Ag News and Views: August 2003
'First Things First' When Purchasing Stocker Calves this Fall
I want to stress the importance of calculating a breakeven because this practice is far too often overlooked. What this article does pertain to is a very important component of assessing margin, especially for stocker cattle producers.
Management Guidelines Can Help Improve Pasture Condition, Optimize Forage Utilization
General management strategies for maintaining or improving the condition of your pastures while optimizing forage utilization by livestock.
Nitrogen Timing for Winter Pasture - Does it Matter?
Timing of nitrogen application will obviously be different if you run only spring stockers versus in both the fall and the spring. How much difference does it make? To answer that, I'd like to share some data from our Red River Research Farm at Burneyville, Okla.
Pilot Program Offers Price Insurance for Feeder Cattle
The USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced a pilot program that will extend insurance protection to cow-calf and stocker cattle producers in Texas and Oklahoma.
Tips May Help Cut Down on Water Gap Labor
We have devised some pretty good ideas for cutting down on water gap labor. Granted, there are always going to be those areas that will wash out no matter what you do - but maybe some of these ideas will help you cut down on time spent repairing them.
Understanding Scientific Method Allows for Better Interpretation of Research Results
Be leery of results from any "experiment" where there is no replication of treatments and/or the number of observations is very small. Consider carefully the study conditions from which the results were obtained.
Update: Infrared-Triggered Camera Surveys
In last year's August and December issues of Ag News and Views, I addressed some of the assumptions associated with infrared-triggered camera surveys. With another year of data collection under our belt, I thought I would update you on the findings.