Land and Livestock Post

December 2018 – Issue I

IT’S IN THE GENES DNA technology for the herd PAGE 12

FARMING FOR VETS

Project seeks to recruit more vets to agriculture.

PAGE 8

WEATHER FORECAST Looking at climate impact on production.

PAGE 10

TICKING BOMBS

Clinic spotlights ticks on livestock.

PAGE 16

CHICKEN BIG

A&M Poultry Judging Team wins national contest.

PAGE 19

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December 2018 — Issue I

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The Land & Livestock Post

News From the General Manager There are few options to salvage

I

never had a personal problem with mesquite trees. Up until recently, I was indifferent toward the species. In fact I felt sorry for them sometimes because they are not very good trees to begin with. They grow all crooked, don’t provide much shade, and their only redeeming quality is the flavor they can add to smoked meats when burned.

It’s a pretty bleak life, I thought, and add to that you have ranchers and landowners al- JESSE WRIGHT ways cussing them and dousing them in diesel fuel.

I was hunting recently, and as I stealthily was making my way through the brush, I heard a loud scream followed by a string of curse words. Turns out that scream came from my own mouth, due to a piercing pain in my foot. Confident that I had cleared the area of any wildlife, I set down my gun and inspected the source of the pain. It was a mesquite thorn, about four inches long, that went through my boot and into the center of my foot. I pulled it out, and luckily it looked like the thorn was still intact. I ventured on, limping a little, but I figured I would be fine.

I woke up the next morning, climbed out of bed and realized that the pain had increased tenfold overnight. I hobbled around all day, assuming it would get better. It didn’t. By day two, I had pretty much given up on being bipedal anymore, and tried to stay positive by imagining the money I would save by only having to buy one shoe at a time.

Someone recommended I soak my foot in salt water, so I started doing that, and gradually my injury healed and I made

a full recovery. But, every time I stuck my foot in that scalding water, I had one thought: All mesquite trees must die. I would say I vowed not to rest until I’ve cleared the land of every last one — but I’ve seen that battle and I like to rest. However, I do join the ranks of those who cuss their kind and long to douse them in diesel.

While we may be a long way off when it comes to eliminating mesquite, the future is here now when it comes to DNA testing.

Technology has advanced to the point where DNA information for your cattle easily is accessible, and it can be a useful tool to developing your herd. In our cover story we take a look at this practice, and see the benefits and methods that can help get the traits you want in your herd.

We also have news from around the ag industry as well as information about upcoming sales and events. Hope you enjoy it and, as always, thanks for reading. ’Til next time,

late-season hay in wet weather

By AdAm Russell Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

OVERTON — Warm-season grasses are plentiful in hay-producing areas, but the rain that helped improve growing conditions following an extended period of drought is hurting their chances for more round bales, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.

Vanessa Corriher-Olson, AgriLife Extension forage specialist in Overton, said late-season rains created good growing conditions for warm-season grasses over the past 60 days following months of drought that left hay supplies low around the state.

She said while grasses might

be abundant in pastures and hay meadows, producers are having difficulty harvesting between rains.

Corriher-Olson said many producers are counting on a final

Special to The Post

cutting, but weather conditions have been against them as the first freezing temperatures rapidly approached.

Producers ideally would make

See HAY, Page 23

z For more information about content or advertising, contact Jesse Wright at jesse.wright@theeagle.com.

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December 2018 — Issue I

3

News

41st Annual

Chute-side vaccine cooler a Cattleman useful tool for cattle producers Bull & Female

Sale

By DonalD StottS Oklahoma State University

A few simple steps can help cattle producers become more effective in battling respiratory disease in their herd, get full value of any vaccine they purchase and possibly increase their operational profit in the process.

Studies show respiratory disease in cattle — also known as BRD, shipping fever or pneumonia — may cost the U.S. cattle industry more than $2 billion annually. Management techniques can offset much of this cost and having a good vaccination program can maintain the health of a calf all the way through the production system.

“A vaccine can cost more than $3 per head, and if not stored properly, the vaccine can be rendered ineffective,” said Bob LeValley, Oklahoma Beef Quality Assurance coordinator with Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.

Biological products should be stored under refrigeration at 35 degrees to 45 degrees Fahrenheit unless the nature of the product makes storing at a different temperature advisable. If vaccines are not stored within this temperature range, efficacy to the calf will be reduced.

“Killed vaccines are especially susceptible to freezing temperatures,” LeValley said. “Freezing a killed vaccine will alter its delivery system. In turn, this negatively affects the immune response to the antigen in the vaccine.”

A 2013 study shows modified live viruses — often referred to as MLV — are more stable but can be inactivated if they are cycled repeatedly above or below the required temperature range. Also, once activated by mixing, MLV’s effective life will be reduced to a few hours and needs to be maintained at the 35 degree to 45 de-

4

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Photo by Todd Johnson, OSU Agricultural Communications Services Coolers can be easily modified for syringes and are important in maintaining vaccine efficiency when chute-side working cattle. gree Fahrenheit range.

“This can be accomplished by only mixing the doses a producer will use at the time and using a cooler to maintain the proper temperature range while working cattle,” LeValley said.

Researchers from the University of Arkansas and the University of Idaho analyzed the consistency of temperatures for different types, ages and locations of refrigerators over a 48-hour period. They found that only 26.7 percent and 34 percent of refrigerators were within the acceptable temperature limit 95 percent of the time, respectively.

