Animal Production
-
This publication contains English-Spanish translations of common dairy reproduction terminology to help producers better use Spanish to evaluate reproductive management and communicate with employees.
|
-
Understanding the concept of basis is a key element in developing a sound marketing plan. Basis refers to the relationship between a commodity’s cash price in a local market and its futures market price. A more formal definition of basis is the difference between the cash price and the futures price for the time, place and quality where delivery actually occurs. Even if a producer never uses the commodity futures market directly, knowledge of the basis can be of great value when making marketing decisions.
|
-
One of the greatest risks cattle producers face is price risk. Price changes can come in the form of declining cattle prices for sellers, increasing cattle prices for buyers or increasing feed prices for feed users. Because of this risk, producers might want to “insure” feeder cattle, fed cattle or feed against unfavorable price movements, while still being able to take advantage of favorable price movements. Cattlemen have this opportunity by using the commodity options market.
|
-
In today’s farming environment of extreme price volatility and large debt commitments, most livestock producers need the security of one or more of the advantages offered by price risk management. Livestock producers who are selling products or purchasing inputs can do one of two things when making pricing decisions: accept the market price when they are ready to deliver products or purchase inputs, or reduce input and product price risks by using price risk management tools. One of these price risk management opportunities is available through futures markets contracts. This publication explains how livestock producers can use futures markets to manage price risk.
|
-
C 1048
Oxygen Depletion in Ponds
Fish ponds may experience a loss of oxygen at any time of the year, depending on the weather and amount of nutrient enrichment the pond has received; however, most oxygen depletions occur in warm weather and usually follow a period of cloudy, overcast conditions. Low oxygen concentration in pond water means stress and possibly death for the pond fish. When fish die from low oxygen, there can be serious financial consequences for commercial fish operations; for example, largemouth bass, bream and grass carp can be worth more than $3,000.00 per acre. Therefore, pond owners should consider a plan to provide aeration for their ponds before oxygen depletions occur.
|
-
Dry weather tests pond design limits for water retention, watershed area and depth. Without adequate rainfall, ponds and the property around them lose value and the pond owner can lose the fish or have to spend substantial amounts of money for weed control or pond renovation. Over the past decade, drought conditions have been the normal weather pattern across the southeastern United States. Pond design and water management options should be considered each year to plan ahead for drought effects.
|
-
Financial data for the year 2005 were collected from participating dairy farms and screened for completeness and validity. Each dairy farm then received a benchmark report detailing its financial results compared to the average results for the other participants and the six dairy farms with the highest net farm income per cwt. This benchmark report is discussed with the dairy farms to identify challenges and opportunities for improvement. This publication is a summary of the financial performance of the dairy farms that participated in 2005. It is intended for general use by dairy farmers, the allied industry, government, and educational professionals.
|
-
This publication contains an Excel spreadsheet to help poultry producers calculate the ideal number of birds to group into pens based on their operations and goals.
|
-
Prevalence of mastitis in unbred, breeding-age and pregnant dairy heifers is higher than formerly realized. Infected
mammary quarters, especially those with Staph. aureus IMI, exhibit reduced mammary gland secretory
potential, marked leukocyte infiltration and the accompanying inflammation. Both nonlactating and lactating
commercial antibiotic infusion products have been used successfully to cure existing infections and reduce SCC,
and nonlactating therapy prevents new IMI with environmental streptococci. However, the goal is to prevent
new infections from occurring in these young dairy animals through management strategies aimed at vaccination,
use of teat seals, fly control and dietary supplementation. As global milk quality standards
become more stringent, management practices based on curing existing infections and preventing new IMI
in heifers will ensure that these young dairy animals enter the milking herd free of mastitis and with low SCC.
Such practices should be considered for incorporation into dairy herd health programs in herds suffering from a
high prevalence of heifer mastitis, especially mastitis caused by Staph. aureus. Not only do these practices reduce
new infections in first-calf heifers at parturition, they also reduce the introduction of Staph. aureus to the milking
herd.|