October, 2008 Table of Contents News & Views Archive Issues

Economics
Cost of Production by Steve Swigert
Between the autumns of 2006 and 2008, we have seen some real volatility in the cattle and grain markets. This condition has forced producers to reevaluate how they go about doing business. We have seen prices for corn double, and fertilizer and fuel triple.

Livestock
Good Hay - A Good Deal This Winter by Deke Alkire
High feed prices have many cattlemen concerned about what to feed this winter. Many think that hay is overpriced and all supplements are too expensive to feed. If this is your situation, now is the time to develop a least-cost winter feeding program.

Pasture and Range
What To Do With Extra Grass by Chuck Coffey
With the much appreciated rains we received in August, available forage for grazing in the fall of 2008 is more abundant than we expected. And it couldn't have come at a better time.

Plant Biology
Beneficial Microbes for Agriculture by Marilyn J. Roossinck
Microbes include fungi, bacteria and viruses. Farmers and ranchers often think of microbes as pests that are destructive to their crops or animals, but many microbes are beneficial.

Research
Small Grain Nitrogen Management Options by Jagadeesh Mosali
Despite high grain prices, nitrogen management has become more challenging in small grain production because of continued increases in fertilizer prices. Both grain and forage yield potential are reduced without adequate fertilizer nitrogen.

Soils
Drilling Mud - Application to Pasture and Farmland by David Annis
Lately it seems that those of us in the soils and crops discipline have received more questions about land application of drilling mud or "mud farming."

Wildlife
Fall and Winter Duck Foods in South Central U.S. by Mike Porter
An understanding of duck food preferences is important when managing impoundments and wetlands to attract migratory ducks. Dabbling ducks and wood ducks are the focus of most duck hunters and duck habitat managers in southern Oklahoma and northern Texas.