Refrigerator location also can affect temperature. A 2009 study

by Troxel and Barham found refrigerators located in barns — 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit – were colder than in mud rooms (41.72 degrees Fahrenheit) and kitchens (40.82 degrees Fahrenheit).

Temperature within a 24-hour period also can be highly variable for individual refrigerators.

The Troxel and Barham study demonstrated some refrigerators may take up to eight hours

to cool down to the 45-degree Fahrenheit level required or, equally problematic, the temperature may drop below freezing; temperatures were found to range from 28.4 degrees to 44.6 degrees. Some refrigerators were found to remain too cold, varying from 24.8 degrees to 35.6 degrees Fahrenheit over the studied time period.

“Producers need to be aware of these variations so they are able to adjust refrigerator temperature as needed,” LeValley said.

“Thermostats also can be variable from unit to unit, so keeping a thermometer inside works well to monitor and make adjustments as needed.”

Simple indoor-outdoor thermometers work well to achieve this goal. The outdoor unit can be placed in the refrigerator while the LCD display can be hung with a magnet on the door.

This allows refrigerator temperature to be monitored without opening the door. In addition, many models will record

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See COOLER, Page 6

December 2018 — Issue I

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December 2018 — Issue I

5

News

Give the Gift that Keeps on Giving all Year Long! to: from:

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Name: Address: City:_____________________ St: ________ Zip: PAymeNt INformAtIoN

Cooler, from Page 4 the high and low temperatures in a 24-hour period.

How a producer handles vaccine outside of the refrigerator also is important.

Coolers easily can be modified for syringes and are important in maintaining vaccine efficiency when chute-side. Inserts can be made through the cooler by using PVC pipe and work well to keep syringes cool and out of light while in use.

“Either ice or freezer packs can be used as a coolant to maintain temperature for several hours depending on outside ambient temperature,” LeValley said.

6

“Make sure enough coolant is used to maintain temperature while working cattle. Extra ice may be needed if working cattle all day or during warm days. It may take up to an hour for the cooler to reach the needed 45-degree mark so producers need to plan prior to processing cattle.

Detailed instruction on the construction of a chute-side vaccine cooler is available online at facts.okstate.edu by reading OSU Cooperative Extension fact sheet ANSI-3300, “Chute Side Vaccine Cooler.” The fact sheet also is available through all OSU Cooperative Extension county offices, typically listed under “County Government” in Oklahoma di-

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December 2018 — Issue I

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The Land & Livestock Post

News AgriLife Extension provides information on biopesticides

By Kay LedBetter Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

AMARILLO — Producers may have additional biological pesticides to add to their arsenal of control methods for pests such as corn earworm and cotton bollworm, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in Amarillo.

A producer’s pesticide options may be limited by product cost, effective classes, pest resistance, and the impact of a pesticide on beneficial populations or possible flaring of other pests, said Ed Bynum, so they are always looking for something new to use.

“Toward the end of our growing season this year there was talk of a new insecticide,” he said. “The active ingredient in this product is the nucleopolyhedrovirus, known as NPV, that is being used in Australia. What is interesting is that this ‘new insecticide’ was studied as early as 1960s and extensively during the ’70s and ’80s as the nuclear polyhedrosis virus.”

Bynum said it was first registered in 1975 by the Enviromental Protection Agency` and marketed as Elcar, Biotrol VHZ and Viron/H for Heliothis zea control in beans, corn, lettuce, peanuts, sorghum, soybeans, strawberry, tomato and cotton. Registration for all of these old products has been canceled.

Now new products of the same NPV are being marketed as Heligen, Helicovex and Gemstar.

These products are specific to larval stages of Helicoverpa, also known as corn earworm, cotton bollworm, tomato fruitworm, soybean podworm and sorghum headworm and Heliothis virescens, aka tobacco budworm.

“Producers are inquiring about the effectiveness of these new items on the market,” he

said. “We wanted to provide them an outline of the information we have gathered.”

Numerous NPVs have been identified for different lepidopteran insects, but each NPV is specific to a particular insect host or narrow range of hosts, Bynum said.

There is an NPV marketed as Fawligen that is specific to Spodoptera larvae, which are fall armyworm and beet armyworm.

Another NPV product, Loopex, is specific to the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni. All of the NPV products will not infect other insects or arthropods, including pests and beneficial predators and parasites.

Bynum explained how the products work, saying the larvae feed on NPV-treated plants where the virus infects the cells of the gut lining and begins to replicate throughout other cells in the larva.

These infected cells rupture causing the larva to die. Viral particles released from the larval cadaver onto the host leaves can infect healthy larva when they eat on the plant.

“Larval infection and mortality will be dependent on the amount of NPV consumed and the larval size at infection,” he said.

The infection rate is age-dependent, and it may take a few days to a week for larvae to die. Often times, dying larvae will climb to the top of the plant.

“One great virtue of NPV insecticides is they target a very narrow pest range, have no direct effect on beneficial insects and offer little disruption to the arthropod complex in the field,” Bynum said.

“These biological insecticides could be an alternative control method when the target pest has developed resistance to other

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December 2018 — Issue I

7

News Battleground to Breaking Ground project now taking applications

By Paul SchattenBerg Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Applications are being accepted through Dec. 5 for the Battleground to Breaking Ground Entrepreneurial Training Project for military veterans and others

wanting to be involved in an agricultural operation.

