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

As a boy, Darrell W. Hamlet was nicknamed "Tuff" by his uncle. The name stuck, and through the past 80 or so years, he's lived up to that name. Tuff owns 500 acres near Louisburg, Mo. He grew up working on his dad's dairy farm just west of Louisburg. "My dad made a living milkin' cows by hand," said Tuff, who spent much of his time as a youngster milking cows. He worked on a farm all throughout high school and joined the U.S. Army shortly thereafter. "They sent me to Germany for two years during the Vietnam War. I don't know why I didn't go to Vietnam but I still really enjoyed my time in the army," Tuff added.

Simply watching Jackie Moore work is a strenuous task, yet he appears to have an infinite amount of energy when it comes to cattle marketing. Jackie works hard to make himself available; he reports market information on the radio, writes newspaper columns and spends hours a day talking to individuals about cattle. However, he is remarkably eager to start in all over again the next day in his efforts to make Joplin Regional Stockyards the best place for producers to bring their cattle.

roducers need to plan way ahead of the time period when they will start weaning, while also paying attention to their calves throughout the production system,” said Max Irsik, Extension veterinarian at the University of Florida. Watching indicators like the cow condition, range quality and general calf health can help producers decide on the best time to wean.

Urinary calculi is a common metabolic disease among male sheep and goats. According to sheep and goat specialist Susan Schoenian, the disease occurs when calculi, which are small stones, become lodged in the urinary tract. The most common type of calculi according to Dr. Richard V. Machen, Associate Professor and Extension Livestock Specialist from Texas, is struvite. Struvite stones generally contain calcium, magnesium and ammonium phosphate. There are several causes and risk factors for developing urinary calculi.

In the old days, horse thieves and cattle rustlers, if caught (and in most movies they were), were often taken care of in a way that would not be politically correct anymore.

Stress induced meat quality problems such as dark cutters cause large monetary losses to the livestock industry. The National Beef Quality Audit estimates that dark cutters cost the beef industry $5 for every fed animal slaughtered. Dark cutting beef is darker and drier than normal and has a shorter shelf life. Good quality beef has a final pH value close to 5.5. At pH values of 5.8 and above, both the tenderness and keeping quality of the fresh chilled meat is adversely affected. High pH meat is unsuitable for the premium trade in vacuum-packed fresh meats, and, depending in the commercial use of the product, dark-cutting meat may be discounted by 10 percent or more. High meat pH is caused by an abnormally low concentration of lactic acid. Post mortem production of lactic acid requires an adequate content of glycogen in the muscles at slaughter. Ante mortem glycogen breakdown is triggered by increased adrenaline release in stressful situations, or by strenuous muscle activity.