Alfalfa in forage system extends feed in drought

Another drought year ahead or not, adding more forages to the grazing mix helps during the annual summer slump, says a University of Missouri Extension forage specialist.




Rob Kallenbach, Columbia, advocates more alfalfa, although the legume called “the queen of forages” has fallen out of favor with some farmers.



Planting alfalfa can boost production on any pasture-based livestock farm, Kallenbach says.



“Yields in 2012 were an eye-opener for those who had alfalfa in their forage mix,” he adds. “Alfalfa kept growing long after other crops had dried up and died. The deep-rooted legume was noticeably greener.”



Drought brings renewed interest in establishing the protein- and nutrient-rich legume.



Kallenbach admits alfalfa is a picky plant. “It likes deep, rich, well-drained soils. Alfalfa won’t tolerate wet feet.”



But the legume responds well to good management, especially when lime, phosphorous and potash levels are kept up to soil-test recommendations. “Alfalfa pays well for extra attention. With a little care, it grows more tonnage per acre.”



In addition, the legume fixes enough nitrogen for its own use. That cuts fertilizer costs.



Almost every farm big enough to maintain a livestock herd has some land that will grow alfalfa, Kallenbach says. A 1,000-acre farm with 300 cows will have 80 or 100 acres suited for alfalfa.



While he favors the prime legume, every farm can benefit from clovers, red and white, and lespedeza seeded into grass pastures. Those legumes extend grazing into the summer slump.



Clover’s big advantage is ease of establishment. The legumes can be frost-seeded into grass pastures in February. However, grasses must be grazed down short before seeding. That allows seedlings to get started in the spring. Tall grass makes too much competition.



Kallenbach’s main message: Diversify forage beyond toxic tall fescue, Missouri’s dominant pasture forage.



Warm-season grasses also hold up well in what are the usual summer dry spells. They can extend the grazing season.



“Last summer the drought-tolerant species delayed need to start feeding hay,” Kallenbach says. “However, in extreme droughts nothing keeps growing without rain. The cool-season grasses dry up early.”



Grazing provides less expensive feed than baled hay. A dry-weather grazing plan requires advance planning. Many producers started feeding baled hay in July last summer because of grass shortages.



Summer grazing also comes from annual warm-season grasses such as sorghum-sudan and pearl millet. However, they must be planted when there is moisture in the soil. “If you wait until going into a drought, it’s too late to plant supplemental forages,” Kallenbach says.



All forages benefit from managed grazing. With rotational grazing, dividing large pastures into grazing paddocks, less forage is lost to trampling. The rest periods in management-intensive grazing boost production of forage per acre.



Forage that cows waste in continuously grazed pastures could have been used to replace high-priced baled hay.



Dry-weather grazing may become the new norm, according to some climatologists looking at long-range forecasts.



Mixed-species pastures with managed grazing may become part of the survival of beef herds in Missouri.



For Kallenbach, better grazing plans include alfalfa. It has a bright future on more Missouri farms, he says. Even if drought doesn’t come, alfalfa producers have high-tonnage forage to be grazed, baled or put up as balage.



If not needed on the home farm, alfalfa becomes a highly marketable feed. Someone, somewhere, will need it and be willing to pay big bucks for it.

Feeder calf prices can be good, but feed costs depend on rain

Record-high calf prices don’t necessarily mean record-high profits in the beef business.

 

Scott Brown, University of Missouri livestock economist, said rising feed costs will cut into cattle profits.

 

“Cattle producers should hope for a big corn acreage this spring, with rain in June and July. Also, hope for continued recovery in the general economy,” Brown told Dallas County cattle producers. “As more people get jobs, that creates more demand for beef.”

 

To show the difficulty for an economist to predict prices, Brown reminded listeners of 2012. “Remember, as late as May last year, USDA was predicting corn prices at $4.60 per bushel. Recently corn was at $7.40 per bushel.”

