OFFICIAL PUBLICATION of the HEARTLAND LIMOUSIN ASSOCIATION • JAN/FEB 2016
Cattle Health: Managing Winter Cold Stress Memories of Autumn
NEWS American Royal Show................24 Back In Time..........................8, 14 Covering Ground.........................4 Fullblood Limousin Alliance........7 Heartland Calendar......................3 Heartland Highlights.................34 Junior Beat.................................22 On The Road Again.....................6 Recipe of the Month....................6 Sale Reports......................... 26-30
STATE NEWS Iowa News................................8, 9 Kansas News..............................10 Minnesota News........................12 Missouri News...........................14 Nebraska News...........................16 South Dakota News...................18 Wisconsin News.........................20
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n dealing with the winter cold, if you don’t remember anything else, remember this: A clean and dry hair coat is essential for the animal to maintain body heat. Beth Doran, Iowa State University Extension beef program specialist, explained in a news release with most winter hair coats, there are longer guard hairs. These keep snow from reaching the denser undercoat that insulates the skin and muscle. If moisture reaches the skin in the winter, the animal will lose body heat. Likewise, if the hair becomes matted with mud or manure, body heat will be lost. This is why a clean, dry area is essential for the animal. Providing bedding is a good way to help keep the animal
dry and warmer. Both oat straw and corn stover are common bedding materials that have good absorbency. In a North Dakota trial, researchers looked at the effect of the amount of bedding (wheat straw) on the winter performance of open feedlot cattle. Bedding treatments were none, modest amount (385 lbs. per animal) and generous amount (674 lbs. per animal). Bedding increased average daily gain, dressing percent and percentage of carcasses grading Choice. All are good reasons to provide bedding. Another way to increase warmth is to provide a windbreak. An 80 percent solid fence for 20 percent open space reduces wind speeds for a greater distance and spreads the snow out for
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Time-Dated Material
Volume 24 • Issue 1
Bar JZ Ranches..........................11 Barnaud Limousin......................32 Black Hills Stock Show..............23 Bosch Farms...............................14 DeRungs Limousin....................12 Ellsworth Limousin......................8 GV Limousin...............................5 Iowa Beef Expo............................2 J Yorga Farms.............................15 Liberty Ranch............................21 LIMI-Gene................................10 Lura Limousin............................18 Nebraska Cattlemen’s Classic......33 Nolz Limousin...........................34 Peterson’s L7 Bar Ranch.............14 Pinegar Limousin.......................35 Red Carpet Limousin Sale..........31 ROM’N Limousin.......................7 Symens Brothers.............20, 25, 29 Treftz Limousin..........................19 Venner Family Limousin............16 Wieczorek Limousin..................17 Wulf Cattle........................... OBC
faster melting. A minimum height of 10 feet for this fence is recommended for better wind control. Windbreaks can be constructed with wood, metal, or forage bales. Don’t forget the importance of nutrition. Access to clean, fresh, Continued on page 3
You’re Invited
The Heartland Limousin Association (HLA) invites everyone to attend their annual meeting, banquet and benefit auction. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, February 16, 2016. The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the FFA Building (west of the cattle barn) on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. This annual event will be held in conjunction with the Iowa Beef Expo. The banquet is FREE, and it is a wonderful opportunity to socialize with Limousin breeders from various parts of the upper Midwest. The Association is seeking items to be donated for the benefit auction. In the past there have been a wide variety of unique and interesting things donated, as well as food items. There also have been cattle supplies, embryos and semen donated. The money raised from this auction goes to support the travel expenses of the HLA Executive Secretary. We appreciate your support of the HLA! Contact Dean Summerbell or any member of the HLA board of directors if you have items to be donated or if you would like to leave a bid for items. Check out the HLA website at www. heartlandlimousin.org for updated information on the banquet and a list of items on the benefit auction. In addition, photos of the donated items will be posted on the Heartland Limousin Association Facebook page. Thank You!