Farm Help

While driving through the pasture, you notice that one of your older cows is laying down and is having difficulty getting up. Another nearby has noticeable muscle twitches. Your first thought may be milk fever. However, this time of year there is a distinct possibility the problem may be grass tetany. Gary Naylor, Livestock Specialist with the University of Missouri Extension in Dallas County said the symptoms are very similar.

According to Tom Cook, there are a lot of reasons forthe Food and Drug Administration to rescind its enhanced livestock feed rule; he’s just not sure it’s going to happen.

Everyone who has ever seen “Old Yeller” gets a little teary when they have to put the faithful dog down.  Everyone roots for Wilbur to win at the fair in E.B. White’s classic, “Charlotte’s Web.” Animals are all around us, in our favorite books, movies and our day-to-day lives. The lives of animals are intertwined with our own, from the family dog to the family herd of cattle. Farmers have long known best that animals that have been handled with good husbandry practices are the best producers and the least trouble.

It was four years ago in Siloam Springs, Ark., that about 200 farm families gathered for the first meeting of Poultry Partners. The organization mission statement was very simple:  We are a grassroots coalition of family farmers whose mission is to band together to ensure survival of the family farm and our rural communities.

We all know the challenges poultry litter presents. After the grower, or some company, comes and cleans it out of the houses, everything after that is under strict regulation. Whether you’re applying it to your own land, shipping it to Oklahoma or storing it on your farm for future use, you need to know what the regulations are, all while remembering our urban neighbors and keeping up a positive image.

Farmers and ranchers have products to sell, but selling “off the farm” or at a farmers’ market takes a different mindset than just hauling the livestock to the sale barn. No longer are producers just working hard to produce a product – marketing and retail sales of your product must also be considered.

Your bull has a big impact on the profitability of your herd. That one animal affects 50 percent of your next generation's genetics. His ability to cover your cows has a direct impact on your bottom line. A ten percent reduction in ´his vitality could mean ten percent fewer calves to sell next year. Now that's an economic downturn.
Bill Doig, Regional Livestock Specialist with the MU Extension office in Howell County recommended a bull soundness exam as a way to bail-out your breeding season and avoid these problems. Because of the many things that can impact his performance, Doig recommended that each bull expected to cover a herd of cows be tested prior to each breeding season. A thorough exam of your bull can expose conditions that could reduce his productivity.

While driving through the pasture, you notice that one of your older cows is laying down and is having difficulty getting up. Another nearby has noticeable muscle twitches. Your first thought may be milk fever. However, this time of year there is a distinct possibility the problem may be grass tetany. Gary Naylor, Livestock Specialist with the Missouri Extension in Dallas County said the symptoms are very similar.

When does a cow have the most nutritional needs? Before she calves, and after. That’s according to Bill Doig, regional livestock specialist at the University of Missouri Extension office in West Plains.

In recent history, hoof care has been one of the most neglected horse management practices within the equine industry.