 

A drought-reduced corn yield and high corn prices in 2012 make it difficult for cattle feeders to make money.

 

In 2013, just hope for that big corn crop, Brown said. That could mean corn prices drop toward $4 a bushel. And not rise to around $8 per bushel.

 

Cow numbers continue to decline and that means fewer calves going to market. A short calf supply and continued demand means a strong beef outlook.

 

“The best I can do is to say corn prices will be somewhere between $4 and $10,” Brown told herd owners. “I’m being a good economist and saying ‘It depends.’” Weather will be the big variable.

 

“There’s not a beef supply problem,” Brown said. Beef demand has continued surprisingly strong, although U.S. consumers have cut back on eating beef. Export demand remains strong.

 

Other variability factors are continued economic growth and a climb in jobs. While recovery and job growth aren’t vigorous, they are growing.

 

Washington will play a part. There is growing uncertainty on how legislators will handle the debt ceiling. If they close the government, that could lead to a downturn, which could lead to lower beef demand.

 

“Growth is good for us,” Brown said. “If there is income growth, this time next year there will be big smiles on your faces.”

 

Herd owners who produce what consumers want will come out ahead, Brown said. Consumers show growing demand for quality beef while quality supplies remain short.

 

“Produce for quality steaks, not just hamburger,” Brown said. “High choice and prime grades are in demand. Look at that as an opportunity.

 

“As you rebuild your herds, aim not just for numbers but for quality. Premiums paid for quality beef continue to grow.

 

“Technology for adding better genetics is available. If you follow the research from MU Thompson Farm, you see that prime beef comes from adding better genetics. Thirty percent of their calves grade prime. That is not coming from feeding longer. With high corn prices, you can’t feed longer. Genetics can help produce calves that grade prime.”

 

U.S. producers have the technology, but beef producers in other countries, such as Brazil and Russia, are putting great effort into improving cattle through artificial insemination. They use the technology.

 

“Don’t just look for good bulls, but the best genetics,” Brown said. “Don’t just chase the prime quality grades. Look at all of the traits to improve your cow herd. That’s one way to distinguish yourself down the road.”

 

In his wrap-up, Brown said, “There’s great opportunity ahead. Just hope we have a great corn crop this year.”

Drought has Missouri cattle ranchers struggling to feed their livestock

Committee members heard a tearful testimony from cattle ranchers on Tuesday, Sept. 11, begging for aid from the drought to help keep their businesses alive.

In a House Agriculture Policy Committee meeting, Missouri farmers addressed their grievances toward the recent drought.

The drought has caused hay prices in Missouri to skyrocket up to $85 per bale. Farmers complained that without the adequate amount of resources from local producers, cattle farmers will not be able to keep their cows healthy enough for sale.

Wendy Cantrell of the Miller County Regional Stockyard gave her testimony, informing the committee of the failing livestock business.

"Very few people know what you all are talking about, they just don't have a clue," Cantrell said. "They come in to me and they're 60 years old and they have tears in their eyes and they say 'I've gotta sell, I have no other choice, I've gotta sell.'"

Many legislators have been worried about the production of soybeans and corn due to the drought, focusing less attention on the business of selling livestock.

Cost effectiveness of ammoniating low-quality forages

Because of this year’s drought, U.S. cattle farmers are facing a short feed supply.  Farmers searching for affordable feedstuffs should consider ammoniating low-quality forages, like corn stalks, to supplement their feeding programs, says a University of Missouri agriculture business specialist.

 

“Ammoniating low-quality forage produces several benefits,” said Whitney Wiegel. “Ammoniation increases the digestibility and crude protein content of forage. It also improves intake and inhibits mold development in high-moisture roughage.”

 

Farmers who choose to ammoniate low-quality forage (forages with less than 50 percent total digestible nutrients) can expect digestibility to increase 8 to 18 percent depending on the type of forage ammoniated and its initial digestibility level, he said.

