Ag Insights August 2024
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Producers Need Best Wheat Variety for Their Operation
Josh Bushong, Area Extension Agronomist
Sowing wheat for pasture is just around the corner. Hopefully farmers are making variety selection promptly and basing their selections on traits best suited for their operations.
There are many agronomic traits one needs to consider when selecting a variety, especially for early sown wheat. These include forage potential, hot soil germination, coleoptile length, disease tolerance, insect tolerance, grazing recovery, grain potential, drought tolerance, and the list can go on and on.
Even though popularity of a variety shouldn’t be the sole decision factor, one could assume they are popular for good reasons. The number one seeded wheat variety in Oklahoma the past three years was Doublestop CL+. Even though it’s a Clearfield traited variety, it no longer has a utility patent or tech fee, but due to its stewardship agreement it has to be purchased as certified seed every year. Green Hammer was second in acres, followed by Smith’s Gold, Gallagher and Showdown. These top five sown varieties were all bred at Oklahoma State University and are available through Oklahoma Genetics Inc.
Choosing a variety can be a challenge, as there are more than 100 different varieties
to select from. Discussions with your Extension educator, agronomist and seed dealer
can help narrow down the list. A great resource is wheat.okstate.edu to find current
research reports.
There are two OSU wheat variety trials located side by side near El Reno. One managed
as a dual-purpose and the other as a grain-only. The DP trial was sown late-September,
seeded at a higher seeding rate and grazed from Nov. 29 to Feb. 23. The GO trial was
sown mid-October. Of the 28 varieties, Showdown had the highest grain yield over the
past three years in the DP trial. For a CoAXium wheat traited variety, LCS Galloway
AX was the highest yield this year.
When growing wheat for forage, one of the easiest ways to get more tonnage is to plant
early. Research conducted from OSU has shown that more forage is produced the earlier
we plant. Some trials show that sowing wheat the first week of September yielded about
twice as much fall forage as a mid-late September planting date. When sowing wheat
this early we can sacrifice some grain potential and some pest issues can occur.
These pests include many viruses, root rots, foliar diseases, hessian flies, wheat
curl mites, wireworms, army cutworms and weeds. Some aid can be made through the use
of seed treatments that include an insecticide and/or a fungicide. These seed treatments
can reduce root/foot rots, bunt, smut, leaf rust, powdery mildew and hessian fly,
as well as reduce aphids that can transmit barely yellow dwarf virus. When selecting
a seed treatment be cautious of grazing restrictions, which can range from 0-45 days
depending on product used.
Mite-transmitted diseases (wheat streak mosaic, high plains disease or Triticum mosaic) can greatly reduce spring forage and grain production when an early fall infection occurs. The best management practice would be to prevent a green bridge prior to sowing the wheat.
A minimum of two weeks of nothing green (including corn, sorghums, volunteer wheat
and other grassy weeds) is needed to allow the wheat curl mite to starve out prior
to wheat seeding. The wheat curl mite still might vector these viruses when invading
from neighboring fields, but the viruses will cause less of an impact due to a later
infection.
The next easiest way to increase fall forage would be to increase your seeding rates.
Several field trials have shown that fall forage will increase with increasing seeding
rates up to five bushels to the acre.
Fall forage can be increased with higher seeding rates, but the economics start to
become a little less favorable after a rate of two bushels to the acre due to seed
costs. Increasing seeding rates as the planting season progresses also can assist
in producing more forage due to less tiller development, but increasing seeding rates
hardly ever makes up for lost forage potential compared to sowing earlier.
Managing soil fertility starts with a soil sample. Acidic soils can limit forage production
as much as anything else. The only solution to fix acidic soils is to apply lime,
but variety selection and banding phosphorus fertilizer in-furrow can help offset
the loss in forage production.
Banding fertilizer with our grain drills is more efficient and economical because it is placed right with the seed and rates can be greatly reduced.