The project is presented by the Texas AgrAbility Program of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

See VETS, Page 9

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Makenzie McLaurin Military veterans plant seeds during a Battleground to Breaking Ground program.

The program also is open to beginning farmers and ranchers and others.

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December 2018 — Issue I

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News Vets, from Page 8 “This project is made possible thanks to a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture,” said Erin Kimbrough, AgriLife Extension family and community health program specialist in College Station. “It’s a three-phase program designed to increase the number of military veteran farmers and ranchers, as well as other beginning farmers and ranchers in Texas and throughout the nation.”

Kimbrough said successful applicants will need to attend the basic training portion of the project Jan. 18-20 at the Millican Reserve, 4401 High Prairie Road in College Station.

The cost is $125 for participants and $75 for spouses. It includes meals, activities, a farm tour and all workshop materials. Attendees are responsible for their own lodging.

Application instructions can be found at txagrability.tamu. edu/bgbg/training/.

Kimbrough said the entrepreneurial project is designed for active duty military and military veterans and their families, military spouses and beginning farmers and ranchers. It has three phases, which include faceto-face and online educational training in farm management and production; individualized educational planning to support diverse agriculture business interests; hands-on agriculture production learning; follow-up mentor support; and peer-to-peer learning using structured Community of Practice.

“It also offers an array of coaching services in veteran transition, VA benefits, and health and wellness,” Kimbrough said.

The first phase is the “Battleground to Breaking Ground” agriculture workshop — a daylong program covering business

The Land & Livestock Post

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planning, rural business ideas, farming/ranching with a disability and funding sources for agricultural businesses.

“We hold six of these workshops a year in different parts of the state,” Kimbrough said. “Attendance is not required, but is recommended.”

The second phase, “Battleground to Breaking Ground: Business Planning Modules,” involves: 16 weeks of online business planning courses; individual education planning; educational webinars; and additional educational modules for agencies/organizations that provide funding. Participants also get information about transition services through VetAdvisors and disability services through Texas AgrAbility.

“There are also hands-on opportunities for learning farming and ranching skills, weekly discussion questions, monthly video assignments, VetAdvisors coaching calls and education planning

December 2018 — Issue I

calls,” Kimbrough said. “There is also information and discussion relating to socially disadvantaged and limited-resource farmers and ranchers, as well as farmers and ranchers with a disability or chronic health condition.”

The third phase of the project, “Battleground to Breaking Ground: Hands-On Training,” involves: eight months of online courses specific to the participant’s area of agricultural production; 100 hours of hands-on learning through mentorship and custom-tailored learning opportunities; ongoing transition and disability support services; and monthly coaching and education planning calls.

Kimbrough said participation in the entrepreneurial project will be useful in developing a business plan for operational management, gaining insights into funding opportunities, improving marketing and financial skills, and enhancing production

skills.

“It will also provide access to networks connecting marketing, financial and operational channels, and provide information on loans and grants for veteran and other agricultural producers,” she said.

Once participants have completed all of the requirements for the second and third phases, they will receive a certificate of completion highlighting skills acquired through the program.

“The certificate will also provide participants access to land for lease, access to equipment and access to established markets at one of the project’s incubator training sites to help them start or expand their farming or ranching operation,” Kimbrough said.

“Those sites are the Millican Reserve in College Station, Farmers Assisting Returning Military in Dallas, Mesquite Field Farm in Nixon, and Farmer’s Education and Training in Fort Hood.”

9

News AgriLife climate conference evaluates impacts, solutions

By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Climate and its impacts on agricultural and ecological systems highlighted a recent symposium held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station.

The conference was part of the Texas A&M University Grand Challenge initiative funded by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. A variety of scholars from around the world presented research on the evolving climate and associated issues affecting both agriculture and ecological systems.

The symposium was organized and planned by Texas A&M professors David Briske, ecosystems and science management; Thomas Lacher Jr., wildlife and fisheries science; Bruce McCarl, agricultural economics; and Ramalingam Saravanan, atmospheric sciences.

“The climate is evolving across arid areas like Texas with hotter

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temperatures and more extreme events like floods and droughts,” Saravanan said.

Lacher said, “The evolving climate has major effects on integrated landscapes affecting plant growth, agricultural productivity, water demands and wildlife populations.”

McCarl said climate projections are that warming and drying will continue.

“This will adversely impact agricultural productivity and natural ecosystems along with the state’s rural economy,” he said.

Lacher said the symposium will help bring together researchers from a variety of disciplines to better develop collaboration.

“At the end of the day, we want to enhance the institutional collaboration to address economic, social and ecological challenges to develop adaptation strategies to minimize adverse climate impacts,” he said.

Discussions initially focused on what has happened in terms of past climate trends and future prospects. Participants then turned to the vulnerability of ecological systems and agriculture in Texas as well as other semi-arid regions. Participants focused on the capacity to foresee future vulnerability and how to limit disruptive climate impacts through land and wildlife management.

“We don’t know what this will morph into, but we do know that the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M and Vice Chancellor Patrick Stover are committed to all of the activities behind these research efforts,” said David Reed, horticulture professor and associate dean for graduate programs and faculty development.