 

Ammoniation can also increase crude protein content by 4.5 to 11 percent and improve dry-matter intake by more than 30 percent.

 

“Because intake is one of cattle producers’ biggest concerns when it comes to meeting cows’ nutritional requirements with forage, dry-matter intake is probably the greatest benefit of ammoniation,” Wiegel said.

 

While there are many benefits to ammoniation, a farmer must also consider the added costs of ammoniating forages. “With regard to material costs, the main items required are anhydrous ammonia, polyethylene sheeting, tubing and tractor fuel,” he said. Farmers may also wish to include the cost of labor in their calculations. “Of all the costs, the cost anhydrous ammonia will undoubtedly be the greatest.”

 

To add further detail to the cost analysis, Wiegel describes a typical scenario:

 

Using a 40- by 100-foot sheet of black polyethylene, which costs $180, a farmer can ammoniate about 70 large round bales. If each bale weighs 1,000 pounds, the farmer has 70,000 pounds of forage. If the bales are 85 percent dry matter, the farmer has 59,500 pounds of dry matter. If the recommended amount of anhydrous to use is 3 percent of the dry-matter weight, the farmer needs to use 1,785 pounds of anhydrous.

 

“The price of anhydrous ammonia in this example is $720 per ton, which means that it costs $643 to purchase the recommended amount of anhydrous,” Wiegel said. If tubing supplies cost $50, tractor fuel costs $38, and labor costs $180, the total cost of ammoniation is $1,091, or $31 per ton of forage.

 

Will the increase in quality be worth the extra cost of ammoniation?

 

“To quantify the value of improved quality, reference values for TDN and crude protein must be obtained,” he said.

 

In this scenario, Wiegel assumes that a pound of TDN from corn is worth 15 cents and a pound of crude protein from soybean meal is worth 31 cents (based on an $8 per bushel corn price and a $537 per ton price for soybean meal).

 

If ammoniation improves TDN by 5 percent and crude protein by 8 percent, an equivalent of 100 pounds of TDN and 160 pounds of crude protein are added to a ton of forage through ammoniation.

 

Using the reference values of 15 cents per pound of TDN and 31 cents per pound of crude protein, ammoniation increases the value of forage by $55 per ton on a dry-matter basis, or $47 per ton with forage at 85 percent dry matter.

 

“Compared to ammoniation costs of $31 per ton, the value added to forage, $47 per ton, is enough to justify the decision to ammoniate low-quality forage,” he said.

 

For more information about ammoniating forages, contact your local MU Extension center.

 

“There are several important considerations in ammoniating forages, so please seek advice before ammoniating forages for the first time,” Wiegel said.

Be Informed Before Using Soybeans for Forage

Many Missouri producers are asking if it is safe to use soybeans for livestock forage. The topic was brought up repeatedly by attendees at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.
Tim J. Evans, toxicology specialist at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, answered inquiries on the subject by researching the chemical mechanism of action of a commonly used herbicide, Cobra.
“Current drought conditions have caused farmers to consider grazing, baling or ensiling soybeans for livestock consumption,” said Evans. “As is routine, much of the soybean crop has been sprayed with herbicides, especially Cobra, which contains lactofen and petroleum distillates. It is important that farmers be aware of what is known and what is unknown about this product before letting animals consume soybean plants to which this product has been applied.”
Lactofen is classified as a diphenyl ether (nitrophenyl ether) contact herbicide, which acts by destroying plant cell membranes. Lactofen is considered slightly toxic following ingestion and has been associated with liver disease and other abnormalities in rodents following chronic exposure to relatively high doses. Naphthalene and other compounds in Cobra can also be associated with animal illness.
“With the information currently available, and apparently without specific testing for the safety of feeding Cobra-treated soybeans to animals, the manufacturer must include information on the label pertaining to the consumption by livestock of treated crops,” said Evans. “The label states that animals should not be allowed to graze on previously treated green forage or stubble. It states that treated soybean silage (ensiled soybeans), as well as treated hay and straw, should not be fed to cattle.”
Evans emphasized that the label also clearly states that hay or straw from treated plants should not be used for animal bedding.
Farmers, livestock producers and veterinarians are encouraged to be familiar with the manufacturer’s label instructions and livestock withdrawal times, as well as the material safety data (MSDS) sheets, for Cobra and all other commonly used, commercially available herbicides. It should also be noted that some herbicides can enhance some plants’ palatability and ability to accumulate nitrate.
Producers can read about the effects of other herbicides and pesticides on crops that may eventually be used as animal feed on the MU Integrated Pest & Crop Management website at ipm.missouri.edu/IPCM/index.cfm?ID=388.

