generic name for OptaflexxTM is ractopamine hydrochloride.

Sale Barn Calculator:  If preliminary sale reports of feeder cattle are any indication, it appears that feeder cattle prices this fall may be stout.  Feedlot producers are advised to push the figures before the final gavel falls.  The Iowa Beef Center has a new web-based program to help beef producers determine their sale barn bids for livestock.

The Sale Barn Calculator is an application designed for handheld computers using Palm OSTM operating systems.  This application can be used to quickly figure a maximum bid per hundredweight for livestock entering a sale ring.  Users enter the appropriate data regarding the type of animal being purchased into the calculator software prior to sale day.  Scenarios of different types of livestock can be created using the software.  As animals enter the ring, the average weight per head can be indicated, and the maximum bid is automatically calculated.

You may download this tool at www.iowabeefcenter.org by clicking "Downloadable Beef Cattle Software."  Downloading and use instructions, as well as examples, are provided.

COOL
by Beth Doran, ISUE Beef Field Specialist & Dave Stender, ISUE Swine Field Specialist

COOL, Country of Origin Labeling, requires retailers to notify customers of the country of origin of several ag commodities, including all beef, pork and lamb muscle cuts and ground meat marketed, beginning October 1, 2004.

If you are a cow-calf producer who intends to sell calves, it is advised that you begin to think now of what documentation and supporting evidence you can provide to the buyer of your calves about their birth and management on your farm.  Likewise, feedlot operators will want to think about how they plan to provide evidence to packers about where the cattle originated and where they have been raised.  As it stands now, each beef animal must be sourced.

There are a wide variety of opinions of estimated costs for participation by members of the supply chain, including producers. Because of this impending requirement and other specifications from several packer-processors to their respective producer clients, there is much uncertainty among livestock producers about their responsibilities in the process.

As the law is implemented, there will be a certain level of records needed to verify the country of origin.  A videotape of a recent satellite program is available through your county office.  The video highlights the issues, as we know them today. 

Speakers on the video include: William Sessions of AMS-USDA, and ISU's John Lawrence and James McKean.   Information on the COOL program is given, including expectations of and implications for Iowa livestock producers, dates for mandatory participation in COOL and options for meeting COOL-related requirements.

Swine News
by Dave Stender, ISUE Swine Field Specialist

Beat the Heat:  Remember, once the concrete in the barns heats up in August and September, the importance of keeping your pigs cool increases at the same time the cooling technologies are limited to air flow and water cooling.

Studies have shown that dripping water on the pig is more effective than misting the air to cool the pig.  Keep in mind that it is the process of turning liquid water into gas that cools, not much cooling results from the water itself.  Every evaporated pound of water removes 1050 BTU’s of heat from the pig or the environment.  Make sure your dripper is on a timer to allow time for evaporation to increase the amount of cooling.  Good systems wet the pig and allow the water to evaporate.  This intermittent wetting works better in cooling the pig.  The evaporation process is enhanced by increased air speed and lower humidity. 

Great Tasting Pork Important to the Industry:

In recent years great gains have been made making a leaner, more muscular pig.  Leaner, more muscular pigs could have a tendency to produce slightly drier, less palatable pork.   If pork doesn’t have superior taste attributes, other meats and even soy protein can become a viable replacement.   Modern leaner genotypes must be handled, processed, and cooked differently to enhance a great pork taste. 

The good news is that the National Pork Board has addressed the issue.  A well-written booklet on pork quality describes 10 factors that influence the final palatability of the pork products.  Nutrition, genetics, and pig handling are three factors within the management control of the swine producer.  Additionally, a great 2-hour training is available to those who sort and handle pigs.  Most commercial truckers have already completed the training.  Results from the training show less slow (subject) pigs transported to the packing plant.  Apart from the issue of slow pigs, sorting and loading pigs is also key to improving the eating characteristics of modern pork.  If you are a pork producer interested in a training designed to reduce the transportation problems of mortality and slows and to enhance the palatability of pork products, contact Dave Stender, Iowa State University Swine Field Specialist.

To Contact Dave Stender, ISU Swine Field Specialist - Cell phones and email are making communication easier, feel free to call the new cell phone number 712/261-0225 or email dstender@iastate.edu with your comments and questions concerning swine production.

Managing According to the Dairy Cow’s Daily Time Budget
by Chris Mondak, ISUE Dairy Field Specialist

Dr. Rick Grant, Miner Agricultural Research Institute, presented research findings on the relationship between cow behavior and optimum productivity at the 4-State Applied Nutrition and Management Conference, July 9-10. Highlights from his talk, “Taking Advantage of Dairy Cow Behavior: Cost of Ignoring Time Budgets” are presented here.

The dairy cow’s daily time budget of essential behaviors breaks out like this:

• 3-5 hours/day for feed consumption, accomplished in 9-14 meals

• 7-10 hours/day for ruminating

• 30 minutes/day for drinking water

• 2-3 hours/day for milking parlor

• 14 hours/day for lying down resting time

How do we best manage cows to respect their time budgets, ensure their well being, and allow them to reach their production capacity? Dr. Grant suggests these practical applications:

• Avoid overcrowding and excessive time in the holding pen. Simply splitting a large pen in half can make significant improvements.

• In pens where cows and heifers are commingled, management routines that negatively affect time budgets will have greater negative effects on heifers. Specifically, commingled heifers spent too much time standing, not enough time resting, and less time eating.

• Feed bunk management is important. Provide fresh feed that is easily in reach of cows 24 hours/day to promote numerous small meals through the day & night. Activities such as feeding, feed push-up, and returning cows from the parlor encourage more feed intake.

• Feeding and housing affect rumination and acidosis occurrence. Even though a ration may be perfectly balanced and have adequate fiber levels, rumen acidosis can still occur if cows have competition at the feed bunk or inadequate resting time/facilities. Since most rumination occurs when cows are lying down, cow health and rumination depend on adequate resting. An on-farm research study showed that by splitting pen size to decrease time in the parlor-holding pen, cows’ resting time increased from 36% of the day to 49% of the day. The resulting increase in milk production was 6-7 lbs/cow/day.

What is Dr. Grant’s overall key “take-home” message?

“Management routines that negatively impact cow behavior, particularly eating and resting, cost the producer money. When new facilities are planned, often cow comfort is sacrificed to save money per stall. An analysis of the potential lost milk and reduced cow comfort and health argue against minimizing input costs if it means negatively impacting cow comfort.”

To obtain a full copy Dr. Grant’s paper and the Proceedings from the 4-State Applied Nutrition and Management Conference, July 2003, contact Midwest Plan Service at 800-562-3619, or www.MWPSHQ.org, and ask for bulletin MWPS-4SD16.

August Leasing Meetings
by Ron Hook, ISUE Farm Management Field Specialist

Farmland leasing meetings are being held around the area in August.  The latest cash rent and land value surveys will be discussed, as well as other topics pertinent to a leasing arrangement.  Contact your local Extension office to find out the time and location for the meetings in your area.

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