“There are relationships between food and nutrition, and the issues we are addressing today regarding climate change have broad-reaching implications to

everyone throughout Texas and the nation,” Reed said.

Speakers shared various perspectives on climate change, ecological and agricultural research findings and U.S. Department of Agriculture international agency programs to address the challenge.

Symposium organizers say the event will serve as a starting point to promote future collaboration among academic disciplines to develop research programs that will enable Texas to cope effectively with future climate conditions.

“We have some of the best researchers in the world working on various aspects of climate, agricultural and ecological systems, and it is critical that this expertise be integrated to effectively address the complexity of this climate challenge,” Briske said.

“The best way to address these future challenges is through collaboration, and this conference is a step forward by bringing this diverse set of experts together,” he said.

Post-graduate students from agricultural economics, wildlife and fisheries, ecosystems science and management, and atmospheric sciences echoed these thoughts, indicating such work is both an important component of their current education and a topic they believe will continue to demand attention in the future.

Organizers say they will gather input from the participating researchers and seek potential funding to promote further collaborations across the university system with potential partners throughout the world.

These insights will also be incorporated into the classroom and graduate research programs to develop the next generation of researchers to address this critical challenge, they said.

For more information, go to buildingclimateresilience.com.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research photos by Blair Fannin Participating in a climate conference at Texas A&M were, top, from left, Bill Fox,Texas A&M AgriLife Research; David Brown, climate hub director with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Southern Plains Climate Hub; and Jean Steiner, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Grazinglands Research Laboratory in El Reno, Oklahoma. Below are, from left, Thomas Lacher, professor in the department of wildlife and fisheries sciences at Texas A&M University; and Alex De Pinto, senior research fellow in the Environment and Production Technology Division at the International Food Policy Research Institute.

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December 2018 — Issue I

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News

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Registration for theTexas Plant ProtectionAssociation Conference is $110.Registration includes the business luncheon on Dec.5.Students who will present a poster can attend the conference for free and participate in the graduate student poster award competition.To register and for a complete conference agenda, go totexasplantprotection.com.

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Future innovations in agriculture theme of Texas Plant Protection Conference Dec. 4-5

By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Innovations in Texas Agriculture for a Profitable Ag Future is the theme for the 30th Texas Plant Protection Association Conference Dec. 4-5 at the Brazos Center, 3232 Briarcrest Drive in Bryan.

“We are looking forward to learning more about innovations in agriculture during this digital and genomics era,” said Kranthi Mandadi, association president and Texas A&M AgriLife Research faculty member at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Research and Extension Center in Weslaco.

“This conference always is well attended and sets the stage for the new crop year, giving attendees the opportunity to learn more about latest trends and technologies in agriculture.”

Patrick Stover, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University and director of AgriLife Research, will provide opening remarks. State Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-Bryan, will provide an update on Texas agricultural legislative issues. Jay

Lehr, science director with the Heartland Institute, will discuss mega trends in agriculture.

Mike Johnson, head of product evaluation at Syngenta Crop Protection, will give a presentation on innovations in agricultural research and development, while Loren Wernette, ag solutions manager with BASF, will present agricultural marketing in the digital age.

The afternoon session on Dec. 5 will feature presentations on technology used in agricultural research and production. Betsy Pierson, professor in horticultural sciences at Texas A&M in College Station, will discuss methods to unlock yield potential by translating crop microbiome research into healthier soils and biorational products.

Juan Landivar, director at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi, will discuss adapting remote sensing from research to agricultural applications. Zach Adelman, associate professor of entomology at Texas A&M in College Station, will present the latest in gene drive and genome editing applications to agricul-

See PLANT, Page 21

The Land & Livestock Post

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News

Ge-ne-TECH

DNA technology for the commercial cow-calf producer

By ROBERT WELLS Noble Research Institute

B

y now, most everyone is familiar with DNA technology to some degree. We’ve all seen television shows that have used DNA data to capture the criminal or to prove parentage of a person. The same technology is available in the cattle industry through several DNA testing companies.

We now have the ability not only to determine “who’s the daddy of that calf,” but also to peel back the hide and genetically see how a calf is expected to perform for numerous traits.

This industry has matured enough to provide suitable reliability at a reasonable cost for the commercial cattleman. So how should the commercial cattle producer embrace this rel-

atively new technology?

First, ask yourself what goals you have for your beef cattle enterprise.

Without sitting down and performing this critical step, it will be hard to decide which traits to emphasize within the herd.

A DNA test will quantify the following traits:

12

• Performance traits • Milk • Residual feed intake • Average daily gain (ADG) • Weaning weight (WW) • Yearling weight (YW) • Carcass traits • Tenderness • Marbling • Ribeye area • Fat thickness • Hot carcass weight • Maternal traits • Birth weight (BW) • Calving ease direct (CED) • Calving ease maternal (CEM) • Stayability • Heifer pregnancy • Docility

It will be difficult to find an animal that can excel in all traits. Therefore, you should pick the traits that will have the most economic impact on your operation and concentrate on those. Remember, it is not wise to perform single trait selection. A balanced selection approach will result in a cow that is more desirable for your ranch and subsequently a better calf for the industry.

The following are a few thoughts on how you can use the traits to identify a heifer that will become a profitable cow in your herd.

Determine which traits are important to your operation

These traits will be based on your marketing goals and endpoint. Are you marketing replace-

ment heifers, and steers are a byproduct of your production system? Are you a 100 percent terminal operation that sells all calves at some endpoint before the packing plant? Or will you retain ownership and sell on a grid basis?