Management and Culling Strategies for Cows During Drought

With water and feed resources for cattle limited by hot, dry weather, management and selective culling is important to maintain a viable herd and maximize performance of the limited resources, says a University of Missouri Extension specialist. Weaning spring calves early is one way to reduce nutritional requirements for cows, says Patrick Davis, livestock specialist in Johnson County.
“Early-weaning calves can take place as early as 45 days of age,” he said. “Early weaning will reduce cow forage intake by 0.4 to 0.7 pounds per 100 pounds of cow body weight, which is an average savings of 7 pounds of dry matter per day.” It is important that the early-weaned calves go through a full vaccination schedule and precondition period for 45 days prior to sale, he added. “This allows the calves to get over the rigors of weaning and be healthy at sale time.”
Important things to assess at weaning time that can be used as culling factors on these spring-calving cows are age, body condition and pregnancy status. Pregnant cows should be retained. Place the others in a group considered for culling. Next, consider the cow’s body condition and age. “Younger cows that are in condition score 5 or 6 should be retained,” Davis said. Older cows in condition score 3 or 4 (which show visible signs of ribs and backbone) should be placed in a group considered for culling.
“If thinner pregnant cows are maintained in the herd, separate those from body condition score 5 and 6 cows,” he said. Thinner cows will need supplement and free-choice pasture or hay to return to condition score 6 by the next calving season. “When determining pregnancy status of the cows, you may notice that your first-calf cows are coming up not pregnant,” he said. That’s not surprising given the heat, decreased pasture resources and the continued growth of these cows.
Should you cull these cows because they are not pregnant or do you roll them over into the fall calving herd? “To make this decision you have to take into account the present resources and the cost of purchasing or developing a replacement heifer,” Davis said. If resources are available to carry this cow over to the fall-calving herd and it is cheaper than developing or purchasing a heifer to replace her, then retain her in the herd, he said. But if resources are limited or she is bred to fit into the fall calving herd and comes up open, then cull the cow.
Another culling criterion is calf performance. “The main objective of a cow-calf operation is weaning as many pounds of calf as possible. Look at pounds of calf weaned by the cow for this year and previous years.” Consider culling cows that wean fewer pounds of calf. These tips for identifying animals for culling will leave the cattle producer with cows that require minimal feed resources to maintain condition, have adequate condition to become pregnant during the subsequent breeding season and produce a high-performing calf during the next production cycle,” Davis said.
For more information, contact your local MU Extension center or go to www.extension.missouri.edu/drought.

Prepping Pastures for Next Year

A farmer’s most economical forage harvesters are livestock, says a University of Missouri Extension agronomist.

 

“They don’t need diesel and they drive themselves,” said Pat Miller, agronomy specialist in Vernon County.

 

She recommends that producers start planning now to increase their forage for next year. Low-fertility fields are more likely to have stands reduced following a drought, so Miller suggests taking a soil test once there has been enough rain to allow the soil to be probed.

 

“A good test consists of 20 to 30 6-inch cores taken from the field and mixed together,” she said. For more information, see the MU Extension guide “Soil Sampling Hayfields and Row Crops” (G9217), available for free download at www.extension.missouri.edu/G9217.

