Minimize Cattle Feeding percent reduction in performance
Losses • Failure to provide clean, fresh
The market for fed cattle has water can result in performance
plunged SIS/cwt. lower than losses of S-10 percent,
prices received a year ago, but • Failure to properly manage
every cattle feeder probably your feed bunks will reduce con
knows this fact. Cattlemen also sumption and performance,
know the market prices do fluctu- Minimize your losses by maxi
ate, requiring management skills mizing on good management
that are effective for both maxi- efforts. HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
mizing profits and minimizing Hot Weater Tips —About 90 percent of the conser
losses. vor Raising Hogs vation plans on Pennsylvania’s
As a cattle feeder, you do have Summer is just around the cor- most cropland „<.
some control over management ner and the temperatures are carricd out on schedule,
factors which can influence costs, already climbing into the 90 s, according to results of the 1993
Failure to follow recommended during this time of your hogs status review conducted by the
practices can result in feedlot per- reach the "upper critical tempera- Soi i Conservation Service (SCS).
formance being lowered and profit lore, increasing the risk of heat. Conservation practices to protect
losses greater than necessary. stress, and even death. However, these fragile soils have been fully
• Failure to control internal many steps can be taken to make applied for nearly half these plans,
parasites can result in 5-15 percent y our hogs more comfortable dur- “Most fanners have made great
poorer feed efficiency and a 5-15 *®B the hot weather season. efforts to reduce soil erosion,”
percent decrease in rate of gain. Providing a water based cooling sa ,d Richard Duncan, State Con
• Failure to control lice and system is a good way to keep hogs servationist for SCS in Pennsylva
mange may cause a 10-15 percent comfortable during the hot sum- "scs field personnel, state
reduction in gain and 5-10 percent mer months. Drippers, misters, conservation agencies and conser
reduction in feed efficiency. sprayers, and evaporative pads arc vation districts have worked hard
• Failure to use growth promot- some of the water-based cooling to help these farmers. I encourage
ants and feed additives may cost available. If you use drip- them to continue to carry out their
you 10-12 percent lower daily pers, mister nozzles or sprinklers plans on schedule and meet the
gains and 12-15 percent poorer make sure the water outlet is not required deadline.”
feed efficiency. clogged. The conservation plans were
• Failure to feed adequate pro- Make sure the bam is well ven- developed on highly erodible
tein can result in a staggering 20 tilated to remove heat during the cropland as a result of a conserva
' 9?iaaanaM T>»aQ(i[nana 9?naQ«na«a 97ma«nam JPwa—mi ti on provision in the Food Securi
■ ty Act of 1985, which linked soil
g conservation to farm program
I'll B benefits for the first time. Under
lUI P the law, producers must carry out
practices in their plans by Decern-
W>m MiEU
LOOP STALLS
All Loop Stalls Are Coated With Baked
On Top Grade Polyester TGIC Powder
Coating After Fabrication
Super Tough Finish
Protection From Rust &
Corrosion
Superior Electrical Insulation
, I
I Loop Stalls Are Constructed Of: I
S ’2 3/8” Outside Diameter High Yield Steel Tubing B
g With Al 2 Gal. (.108) Wall £
| • Spray Arc Transfer Method Used On Welds |f|
I PAUL B. ZIMMERMAN, INC. |
JCall or Writ* For Hour* 295 WOOdCOmer Rd.
Additional Inlormalion Mon. Thru Frl. LltltZ, PA 17543*9165 I
And Your 7 to 5 1 Mild West Of EphratS B
Livestock
Ledger
By
Chester D. Hughes
Extension Livestock Specialist
• Chip Resistant
• Resists Acid & Chemicals
• Smoother Finish Stays Cleaner
summer, and provide adequate
space for your hogs. A minimum
of 8-9 square feet for each hog
weighing 160-220 pounds is
required.
Adjust your feeding program
for finishing hogs during the hot
weather. Heat-stressed pigs eat
less which slows down their
growth rate. A hog weighing more
than 200 pounds can reduce its
daily feed intake to nearly zero
when temperatures exceed 90°F.
Adjust amino acids, the most lim
iting nutritient for growing hots.
Increase the lysine by 10 to IS
percent which should help market
hogs maintain performance and
Conservation Farmers On
Needed immediately:
new housing for
■ Breeder Contracts ■ Broiler Contracts
■ Layer Contracts ■ Turkey Contracts
■ Pallet Contracts
5 Contracts Available For
_ m __ • Tom A Hen Turkeys
7,200-15,000 Birds
Two So'x62o' Tom Turkey Houses
agri
systems
Northeast!
sustain their full growing poten
tial. Also, add energy-dense fat to
their diet, which will help main
tain the hogs calorie intake. Fat
also reduces body temperatures.
Make sure hogs always have
easy access to unclogged waterers
—Contributed by Jeff Bollinger,
extension livestock summer
assistant.
Selecting The Right Ram
When choosing a ram for your
purebred or commercial flock,
many points should be remember
ed.
• Select a ram from a flock free
of diseases.
• Choose a ram which is a twin
ber 31 to stay eligible for most
U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) farm program benefits.
Duncan said SCS is progressing
well in carrying out “the most
intensive federal soil conservation
effort ever undertaken on private
lands in Pennsylvania”.
The 1993 status review pro
vides a statistically reliable
sample on conservation plans on
highly erodible cropland. SCS
personnel conducted on-site
reviews on 1,491 plans covering
84,007 acres.
These reviews indicate plans
are on schedule on about 90 per
cent of the cultivated cropland
covered. These estimates show
that erosion on our most highly
erodible lands will be reduced by
about 60 percent, going from an
estimated state average of 7.9 tons
per acre in 1985 to 3.0 tons per
acre annually when plans are fully
implemented by the December 31
deadline.
Significant benefits from this
soil erosion reduction include less
erosion damage to the nation’s
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For information on new contract* being
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or triplet which may produce more
multiple births in his lamb crop.
• Select a quick growing, struc
turally correct ram.
• If possible, examine the ram’s
dam and sire to assure you that the
ram has the qualities you are look
ing for.
• Select a ram containing two
properly developed testicles in the
scrotum.
• When you have chosen your
ram, isolate him for 30 days away
from the rest of the flock.
Contributed by Jeff Bollinger,
extension livestock summer
assistant.
Schedule
water and air quality, wildlife
habitat enhancement and the pro
tection of the long-term productiv
ity of the nation’s most vulnerable
cropland.
“Producers have accepted the
challenge to change the way they
operate in order to protect the
environment,” Duncan said. “The
public has shown that it wants
good stewardship.”
A small percentage of plans are
not on schedule because they were
granted variances, or one-year
extensions. The extensions are
granted when producers have
made the best effort possible to
keep on schedule but could not
due to uncontrollable circum
stances, such as hardship or
weather, or factors which had
minimal impact on accomplishing
the erosion reduction goals.
SCS does the annual status
review to monitor conservation
plan implementation. The agency
also conducts annual quality
reviews to ensure status reviews
are accurate, adequately docu
mented and completed in a timely
manner.