To find out more about variety selection and how to produce decent wheat pasture economically,
visit your local OSU Extension Office.
Minimizing Expenses Important to Ag Operations
Scott Clawson, Area Ag Economics Specialist
Production agriculture is an asset heavy business. Regardless of commodity, there is a laundry list of “things” that we need to do business.
In Oklahoma, that list of assets usually includes land, trucks, tractors, livestock,
hay equipment, and other ranch related items. As cattle prices maintain their strength,
operators could be looking to reinvest those profits into replacing and upgrading
the equipment on the ranch.
The asking price for replacing these assets has been trending higher for quite some time. For this discussion we will focus on machinery and equipment. The May 2024 USDA Agriculture Prices Report shows trucks, tractors, and other machinery are up 29.9%, 39.5%, and 95.1% respectively since 2011.
When discussing the costs of different farm or ranch tasks like fertilizing a field,
spraying herbicides, or baling hay the variable costs are usually known. The cost
of the diesel, urea, or net wrap was just paid and easy to recall.
The more difficult component to quantify is the fixed cost of that activity. Unfortunately,
these fixed costs, some might call them overheads, have been increasing for years
and have had a hand in tightening margins. As the cost of buying equipment increases,
the cost of ownership will likely increase as well.
Depreciation is the loss in value that takes place with equipment over time and use
and is a significant component of what it costs to own an asset. While it is just
one part of fixed costs, it is usually a large component of it. On our taxes, we can
deduct that loss of value as a cost. In practice, we can use it in a more direct way
to cover our actual costs.
These numbers are fictitious and are being used to illustrate how to incorporate your
own estimates. Let’s assume that a new round baler is purchased for $60,000. We estimate
that we will use it for eight years. After that we will be able to get $20,000 as
a salvage value. This would give us an estimate of depreciation cost of $5,000 annually
($60,000-$20,000 / 8 years).
Another way to look at this might be that I plan on this baler baling 12,000 bales (1,500 per year) over its life on our operation. This would calculate to a depreciation cost of $3.33 per bale ($60,000-$20,000 / 12,000 bales).
This cost is not like fuel for example. We will face this expense when it is time
to replace this piece of equipment, not on a daily or annual basis as we use it. A
practical way to look at it would be to simply look at the disparity between your
trade value and the price of the piece of equipment you are replacing it with.
Minimizing this expense will become increasingly important to operations in Oklahoma.
Minimizing this cost is simple on paper but difficult in the field. There are three
ways to minimize depreciation: lower purchase price, increase salvage value, or increase
how long it is used in your operation.
As we look to reinvest profits from strong cattle markets in 2024, some diligence
in the marketplace will be rewarded with more moderate fixed costs.
Longevity and the Investment in Replacements
Scott Clawson, Area Ag Economics Specialist
After several years of either drought or economic induced culling, some producers may be evaluating their beef cow inventory. Several items seem to be coming together to make rebuilding or expansion more favorable. Strong cattle prices, green grass, and ample hay supplies are all in our sights for the near term at least. However, the decision can be complex. Cow longevity surfaces as an important issue for producers to
consider if replacements are raised or purchased. Longevity plays a considerable role
in the profitability of the cow investment.
To evaluate the economics behind buying or raising replacements, establishing a longevity expectation is crucial. Or to put it more simply, how many calves do we expect these females to produce? Talk about a tough question to answer. Our experience would tell us that if we turn out 30 bred heifers a portion of them would still be producing at age ten, and likely some will not be productive at four. How many are on each end of the spectrum becomes very important from an investment perspective.
Ideally, our own production records would tell us what our replacement rate is under
our genetics, production environment and management style. The 2022 CHAPS benchmark
for replacement rate provided by North Dakota State University and their cooperating
producers is 16.3%. Looking at the current state of your cow herd in Oklahoma may
be misleading from an age and longevity standpoint. After several years of drought
and high inputs, the herd may be younger as age plays a factor in many culling decisions.