 

“Many pastures receive only nitrogen fertilizer annually and, over time, phosphate and potash levels go down,” she added.

 

Because of the effects of drought and heat on forages, stands may need to be overseeded with grasses or legumes once there is enough moisture to allow the newly seeded plants to root deeply.

 

Legumes can be “frost seeded” by mixing the seeds with a winter fertilizer application. “The freezing and thawing of the soil will work the legume seed into the ground,” she said.

 

Another way to plant the grass and legume seed is to drill the seed next spring. Many soil and water conservation districts have drills available for rent.

 

If brushy weeds have taken over the field and herbicide use is warranted, you may need to delay seeding for several years.

 

“Be sure to check herbicide labels for planting restrictions,” Miller said. “Some may restrict legume planting for over a year or until a field bioassay is done.” Bioassays involve taking some of the treated soil and planting seeds in it to see how they grow.

 

Rotational grazing will stretch short forage supplies. Using fences to divide pastures into smaller paddocks will increase utilization of forage supplies by reducing forage waste due to trampling and selective grazing.

 

“If allowed to pick and choose, livestock will keep going back to the new regrowth and avoid areas with mature growth,” she said. Rotational grazing will also help distribute manure more evenly across the pastures, reducing fertilizer needs.

Emergency Water Aid for Livestock Producers

In the face of a historic drought, Gov. Jay Nixon has established an emergency cost-share program that has approved more than 5,000 contracts to aid livestock producers and farmers in accessing water.
The program, established by Gov. Nixon on July 23, covers 90 percent of the cost of digging a new well, deepening an existing well, or other practices to provide emergency access to water for producers and farmers. To be eligible, projects must provide immediate and significant relief to producers and farmers who are suffering from drought. The program will provide up to $20,000 for any individual project.
As of this morning the program has approved more than 5,000 contracts for emergency projects, at an average cost of $4,800 per livestock project.
“Gov. Nixon heard the needs of Missouri livestock producers and he took quick action to help us out at this critical time,” said Lonny Duckworth, president of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association. “Our industry is a vital component of Missouri agriculture, which is the backbone of our state economy. Gov. Nixon's emergency cost-share program is making a real and immediate difference for thousands of producers across our state. We thank the governor for listening Missouri’s cattlemen and helping keep our industry moving forward.”

Annual cereal grains make fall forage to replace drought-stricken pastures

Beef herd owners short on pastures for their cows can provide fall grazing by planting cereal grains, says a University of Missouri plant scientist.

 

“Drought has dried up pastures and I’m getting a lot of calls about what to do,” says Rob Kallenbach, MU Extension forage specialist.

 

“Cereal oats, rye or wheat can supply needed pasture this fall if the seed is planted and rains return,” Kallenbach says. “If it doesn’t rain, we won’t have any fall pasture. Nothing grows in the middle of drought.”

 

Not many people plant oats, Kallenbach admits. But oats make a lot of sense for this fall. They can make heavy fall growth—up to two tons of forage per acre before frost.

 

“The thing about oats is they will not make it through the winter. That can be good or bad. For crop farmers, oats fit into a crop rotation,” Kallenbach says. Oats can be seeded into harvested soybean fields or corn fields cut for silage. The big advantage is they will be gone in time to plant a spring crop. They won’t become a weed to be controlled.

 

An advantage of planting an annual cereal grass this fall will be that any forage will be worth a lot of money, Kallenbach says. Hay will be high-priced after a drought year.

 

Fall grazing can reduce winter feed costs for cow-herd owners.

 

A second grazing option is cereal rye, which provides both fall grazing and another month of grazing next spring. Rye can provide livestock feed before traditional perennial pasture grasses green up next spring.

 

Rye won’t make as much fall grazing as quickly as oats, Kallenbach says. It can provide about 1.5 tons per acre, however.

 

“That can help reduce winter feed bills,” Kallenbach says. “The downside for crop farmers is that rye must be killed before corn or soybeans can be planted next spring.