If you are breeding for replacement heifers, concentrate on the maternal characteristics (birth weight, calving ease maternal, calving ease direct, stayability, heifer pregnancy and docility), efficiency traits (residual feed intake and average daily gain) and carcass traits (marbling, fat thickness and ribeye area).

If you manage a terminal operation, you always buy replacement females and will sell before the calf goes to the packing plant, so concentrate mostly on

See DNA, Page 14

Noble Research Institute graphic

DNA testing has become an economically viable tool that should be used when making selection decisions for commercial cattle producers.

December 2018 — Issue I

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The Land & Livestock Post

The Land & Livestock Post

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December 2018 — Issue I

13

News DNA, from Page 12 maternal traits (calving ease direct and birth weight), performance traits (average daily gain, weaning weight and yearling weight). However, you should still have some selection pressure for carcass traits (marbling, ribeye area and fat thickness).

In my opinion, it is difficult to place equal selection pressure on the carcass traits and on the performance and maternal traits since you will be selling pounds of live product. It is difficult to get a buyer to pay enough for perceived carcass quality of the calf when not selling on the rail.

Most times, the value of additional live weight will overcome any carcass quality premiums paid when selling a live calf before the feedlot phase of production. With that said, I believe it is good business to stay at least average or better for DNA carcass traits.

Most breeds do a fairly good job of meeting industry expectations. The cow-calf producer should ensure the

Noble Research Institute photo Robert Wells working with Noble employees at a cattle auction. calf has the genetic potential to be profitable for the entire industry.

The old saying is true, “A rising tide floats all ships.” Therefore, if one sector of the supply chain is not profitable, there is a trickle-down effect to those sectors that occur before it.

If you sell cattle on a grid basis, take a more balanced approach. You will need to pay attention to all the traits mentioned for terminal operations. However, you’ll also want to more closely consider carcass traits since you will receive the actual full value of the carcass since you are selling directly to the packer.

Set acceptable limits for each trait and stay within them

Maximizing any one trait can be a mistake if you don’t consider the

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December 2018 — Issue I



The Land & Livestock Post

News Industry, from Page 14 other traits that are economically important to the operation. If you have large-framed cows, overemphasizing calving ease direct and birth weight is not justifiable. Most Angus-type commercial cows already have enough milk built into them that going for the extremes is not justifiable and can actually work against you when looking at residual feed intake and the ability of the cow to be easy fleshing.

Middle-of-the-road DNA values for milk are acceptable.

Stayability has a low heritability estimate and can be impacted more so by heifer/cow management than DNA scores can currently predict. It’s important to consider, but placing emphasis of this trait over others may not be as impactful as one might believe.

Understand the genetic effects of each DNA trait and how to interpret them Just because you select an animal with a very high DNA score (10) for a trait does not mean the calf will exhibit that trait 100 percent of the time.

Take calving ease direct (CED) for example. A DNA score of 10 has a 23.9 percent probability of being calving ease based on the factors used to develop this DNA score.

A CED DNA score of 3 has a 5.3 percent probability of being calving ease.

Therefore, if comparing two replacement heifers with DNA scores of 10 (23.9 percent) and 3 (5.3 percent), the numerical difference between the two probabilities (18.6 percent) is the relative difference between these two animals.

Likewise, a weaning weight (WW) DNA score of 10 (63.9 pounds) does not mean you

wean off a calf that weighs 63.9 pounds heavier than current. If you compare a WW DNA score of 10 (63.9 pounds) to a score 3 (14.2 pounds), what you can assume is that the higher DNA score animal should have a calf that has a 49.7 pounds heavier calf at weaning.

Set realistic expectations of the genetic progress that can be made

Management of the animal has a large impact on the ability of the animal to express its genetic potential. As demonstrated above, you should look at the relative differences between the DNA scores and how they translate in production values.

I do not recommend using DNA scores as the sole source of information for making selection decisions. Couple the use of DNA with all the other tools such as visual evaluation, history of the animal (how was she raised, vaccinations received, etc.), expected calving date, price, etc.

Likewise, I cannot make the recommendation to use DNA to differentiate between two individuals that are fairly close in DNA score.

However, DNA can be used to identify the outliers. Identifying those individuals that would be in the lower 25 percent, 33 percent or 50 percent of the DNA trait will help to remove those animals from consideration.

Bottom line: DNA can be a useful tool, but don’t forget the basics.

DNA testing has become an economically viable tool that should be used when making selection decisions for commercial cattle producers.

Without DNA, most producers are selecting their females the same way great-grandpa did back in the early 1900s — with limited empirical data, mostly based on anecdotal information and visual evaluation.

The Land & Livestock Post

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Noble Research Institute photo Austin Miles works with cattle.

Oftentimes, the purchase decision on retaining or buying a replacement female is based on how she was raised and what she was bred to for her first calf.

I encourage you to look further beneath the hide to know what genetics she can contribute to your operation, through every calf she has while on your ranch.

Remember, DNA testing is one of many tools that should be considered when making replacement animal decisions.

Finally, the best genetics in the world cannot overcome poor management decisions and environment.

How an animal is raised and managed and the environment it lives in will allow the animal to either reach its genetic potential or not.

