Baxter Black Speaks About Beef Checkoff

Minimizing Equine Costs in Tough Times

According to some Equine Specialists, the annual cost of raising a horse could reach up to 1000 dollars or more. For some, 1000 to 2000 dollars is just not feasible in today’s tough times. Below are just a few ways to cut costs while still enjoying the pleasure of having a horse.

The largest cost of caring for a horse always seems to be the feed bill. Is your horse receiving grain, nutritional supplements, hay, and pasture or is the horse just on pasture? Evaluate your current feeding plan as well as your horse’s condition. If your horse is overweight, it might not have a balanced diet. Also the feeding plan is determined by the use of your horse, if it is a mature pleasure horse not being exercised frequently it requires approximately 20 to 50 percent less feed. Your best option is to simplify the feeding plan by evaluating each ingredient that is being consumed. Sometimes it is not necessary for your horse to consume both grain and hay. Grain tends to be much pricier than hay. Most horses do very well on just consuming hay or being out on the pasture. This could be a cost saving tactic as well as a much healthier option for your horse. Remember if you switch to a forage diet make sure you know the quality of hay they are eating. An easy way to determine your hay quality is to send a sample of your hay to a lab for testing. Once you find a high quality hay source, buy in bulk to lower your cost per bale.

Utilize your pastures when available. Pastures are a great option instead of feeding hay during the spring and summer months. Before you put your horses on your pasture, test the soil to see if you need to fertilize. Soil testing is important so you do not waste money putting extra fertilizer on your pastures or by putting it on soil with a low pH. Setting up a rotational grazing system will also be beneficial for your pastures, horses, and your pocket. Rotational grazing moves horses to different paddocks every few days. This is the most economical way to feed animals. Rotational grazing allows the pasture to rest and re-grow and in turn allow for quality pasture throughout the entire grazing season.

Another high cost are your veterinarian bills. It is necessary to have your veterinarian do a check up on your horse once a year to determine if it is good condition. This could reduce your bills throughout the entire year. Giving your horse vaccinations may also reduce your costs. A veterinarian can show you how to give a proper injection and save him a trip and you a large bill. You will still be able to purchase the proper vaccinations from your veterinarian or you can obtain them from an animal health store. Another option to reduce your bills is to take your horse to the veterinarian instead of having to pay for a farm visit.

It is very important that you perform daily care and maintenance for your horse. Be sure to check hooves, teeth, and change water buckets daily. Keeping the stable area dry and clean is also imperative for horse health. Remember it is less expensive to do preventative then emergency care.

Have you heard it?

Water 'n Poo a song sang by Will Gilmer, dairy farmer in Alabama, while he is spreading manure in his fields. He sings an educational song about the nutrient management cycle. Watch the video and learn more about the agriculture industry.

Hot Hay Prevention and Control

This past spring and summer the Berks County area experienced wet conditions and producers were challenged with small windows of time to bale hay at proper moisture levels for nutrition and safety. Frequent showers, constant cloudiness, and wet fields increase the risk of putting wet hay away in your barn, which may lead to hot hay or hay fires. Taking a few extra steps during hay season may significantly reduce the possibility of barn and hay fires.

Within the first two to six weeks after baling, hay is still curing, so spontaneous combustion is the most common. When the internal temperature of the hay rises above 140°F, the hay produces heat activated bacteria which, when combined with oxygen, causes spontaneous combustion.

Fires can take place both inside and outside in loose hay, small bales, large bales, or stacks. Wet hay or excessive moisture is the most common cause of hay fires. Stored small hay bales should have moisture content between 18 to 25 percent and large round bales should be lower at 14 to 18 percent. Even if you know you put your hay away dry, hay can become damp due to barn leaks, moisture from the ground, or high humidity. It is best to check your hay regularly. If you detect a distinct caramel odor or a musty smell, your hay is probably heating.

An easy way to check the temperature in the haystack is to insert a thermometer inside a probe to accurately determine the heat level. This can be made with a 10 foot pipe that is hammered together at one end to form a pointed dowel. Drill eight holes in the pipe about three inches above the dowel end. Connect a long rope to the thermometer and insert into the probe. Check hay temperature by inserting the probe from the top of the stack. Leave the probe in the hay for at least 10 minutes.

Watch for the following temperatures:

150°F Entering the Danger Zone.

Check temperature every two hours.

160°F Danger! Stacked hay should be dissembled to allow air flow to cool them down.

175°F Call the Fire Department! Have them onsite before moving the hay.

185°F Hot Spots and Pockets May be Expected. Flames will develop when heating hay comes in

contact with the air.

200°F Critical! Temperature rise is rapid above this point. Hay will almost certainly ignite.

Remove hay with fire department on site.

Caution: Before entering the hay, place long planks or a ladder on top of the stack. Do not walk on the hay itself. Pockets may have already burned out under the top surface. It is a good idea to tie a rope around your waist and have a second person on the other end in a safe location ready to pull you out should the surface of the hay collapse into a fire pocket.

Many farmers sprinkle salt on hay as it is stored, in an effort to prevent hay fires. However, tests have shown that salt has no effect on controlling spontaneous combustion. Dry ice, liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas pumped into the hay will prevent combustion by eliminating the oxygen from the hay mass.

Spontaneous combustion is not an accident. By following good storage practices, not only will spontaneous combustion by avoided, but a higher quality of hay will be obtained.

-Information collected from Cornell University Cooperative Extension, University of Tennessee, and Penn State University

Know Your Beef Checkoff Facts!!

If you are a beef producer, you should know about the Beef Checkoff program. Test your knowledge by taking the "My Beef Checkoff Quiz" and maybe you will win a prize. They are giving out prizes for the first quiz takers with all answers correct. Take the quiz to win cool beef handouts!

If you don't know what the beef checkoff is keep reading!

The Beef Checkoff program is funded by the beef producers of America. All producers and importers pay $1 per head on beef and beef products. $0.50 of that $1 dollar is given to your state beef council to invest in statewide programs. Beef Checkoff is designed to pay for marketing and research for the beef industry and increase demand for beef. This is done through six program categories which are promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, and producer communications.

The United State Government created the Beef Promotion and Research Act (The Beef Checkoff Program) with the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff Program was made mandatory in 1988. The Cattlemen's Beef Board under the United States Department of Agriculture administers the Beef Checkoff Program. This board consists of volunteers nominated by beef producers and then appointed by the US Secretary of Agriculture. The Cattlemen's Beef Board certifies the state beef councils, evaluates beef programs, and oversees the collection and spending of checkoff funds.

For more information on the Beef Checkoff Program go to www.beefboard.org .

Information collected from www.mybeefcheckoff.com