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

"A happy goat has its tail up,” Donna Allen of Rose Hill Farm east of Lebanon, Mo., shared on a recent walk through her pasture, which includes 18 registered Boer goats. Donna and her husband, Cecil, a former truck driver have Allen & Allen Limousins, and for the past six years, have also raised Boer goats, the meat goat breed originally developed in South Africa.

In 50 years as an Angus breeder, Kenneth Elbert has found that the middle of the road isn’t all that bad a place to be.

Now’s the time for cattle producers to prevent winged pests from taking a bite out of profits. According to University of Missouri Extension regional livestock specialist Bill Doig, if you want to minimize fly problems in the heat of summer, it’s important to get control of them early. “Right now is definitely the peak time,” he said. “As we’re seeing all these weather systems come in, the flies are hatching and starting to take an effect on the animals.” 

In the early 1800's, as Henry Schoolcraft explored the Ozarks, he wrote frequently of the abundant stands of thick grassees, such as big bluestem, Indian grass, switchgrass and Eastern gamma grass. He was amazed that often these grasses grew so tall and thick that they would hide a man on horseback. However, as the area was settled more heavily, overgrazing, crop rotations and competition from non-native vegetation nearly wiped out these native grasses.

We all know dairy farmers are struggling to make a profit these days. Federal and state governments and dairy producer associations are scrambling to find ways to keep dairy farmers in business, but right now, nobody sees a quick turnaround.

One of the most common diseases among cattle during the summer months is pinkeye or ‘bovine infectious keratitis’. Many producers battle this disease every year even when preventative measures are taken. Thankfully, mortality with this disease is generally low or absent, however, morbidity may be as high as 80 percent. Economic losses are generally realized in treatment costs, reduced gains/milk production and reduced sale prices for animals with blindness or chronic lesions of the eye.