A look deeper into our records may be required.
So, what does all this mean to the decision of rebuilding or expansion? We all agree that the longer a cow can stay in production the more likely she is to be a profitable cow/investment. If the average age of the cow in the herd is six, that means she has had the opportunity to provide five calves assuming she calved as a two year old. As a result, I am not going to forecast my new replacements to have more longevity than that as a group. As individuals, we know some will outperform and underperform that number.
The most common way to look at the investment is by using a net present value analysis (NPV). The issue with a NPV analysis is that it can’t be compared across time horizons, or we can’t compare a set of replacements that we expect to have five calving opportunities to a set of replacements with the expectation of six calving opportunities. We can however convert it to an equivalent annual annuity (EAA). An EAA lets us compare across time horizons by converting the NPV to an annuity or annual payment concept. The graph shows an EAA example on a $2,400 bred heifer assuming all other conditions stay equal.
A few quick takeaways from this graph. First, the importance of the rebreeding rate of first calf heifers is critical. Second, this example (your operation will calculate different) shows that it will take five calves to pay back the investment with the 10% discount rate applied. Lastly, it reinforces the importance of cows that can stay around the herd for six plus calving seasons.
For more help or information on budgeting, NPV or EAA, contact your local OSU Extension Office.
Prussic Acid Toxicity
Barry Whitworth, DVM
Senior Extension Specialist/BQA State Coordinator
Department of Animal & Food Sciences
Ferguson College of Agriculture
Cattle producers throughout the state have been reporting cattle losses from cyanide/prussic acid toxicity. Some producers have expressed surprise that cyanide/prussic acid is a problem since there has been an overall abundance of moisture in the state this spring. According to the Mesonet website, precipitation has been near or above normal for many parts of the state. However, as of July 1st, the same website revealed several counties that have recently been dry. These counties have received less than one quarter of an inch of rain, and during this same period, temperatures have skyrocketed. High temperatures and no rain for short periods of time stress plants. This stress leads to certain plants becoming toxic, including plants in the sorghum family.
Hydrocyanic acid (HCN), also referred to as cyanide or prussic acid, is the toxin in these plants that causes problems. The toxin is created when the harmless hydrocyanic glycosides in plants are stressed and break down. Once the hydrocyanic glycosides in the plants are damaged, they quickly convert to prussic acid which can kill an animal within minutes when consumed. When cattle ingest the plants high in hydrocyanic glycoside and break them down by chewing, the prussic acid is released in the rumen and absorbed into the blood stream. Once in the circulatory system, the toxin prevents cells in the body from taking up oxygen. The blood becomes saturated with oxygen which cannot be absorbed by the cells which is why normally dark venous blood appears bright red. The clinical signs are excitement, muscle tremors, increased respiration rate, excess salivation, staggering, convulsions, and collapse. The cattle actually die of asphyxiation.
In plants, especially in the sorghum family, prussic acid is highest in the leaves of young plants with the upper leaves containing the very highest amounts. The amount of prussic acid increases when the plant is stressed such as in drought situations or following a frost. Fertilizing with large amounts of nitrogen can also increase potential for prussic acid toxicity as does nitrogen and phosphorus soil imbalances. Certain sorghum families are more prone to prussic acid toxicity than others. For example, Johnson grass has a high potential for toxicity while Pearl or Foxtail millet are low. When planting sorghums for grazing, producers may want to check the toxic potential of the particular variety.
When producers encounter animals displaying clinical signs of prussic acid toxicity,
they should immediately remove all the animals that appear normal to a new pasture
and contact their veterinarian. The veterinarian will treat the sick animals that
reverse the toxicity. Treatment can result in a full recovery if initiated quickly.