December 2018 — Issue I

15

News Ticks, handling demonstrations featured at S. Texas Cow-Calf Clinic

By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

BRENHAM — Ranchers working cattle this fall and winter, or surveying pastures and wildlife, need to be mindful of ticks harboring on livestock and forage habitats.

Pete Teel, Texas A&M AgriLife Research entomologist in College Station, recently gave a tick update at the 47th South Texas CowCalf Clinic in Brenham.

Teel discussed a variety of ticks common to Texas, including those that pose potential health consequences not just for cattle, but for humans.

One of the most common ticks in Texas is the Lone Star tick. It is a three-host tick, starting out as a tiny seed tick on animals, then dropping back into the environment to molt to nymphs.

Nymphs repeat this sequence attaching and feeding on a second host, dropping into the environment to molt to adult ticks, then attach and feed on the third host, Teel said.

Cattle and wildlife such as deer or feral hogs are common hosts for this tick.

“More than 95 percent of this tick’s life is spent in the pasture in vegetation types that support tick development and access to hosts,” Teel said.

Another tick found in Texas, the Gulf Coast tick, is also a three-host tick.

“They particularly like to infest ground-dwelling birds during the larval and nymphal stages, and infested birds can be a continuous source of pasture infestation,” he said. “Adult Gulf Coast ticks like to attach themselves to the ears of livestock or wildlife.

“Pesticide-impregnated ear tags were originally developed to control infestations of Gulf Coast ticks on cattle, and this control tactic remains effective if applied during the peak infestation period from July to October in Texas.”

Teel stressed practicing good biosecurity. He advised cattle

16

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo

by Blair Fannin Ticks are a problem that every producer must work to eliminate.A Texas A&M AgriLife expert gave an update on ticks at the 47th South Texas Cow-Calf Clinic. producers purchasing cattle to quarantine new animals to inspect, treat and observe them prior introducing them to the home herd.

“Newly purchased animals of any species could serve as potential hosts for ticks,” Teel said.

The potential for the Asian Longhorn tick to enter Texas looms. It was discovered in nine states in 2018, including Arkansas, he said. The climate of Texas is predicted to support the Asian Longhorn tick, so surveillance in 2019 will be needed, he noted.

“It was discovered on a sheep farm in the summer of 2017 in New Jersey, and experts think it may have been introduced to the U.S. as early as 2010,” Teel said.

“Originating from China, it long ago spread to Australia and New Zealand. It is a relatively small, brownish tick, but can do a lot of damage.”

Teel said the Longhorn tick is a “highly adaptable tick” and is likely to spread over much of the U.S. Teel reviewed the history and ecology of cattle fever ticks and provided an update on cattle fever tick infestations. He reminded the audience of the risks of cattle fever ticks and their transmission of pathogens causing bovine babesiosis.

“At risk is our economy of the Texas cattle industry and the more than 400,000 cattle producers throughout the southern region where this tick could survive if permitted to be reintroduced,” Teel said.

“More than one third of the U.S. fed cattle are produced in this region. U.S. cattle are naïve to bovine babesiosis and mortality is estimated to exceed 70 percent in naïve cattle. There are no protec-

See CLINIC, Page 17

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December 2018 — Issue I

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo

by Blair Fannin Jason Cleere,TexasA&MAgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist, and Mark Klaus, Washington County beef producer at the 47th South Central Texas Cow Calf Clinic in Brenham.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin From left, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Joe Paschal, Agency Interim Director Parr Rosson,TexasA&MAgriLife Research Entomologist PeteTeel,were all part of the recent 47th South Central Texas Cow-Calf Clinic in Brenham. the U.S.” Clinic, from Page 16 For more information, Teel tive vaccines or approved drugs. said producers can go to tickapp.

Our focus is to prevent the only tamu.edu/ for a complete backvector, cattle fever ticks, from ground on common ticks found re-establishing populations in in Texas and more in the mobile

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Also during the program, Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist in Corpus Christi, discussed animal identification.

Paschal said it’s important for ranchers to maintain good health records on their herds and have cattle permanently identified with brands and other unique forms of identification.

This information is important for source-verified programs, animal disease traceback and required for animal health tests such as brucellosis, he said.

“There’s a need for traceback in the industry resulting from animal diseases,” Paschal said.

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December 2018 — Issue I

17

News

Capital Farm Credit returns $50 million to borrowers Special to The Post

Capital Farm Credit’s Board of Directors recently approved a $50 million cash retirement of remaining allocated equities issued in 2011. Borrowers with loans in 2011 received their share of the cash payment in checks mailed last month.

The $50 million represents more than 56 percent of the remaining earnings from 2011, leaving a balance of 2011 earnings after the retirement of $38,208,000. Combined with the $77.4 million cash patronage paid in March of this year, Capital Farm Credit will have returned total cash distributions of more than $127.4 million to its members in 2018.

“Capital Farm Credit is a cooperative, meaning our customers are also owners and share in our

profits,” said Ben Novosad, chief executive officer.

“The earnings we return through our patronage dividend program help to effectively lower the cost of doing business for the farmers and ranchers we serve.

“We’re one of very few Farm Credit associations that truly al-

locates nearly 100 percent of our earnings to our members. We’re very proud of that distinction,” Novosad said.

“Over the past 10 years, we have returned more than 95 percent of our earnings back to our members. That adds up to more than $750 million returned to our

members.”