 

“The most widely used cereal for winter grazing is wheat. Lots of cattle are grazed on winter wheat, especially in Kansas.”

 

An advantage of wheat is that it can be grazed in both fall and spring, but still make a grain crop. However, cattle must be pulled off wheat fields before the crop begins to joint. That is when the cereal grass prepares to make seed heads.

 

Managed right, wheat can provide tons of forage and a full grain crop. Wheat fits into a rotation of grazing, wheat-grain harvest and a late-planted soybean crop.

 

That means cattle must have other pastures to go to by mid-March.

 

Few people pull cattle off rye to allow it to make grain. Unlike wheat, there is not much market for rye grain, Kallenbach says.  

 

The drought provides renewed interest in oats. We don’t have any recommended varieties of oats, Kallenbach says. Seed dealers can clean and sell feed oats for planting.

 

Cereal grains for forage fit easiest on crop ground. While cereals can be drilled into dead or dormant pastures, some cautions are in order, Kallenbach says.

 

Cereal forage will work in about any pasture grass or legume, except old stands of tall fescue.

 

Fescue, in particular Kentucky 31 infected with endophyte fungus, may appear dead, but most likely it is not. Annual grass seed planted into a fescue pasture will likely be overwhelmed by rapid regrowth of fescue once rain returns. Cereal seed won’t germinate until it rains. That rain will give fescue a jump-start.

 

“An endophyte-infected fescue pasture has probably been there for 40 years, through several bad droughts,” Kallenbach says. “Fescue survives. You can hardly kill it. The annual grasses can’t compete.”

 

However, fescue can be sprayed with an herbicide and then replaced with an annual grass. But that is a yearlong process called spray-smother-spray used to seed new, nontoxic fescue varieties.

 

“That is a whole different story,” the forage specialist says.

Small Grains for Livestock Forage

Small grains can be seeded the last week of August to provide additional forage for livestock producers. Small grains include winter wheat, winter rye and triticale. Spring oats can be planted in the fall but will winter-kill but will also produce good forage.
The key issue is moisture to get plants emerged and then to grow. Choose the soil resource you have on your farm which would be the best opportunity for growth. Soils which have good top-soil hold more water than eroded hillsides.
Winter wheat has the most flexibility. It is a crop that is suited to dry conditions. When planting, wheat and all small grains should have a firm seedbed for proper seed to soil contact. I would use 2 to 3 bushel per acre as we need a lot of fall growth. In the spring, you have the option to utilize for forage or grain production as a risk tool.
Winter rye produces the most forage. It has more growth in the fall and earlier growth in the spring. However, it is a forage source and with limited grain use.
Triticale is a cross between wheat and rye. It is used around the area by dairy farmers. It is a good source of forage and but limited grain use.
Small grains can be used for grazing, hay or silage. After emergence, nitrogen fertilizer should be added to stimulate growth. Normally, we would recommend nitrogen fertilizer at planting but adjust based on soil moisture.
Small grains can be interseeded into drought stricken pastures. If pastures have been heavily grazed and soils which have potential to hold moisture, this is another option to add fall grazing. The risk is that the pasture sod has removed all water from the soil so this is risky. Graze existing grasses short to reduce competition from pasture grasses if growing.
Growers who have harvested corn silage can benefit from planting small grains into remaining stubble. Herbicides that have the highest risk potential to wheat injury include those which target grassy weeds and those which have long rotational guidelines which indicate long residual herbicides.
For more information, contact Wayne Flanary at 660-446-3724 or Heather Benedict at 660-425-6434, Regional Agronomists, University of Missouri Extension.

Expect 8 Percent Food Price Increase in 2013 Due to Drought’s Impact on Livestock

The livestock industry is taking a direct hit by this summer’s drought, and that will impact consumers’ wallets next year, says a University of Missouri agricultural economist.

