Livestock Roundup

Thursday, March 22, 2007 1:36 PM CDT

This week's listing of upcoming industry events and announcements.

UW-Extension Cow-Calf Seminar In Alpha Offered

The UW-Extension livestock team announced a beef cow-calf seminar to be held at the Joe and Virginia Hennessey Hidden Pond Farm in Alpha, located in Burnett County on April 12, from 4:30-8 p.m.

The farm is located at 11658 State Highway 70 across from the Burnett Dairy Cooperative, five miles east of Grantsburg, or 10 miles west of Siren. Look for the farm signs.

The Hennesseys raise 25 Buelingo beef cows and youngstock. Buelingo is a 50-year-old breed developed in the western U.S. from crosses of Belted Galloway, Black Angus and Milking Shorthorn. Buelingos are noted for good finishing efficiency on marginal pasture and little or no grain.

The 156-acre farm features a licensed bed & breakfast called Smoland Prairie, a farm store and a number of grazing paddocks. The Hennesseys have a state-inspected bakery and walk-in freezer. They sell beef cuts, bread and eggs at the farm.

The cow-calf program will begin with a tour of the farmstead, followed by a meal, concluding with seminars.

Planned topics for this year include cost of production, low-cost handling systems, disease prevention and the latest on premises registration and animal identification. A brief update on predator issues will also be covered.

Pre-registration is required by Monday, April 9. The cost is $10. For registration or more information, contact UW-Extension Ag Agents Otto Wiegand or Kevin Schoessow, 715-635-3506 or 800-528-1914.

Wisconsin State Fair Market Lamb Identification Sites Announced

All exhibitors interested in participating in the 2007 Wisconsin State Fair Market Lamb and Performance Classes must identify their market lambs at one of the official sites.

Lambs entered in the performance class will be evaluated on a combination of daily rate of gain, carcass data and live placing. Lambs participating in this class must be weighed in at statewide market lamb identification sites.

All lambs will be required to have a DNA sample taken and be individually identified. There will be a $5 cost per animal for the DNA testing which will be collected at the check-in sites. Market lamb identification enables Wisconsin State Fair to maintain a higher level of quality control.

The following guidelines must be followed: Exhibitors may identify as many lambs as they choose. There are no minimum or maximum weight regulations for market lambs. Lambs need to be identified in the exhibitor's name or immediate family member's name only. Each exhibitor will only be allowed to bring two of the identified lambs to the Wisconsin State Fair. An exhibitor may also enter up to two lambs in the performance class in addition to the lambs he enters for the Fair. The exhibitor and parent(s)/legal guardian(s) must be in attendance to sign and verify the DNA sample.

The following locations will host market lamb identification:

Mary Graese on "Finding your passion - finding your customers." Graese owns and operates Northstar Bison, a several hundred-acre bison ranch in northwest Wisconsin where the bison graze naturally on open pastures.

The registration cost is $10 in advance or $15 at the door, which includes lunch. The Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Conference Center is located at 1900 College Dr. in Rice Lake. A brochure is available at http://barron.uwex.edu/index.html. To download the registration form, see http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/barron/index.html. For more information, contact Andrew Dane at 715-726-7950, andrew.dane@ces.uwex.edu, Chippewa County UW-Extension (Attention: Meat Marketing), 711 N Bridge St., Rm. 13, Chippewa Falls, WI 54729.

Limousin Association Holds 17th Annual State Sale

The 17th Annual Limousin Association of Wisconsin State Sale was held on March 11, at the Equity Livestock Market in Sparta.

Sixteen breeders from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa offered a quality set of open heifers, bred females and bulls. The Annual Meeting, banquet, and benefit auction were held March 10 at the Log Cabin in Bangor.

The top selling bull was EL Klassic Kar, a Feb. 11, 2006, black, polled son of KRVN Naskar 013N out of EL Gotcha Girl consigned by Ellsworth Limousin of Elkhorn. Minnesota breeders Bruce Turner of Eyota and Darrell Buenger of Chatfield purchased the bull for $4,000.