Capital Farm Credit has a long tradition of strong earnings, which accrues to the benefit of its members.

It brings value by delivering credit and other financially related services to its members effectively and efficiently. As it returns the earnings through its patronage dividend program, it helps to strengthen the agricultural economy and rural communities it serves.

“As a borrower-owned cooperative, we are governed by the farmers and ranchers who borrow from us,” Novosad said.

“Our patronage dividend program is a unique benefit to our members that sets us apart

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December 2018 — Issue I



The Land & Livestock Post

News High Plains Ag Conference set Dec. 7 in Lubbock

By Kay LedBetter Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

LUBBOCK — The annual High Plains Ag Conference will be hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service on Dec. 7, offering five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units.

The conference will be from 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 1102 E. F.M. 1294 in Lubbock. “We try to bring the latest information to our region’s producers on a variety of crops and also allow those with a valid private pesticide applicators license to pick up some CEUs,� said Robert

Scott, AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Lubbock County.

The Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units offered will be three general, one integrated pest management and one laws and regulations.

Individual preregistration, which includes lunch, is $35

by Dec. 5 and $45 at the door.

For more information or to preregister, contact Scott at 806-775-1740 or rj-scott@tamu. edu.

Topics and presenters will include: • Management of cotton bollworm/corn earworm and resistance to Bt — Pat Porter, AgriLife Extension entomologist, Lubbock. • Weed resistance and

management — Peter Dotray, AgriLife Extension weed specialist in Lubbock. • Pesticide laws and regulations — Debbie Slocum, assistant regional director for the Texas Department of Agriculture in Lubbock. • Texas Corn Producers industry update — Angie Martin, industry relations in Lubbock. • Corn herbicide trial results — Jourdan Bell, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Amarillo. • Cover crops and nutrients: Challenges in a semi-arid region — Katie Lewis, Texas A&M AgriLife Research soil scientist in Lubbock.

CEU certificates will be presented at 3 p.m.

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Texas A&M University’s collegiate poultry judging team won first place at the 53rd National Collegiate Poultry Judging Contest at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville Nov. 6.

Craig Coufal, team coach and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service poultry specialist in College Station, said the team placed first in egg judging and second in meat judging to win the overall competition by a significant margin. The team finished eight points from first place in the meat division for a clean sweep.

The team includes freshman Madison Ve stal and sophomores Mikalah Collins, Ashley Knox, Abby Knox and Wyatt Forrest. “It was a great win for the team,�

Coufal said. “Our team did an excellent job and was very consistent across all aspects of the competi-

tion.�

Coufal said the team is made up of five students who are the top performers among dozens in a poultry judging course in the department of poultry sciences. The students learn to rank live commercial chickens’ and turkeys’ characteristics, such as skeletal and meat development, to determine which birds would be most productive.

They also rank laying chickens, including pullets, which are young female birds judged on their potential to lay eggs; and hens, which are ranked according team members’ predictions of the birds that were the most productive egg layers thus far.

Team members also grade eggs and processed carcasses according to U.S. Department of Agriculture standards, such as Grade A certification for meats.

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December 2018 — Issue I

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News Cattle Trails Cow/Calf Conference set Dec. 6

By Kay LedBetter Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

WICHITA FALLS — The Cattle Trails Cow/Calf Conference will find itself on the Texas side of the Red River this year when experts from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service host cattle operators from both states on Dec. 6.

Because cattle owners and operators in Southern Oklahoma and North Texas have similar issues, Emi Kimura, AgriLife Extension agronomist in Ve rnon, said the annual conference alternates between the two states.

Registration will begin at 8 a.m., with the program from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the Wichita Livestock Sales Co., 4006 U.S. 281, No. 100 in Wichita Falls.

Team, from Page 19 a credited judging course comprise the poultry judging team, Coufal said. The students receive evaluations in each class as they rank the various poultry divisions with the five-member team comprised of the top performers over the semester.

“Every day in class is a contest for the students,” he said.

“It’s eight to nine weeks of hard practice and learning how to evaluate poultry.”

This is the poultry judging team’s 16th national championship in 20 collegiate judging contests over the past decade.

The team consistently ranks at the top or near the top in collegiate judging competitions that grade eggs and poultry carcasses and evaluate live birds.

Coufal praised the efforts of the team’s prior poultry team coaches and the two assistant coaches, seniors Daniel De Le-

The cost is $25 and includes a noon meal and refreshments.

Prere gistration is requested to Allison Ha at 940-552-9941, ext.

225, or Allison.ha@ag.tamu.edu, or any AgriLife Extension county agent in that region.

For the registration form or more information, go to tinyurl. com/CTcow-calfConf.

Checks should be made to the Wilbarger Project Fund.

Topics and speakers will include: • Weather Outlook — John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist in College Station.

• Farm Bill Discussion — Joe Outlaw, AgriLife Extension Service economist and co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University in College Station.

TJS S Hardware

University of Arkansas Communications photo by Sara Landis The Texas A&M University collegiate poultry judging team shows their team and individual awards at the 53rd National Collegiate Poultry Judging Contest at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Pictured are, front row, left to right, Mikalah Collins, Ashley Knox, Abby Knox and coach Craig Coufal. Back row, left to right, are Jacob Leopold, assistant coach; Wyatt Forrest; Daniel De Leon, assistant coach; and Madison Vestal. on and Jacob Leopold, who have assist with the poultry judging competed on Texas A&M’s col- class and mentoring team memlegiate judging team before and bers for competition.