 

“I expect to see food inflation, but it will take time,” said Scott Brown, research assistant professor in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR). “The short term effects will be fairly muted for the remainder of 2012, but we’re going to see food price increases in 2013 and maybe into 2014 because of this drought.”

 

Brown expects to see an 8 percent rise in meat, dairy and poultry prices next year.

 

The problem is that the drought has dramatically reduced the feedstuffs that animal agriculture needs to raise cattle, swine and poultry. Corn yields, Brown said, will probably suffer a 10 percent or more decrease compared to last year. This has caused corn futures to jump to $8 per bushel in late July from $5.50 per bushel at the beginning of June. 

 

Soybean meal and hay prices, also staples as animal feed, have also reached extremely high levels. “It is sobering to realize that 2013 feed expenses very well could be three times higher than the 1990-2004 average, and 70 percent above the 2007-2010 average,” Brown pointed out.

 

The livestock industry will experience a lot of short-term pain as it tries to adjust, Brown commented. Some producers will have to exit the industry, he said. Producers are already culling and slaughtering their existing animal inventories to a level they can afford to feed.

 

To offset the rising feed prices, some producers are now using pasture hay that is usually banked to feed cattle during the winter months. 

 

“This creates an added uncertainty for the cattle industry in the hardest hit areas,” Brown said. “Fall rains will be essential if any additional pasture growth is to occur. If available forage supplies are difficult to source or unavailable entirely, I expect to see herd liquidation.”

 

This shrinking livestock supply will mean less meat in grocery refrigerators in 2013. “That’s certainly going to raise prices,” he said.

 

Brown said that the pork and chicken industries will fare worse because there are not many substitutes for their rations of corn and soybeans. 

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in August added nearly 220 counties in a dozen drought-stricken states to the government's list of natural disaster areas. Counties in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming were included in the announcement. The USDA uses the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor to help decide which counties to deem disaster areas, which makes farmers and ranchers eligible for federal aid, including low-interest emergency loans.

 

Nearly half of the nation's corn crop was rated poor to very poor, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. About 37 percent of the U.S. soybean crop also rated in that category, while nearly three-quarters of U.S. cattle acreage is in drought-affected areas, the survey showed.

 

The impact on producers and consumers will become worse if the drought continues into 2013, Brown said. “I don’t know what to think about what will happen then to the domestic livestock industries,” he said. 

 

Brown is a member of a team at MU that is launching a new program to help increase the value of high-quality cattle and provide producers with economic feedback about their cattle. This long-term opportunity will be essential to help the cattle industry recover despite the lack of options many cattle producers have today given the current drought. For more information go to www.quality-beef.com.

MoDOT allows heavier loads on state highways to help farmers

Farmers will be allowed emergency permits to transport heavier-than-usual loads of agricultural supplies in an effort by the Missouri Department of Transportation to keep livestock feed supplies from running low after the blizzard.

The permits legalize loads that are 10 percent heavier than normal, the department said in a news release. They're free and are set to expire at noon Sunday (Feb. 6).

But they might not be what farmers need, said Albert Kennett, an MU Extension livestock specialist. He said the biggest problem is not that feed supplies are running low, but farmers are struggling to clear paths through the snow to get the supplies they do have to their animals.

"The feeding is just really horrible. Just as difficult as it has been to get our cars out, it is that difficult to get feed to livestock," says Kennett.

Sandra Rankin from Rankin Farms said her farm is lucky to have equipment to clear enough snow to get to the cattle. But it's hard to get water to their animals because ponds have frozen over, she said.

"That's just the best you can do is see that they have feed and water. In this type of weather, it's an all-day job and sometimes part of the night," Rankin said.

The executive vice president of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association, Jeff Windett, said a herd of cattle can withstand the cold temperatures, but problems are linked instead to the moisture they will have to endure. Windett said the presence of moisture requires farmers to provide significantly more feed for the cattle in their pastures, and the drifts created by the high winds obstruct the paths farmers need to get to their herds.