Farm Help

There are many appropriate rations for a single dairy. “Animals at different life stages and different levels of production require a different balance of nutrients, and usually, the more specific you can get (i.e. the more groups you have) the better, within reason of course,” said Andy Fidler, instructor in the department of animal science at the University of Arkansas. “Having more groups is not necessarily advantageous with a small herd size though.”

Water is an essential part of cattle production and pasture management. Under the recent drought conditions, the game of getting your cattle to water was completely changed. No longer could cattle simply be moved between pastures and paddocks where various sources of water were, because ponds had dried up, and streams were low, often at levels never seen before.

According to Dr. Rob Kallenbach, as damaging as the drought of 2012 was, it also represents an opportunity.

Jodi Pennington, Ph.D. Region Small Ruminant Educator, Lincoln University, Newton County Extension Center, Neosho, Mo., shared his thoughts regarding limited vs. intensive grazing systems for goats with Ozarks Farm & Neighbor.

"In my opinion, nothing beats happy, comfortable cows that are well fed and cared for,” said Sean Cornelius, owner of 4C Dairy Consulting. “Special attention to getting cows bred in a timely manner, offering ample feed that is properly balanced and making sure the cow has plenty of room to get to that feed, and then lie down in a clean comfortable place are very important.”

A good fertilization program is necessary to produce high yields of quality forage and to maintain healthy stands of grasses and legumes. Coming out of winter, many producers want to give their pastures a boost, but what is the optimal time or most economical way to do that?

"Whether you lamb in a very extensive or intensive system, be prepared for the worst and hope for the best,” said Whitney Whitworth, Associate Professor of Animal Science for the University of Arkansas at Monticello. “We all know babies arrive in their own time.”

An energy audit determines current energy usage, which becomes your baseline, and includes recommended changes or actions to reduce energy use and costs,” said Yi Liang, assistant professor in the biological and agricultural engineering department at the University of Arkansas.

According to Scott Stiles, extension economist at the University of Arkansas, “Virtually everything you do on a farm can be converted into data. When you don’t fully measure and record this data, that valuable information is lost forever.”

According to Jodie Pennington, region small ruminant educator with Lincoln University Cooperative Extension at the Newton County Extension Center, the best advice for lambing is to be prepared.