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December 2018 — Issue I



The Land & Livestock Post

News Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo by Blair Fannin Kranthi Mandadi, right, president of the Texas Plant Protection Association and Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist in Weslaco, says the 2018 conference sets the stage for the new crop year. Also pictured is past president Gary Schwarzlose.

Plant, from Page 11 ture in Texas.

Registration is $110 after and includes the business luncheon on Dec. 5. Students who will present a poster can attend the conference for free and participate in the graduate student poster award competition. To register and for a complete conference agenda, go to texasplantprotection.com/.

Control, from Page 7 available insecticides,” he said.

“However, with any product for controlling a pest, there is a potential with increased exposure for the pest to develop resistance to the product over time, even NPV.” Bynum said there is no current data on the effectiveness of NPV product applications for control of the above listed pest species with field crops in the Texas High Plains.

“Since we do not have any definitive results, we [AgriLife Extension] are hesitant to suggest the use of these products, but that does not mean that the products could not provide effective control under the right conditions,” he said.

For those interested in trying any of the NPV products, more facts about the products and general guidelines to help obtain optimum results can be found at txppipm. blogspot.com/2018/11/insecticidalvirus-products-for-pest.html.

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The Land & Livestock Post

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December 2018 — Issue I

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PastUrEs-stalls

Texas a&M Class of ‘02

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www.cleereearthworks.com

Matt Jones. Franklin, TX. 979.777.7571 www.solidrockranch.com

Bryan Credit Office 3000 Briarcrest Ste 101 979.775.0404 | 877.775.0404 CapitalFarm Credit.com

11 F1 HereFord X Brahman Brindle Heifers

For sale $1500 per Head

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Contact ross Conner Hempstead tX.

Angus & BrAngus

Bull For sAle

Charolais Bulls, Heifers, and Cows Available!

Ranch phone- 903-626-5785 Tommy Spillman (cell) 979-331-8660

9995 County Road 353  Gause, TX 77857

Dr. Roy W Hann Jr.  (979) 255 - 5709 Tyson Hann  (979) 324 - 6659

To advertise contact: Jesse Wright - 979.731.4721 or jesse.wright@theeagle.com

Farmers market

Cleere Earthworks L.L.C.

STEEL CULVERTS: 5 ft, 7 ft, 8ft, 9ft & 10ft diameter, veritable lengths, Delivery Available. Call 713-822-8778.

For the latest breaking sports news

Steve Schultz • 979-218-8680 Charles Schultz • 979-219-0930

tyson@svrtx.com

Celebrating 20+ years of Registered Charolais

The most up to date local news you will find.

PASTURE LEASE(S) Needed, Matt Jones, Franklin, Tx 979-777-7571 www.solidrockranch.com

December 2018 — Issue I

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The Land & Livestock Post

News

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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Adam Russell

Puddles of water gather in low spots of a pasture west of Tyler. Rains created soggy conditions for farmers trying to harvest warm-season grasses for hay before the first frost arrived.

Hay, from Page 3 the final cutting when the grass still was green and before the first frost, which typically occurs Nov. 15 in East Texas, she said, but continuous rains over the past 60 days have allowed few opportunities for producers to harvest.

“Accessing the pastures with equipment was a problem, but even once the ground dried out enough to get in, producers had to consider if there was a window between rains where the hay could be cut, cured and baled before another rain,” she said.

“It’s been difficult, and producers need the hay.”

Corriher-Olson said producing hay bales is heavily dependent on weather and there are risks associated with any decision when it comes to harvesting hay at this point in the season amid unfavorable weather conditions.

The best option is to move cattle onto the field for grazing if there is fencing and water is available.

“Livestock are much better harvesters than we are with machines,” she said. “But grazing isn’t an option for a lot of producers because many East Texas hay meadows don’t have fences or water.”

If hay is cut and remains on the ground when it rains, CorriherOlson said it will begin to lose nutritive value due to leaching

of non-structural carbohydrates.

Rain also can shatter leaves off harvested forage and reduce both the crude protein and energy levels of the hay.

Harvesting hay after a frost is an option, she said. However, producers still need to be cautious of weather conditions.

“With cooler temperatures and cloudy days, curing hay can be even more challenging,” she said.

Extra forage also can be allowed to remain standing in the field for grazing, Corriher-Olson said. Maintaining some substantial Bermudagrass or Bahiagrass stubble height could provide shade that could reduce volunteer ryegrass as well as other weed seed germination.

This might not provide 100 percent control, however competition can help reduce undesired plant growth, she said. Maintaining a higher stubble height also can be beneficial for the future growth of warm-season perennials. Higher stubble height means more substantial root structure to capture deeper soil moisture and nutrients.

“Cooler spring temperatures, drought, fall armyworms and late fall rains have added extra challenges for hay production, so late season utilization, whether harvesting, grazing or maintaining stubble, could impact forage production this year and next,” she said.

The Land & Livestock Post

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December 2018 — Issue I

If it’s remotely possible, FieldNET can do it™

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At Christmas, all roads lead home.

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Hoping the blessings of the Season lead the way to a bright, prosperous New Year.

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December 2018 — Issue I

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The Land & Livestock Post