Peterson Limousin Farms of Osceola, consigned PBC Nitschke 66S, an April 19, 2006, black, doubled polled son of RPLF Maverick 960M out of Miss L7 168L. David Frederickson of Independence had the final bid of $3,500 on this second high-selling bull.

Another popular bull was SPRNG CRKS Super Lev 113, an April 1, 2006, black, double polled son of Wulf's Leverage 9285L out of Spring Creek 131L consigned by Spring Creeks Cattle Co. of Wauzeka. He was purchased by Randy Trogstad of Chatfield, Minn. for $3,000.

The top selling open heifer went to Benjamin Marsh of Union, Ill. for $3,500. MRL Shelby 623S; a March 11, 2006, black, double polled daughter of MAGS Captain America out of MRL Mulon Rouge 203M was consigned by Mill Road Limousin of Knapp.

Adam Ausen of Ettrick, had the final bid of $2,500 on PBC Serendipity 460S, an April 19, 2006, red, double polled daughter of RPLF Maverick 960M out of Miss Syes 385 235M consigned by Peterson Limousin Farms.

Lennon Stock Farm of Endeavor purchased the high selling bred female for $3,000. SPRNG CRKS Proper 4701P, a Sept. 3, 2004, black, double polled daughter of Wulf's Loyal 7533L out of LJ Miss Look 7029G bred to Wulf's Nasa 1212N was consigned by Spring Creeks Cattle Co.

LRFF Joyful, a July 31, 1999, black, polled daughter of JCL Black Out out of LRFF Honey Comb bred to Wulf's Ridgley was consigned by Lyon River Front Farm of Foley, Minn. This bred female was bought by Boot Jack Cattle Co. of Clear Lake, for $2,200.

The 25 bulls in the sale brought an average of $1,874, with 14 heifers bringing $1,760 and 22 bred females averaging $1,629. The overall sale average on these 60 lots was $1,763.

What You Need To Know about Porcine Circovirus

While swine practitioners continue to report cases of Porcine Circovirus Associated Diseases (PCVAD), effective vaccines and timely educational resources are helping producers fight back against this potentially-fatal disease.

Currently there are three vaccines on the market in the United States that effectively reduce morbidity and mortality due to PCVAD, but they are in extremely high demand.

For 2007 the Pork Checkoff has also committed $400,000 in funding toward research on PCVAD and is seeking cooperative funding with USDA. To help keep producers informed about managing the disease, the Pork Checkoff is also making available the brochure "A Producer's Guide to Managing PCVAD."

The brochure details specific biosecurity, health and production guidelines for farrowing barns, nurseries, grow-finish and finisher facilities, and replacement stock. Copies can be ordered at no cost to producers by calling the WPA office at 800-822-7675.

Good Hoof Health Is Key To Preventing Footrot

Footrot, the culprit behind about 20 percent of all diagnosed lameness in cattle, is usually sporadic in occurrence. But in high-intensity beef and dairy operations, the malady can impact up to one-fourth of a herd.

Producers can see an increased incidence of footrot in summer, when high temperatures and excessive humidity can cause the skin between the claws to crack, giving bacteria a place to invade. In humid weather, grass can stay wet most of the day and keep cattle's feet damp.

Maintaining good hoof health is the essence of preventing footrot and that means clean yards that are free of sharp objects such as stones, wires or glass.

A suggested technique is cleaning pens thoroughly after cattle are removed and spreading lime over the pen surface, then leaving it vacant for at least a week. In lanes and alleys where cattle walk frequently, grading or filling the area to provide a well-drained path can be another helpful preventative measure.

Building mounds of soil or bedding also can help. Mounds should be big enough to allow for comfortable standing and oriented so they receive maximum exposure to the sun. Concrete slabs in the lots can provide a dry area for cattle to stand, and concrete poured around water tanks and feedbunks can keep those areas from becoming muddy.

 

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