Ag News and Views: July 1998

July, 1998 Table of Contents News & Views Archive Issues

Economics
Calves and Corn: Decisions, Decisions by Jeff Landgraf
The price of corn should affect the price of cattle. Assuming all other variables remain constant, we expect an inverse relationship, meaning that lower corn prices should cause higher feeder cattle prices.

Forage
Fertility Management of Bermudagrass by Rod Reed
Well-fertilized bermudagrass can provide more grazing than most other warmseason grasses. However, bermudagrass is not as productive or persistent under low fertility as other grasses.

From the Director
New Feature Coming by Jim Schaffer
We've expanded the newsletter to add additional pages, we should have space to print letters or excerpts of letters from our readers.

Horticulture
Summer of 1980 Revisited by Steve Upson
If you lived in these parts during 1980, no doubt the summer left quite an impression on your mind. Every living thing suffered through one of the hottest summers on record. Could such an extreme summer happen in 1998?

Livestock
Milk...It's What's for Dinner by Clay Wright
A calf will always prefer its mother's milk first and will consume all she produces each day. Creep feeding won't help the cow, but it still can be an option for some producers.

Plant of the Month
Illinois Bundleflower by Russell Stevens

Research
DROUGHT: Regular Occurrence in our Business by Hugh Aljoe & Chuck Coffey
Hindsight is always "20/20," but droughts should be considered normal in our business. They will occur either regionally or locally, and they cannot be avoided. Therefore, it is essential for you to make plans well in advance of their occurrence.

Research
The Hydrologic (Water) Cycle by Russell Stevens
Those with a basic understanding of the water cycle and how it functions should be a step ahead during the current drought. However, "Mother Nature" is complex and often leaves those with the best of knowledge scrambling.

Soils
Fertilization of Tall Fescue by Scott Landgraf
Fertilization of established fescue offers an opportunity for cattle producers to generate inexpensive cool season forage.

Wildlife
Cover Often Limits Bobwhite Numbers by Mike Porter
Management of native bobwhite populations is very challenging, often frustrating. The frustration occurs because quail managers often do not adequately identify and change the real factors that limit bobwhite abundance. Some aspect of cover, either too little or too much, often limits quail abundance.