Ozarks Farm & Neighbor Newspaper – written for, by & about farmers

Should you sprig bermudagrass? It depends on the variety.

“Artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) techniques have been the key to genetic improvement leading to increased performance, calving ease, growth rate, carcass quality and every trait we measure,” Dan Moser with the American Angus Association said. Jack Ward with the American Hereford Association (AHA) agrees and added, “In the seedstock industry, AI and ET has exponentially changed genetic trends in a favorable direction and allowed for much greater progress.”

Placing two or more bulls in the same breeding pasture creates both efficiencies and problems. Dr. Robert Wells, a consultant with the Samuel R. Noble Foundation in Ardmore, Okla., said the practice is common, especially for larger herds in a commercial situation. “It’s easier to manage your operation when you’ve got less breeding units and more animals in the same pasture,” Wells told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor.

All signs point to the U.S. cattle herd being in a rebuilding mode for the first time in a long while. The Jan. 1, USDA Cattle Inventory Report showed a 4 percent increase in beef replacement heifers – which doesn’t mean those animals won’t eventually be sent to market anyway – but it also showed an unexpected 1 percent rise in the 2014 calf crop over 2013. Other data, like a lower percentage of heifers in the feedlot herd and fewer cows in final 2014 slaughter totals, also suggest the breeding herd is finally on the rise.

Sometimes the Tax Court can yield a surprising decision. In this case, the judge was sympathetic to a taxpayer who conducted a horse activity with no profits, but whose testimony was honest and sincere as to her efforts to make a profit despite the difficulties.

If you read this column regularly, you know that there are a couple of things I mention a lot: good planning is crucial, and it’s important to schedule financial checkups in the same way you schedule physical ones. With that being said, how’s your vision?