Producers may want to take the following steps to prevent prussic acid toxicity:
- Never turn hungry cattle into a new pasture
- Take soil samples and fertilize accordingly
- Graze mature plants
- Wait until plants are cured before grazing after frost (usually at least 7 days)
- Rotate pastures to keep cattle from consuming lush regrowth
- Place 1 or 2 cows in a pasture and observe for problems before turning in all the cattle
Plants can be tested for prussic acid, but it can be challenging. If not done properly, producers may get a false since of security. The best practice is to visit with your local veterinarian or Local Oklahoma State University County Extension Agriculture Educator before grazing forages that may contain prussic acid. A fact sheet that contains information about prussic acid is available from Oklahoma State University. The fact sheet title is Prussic Acid Poisoning PSS-2904.
Oklahoma Gold Programs Boost Late Summer Gains
Dana Zook, NW OK Area Livestock Specialist
There is no doubt the summer heat has arrived! July 4th rains were a true gift but it’s likely with more heat forecasted, summer range quality will take a hit over the next few months. Producers with summer calves on pasture might be considering management to maintain gains on calves through the fall. Oklahoma State University researchers have proven that late summer protein supplementation can boost gains even when grass quality decreases.
Most producers are fully aware that heat paired with low rainfall leads to lowered
forage quality of both native range species and bermuda grass in late summer. Summer
calf gains could be rocking along at 2-3 pounds per head daily in early summer and
then plummet to only 1 pound when grass quality reduces in late July and August. This
is due primarily to a reduction of protein availability in the diet. Protein is a
nutrient required by both the rumen microbial population and the animal. When protein
is limited, cattle will not perform at optimum levels.
Enter the Oklahoma Gold Program. This program was developed to complement lower quality
forage by providing a small package protein supplement to cattle. Research has proven
that forage intake was increased 20% to 30% and digestibility 15-20% when cattle were
supplemented with 1 pound of a 38% protein supplement daily. Increased efficiency
comes from the increased utilization of the forage. Yes, cattle will increase forage
consumption and there may be times when increased pasture use may require the early
shipment of cattle.
The Oklahoma Super Gold program is another similar program designed to complement late summer grasses. Like the Gold program, Super Gold provides 2.5 pounds of a 25% protein supplement daily. In total, this will offer slightly more protein than the Gold program and may be a better fit for lighter calves that may have a higher protein requirement.
If necessary, both programs can be fed every other day without any effect on performance.
With the Oklahoma Gold Program, this would equate to 2 pounds every other day of a
38% protein supplement. In the Super Gold program, alternate day feeding would provide
5 pounds of a 25% supplement. These programs are also intended for cattle on pastures
with abundant grass. Gains will not be improved in situations where the amount of
forage is lacking.
The programs can also incorporate the use of an Ionophore such as Rumensin or Bovatec to further increase efficiency. Research would suggest that daily feeding offers the best performance of these products. Note that Rumensin can be fed every other day, however Bovatec is labeled to fed on a daily basis. More information about ionophore inclusions and blending instructions can be found in the factsheet referenced below.
A variety of different feedstuffs will work in this program, as long as they meet
the protein level of the programs. If you are interested in incorporating the OK Gold
or Super Gold programs into your operation this summer, contact your local county
Extension Educator or Area Specialist today.
More information can be found at beefextension.okstate.edu. At this website, search
for Oklahoma Gold for informational factsheets on these two programs. Happy Summer!
Extension Experience – Insights into Oklahoma Agriculture
The Extension Experience podcast is brought to you by Josh Bushong and Dana Zook. Biweekly episodes provide perspectives on Agriculture topics and offer insight from our experience working with OSU Extension Educators and producers across Oklahoma.
The Extension Experience podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcast platforms.The
Extension Experience podcast is brought to you by Josh Bushong and Dana Zook. Biweekly
episodes provide perspectives on Agriculture topics and offer insight from our experience
working with OSU Extension Educators and producers across Oklahoma.
The Extension Experience podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcast platforms.
You can also access the episodes on our blog.
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We hope you consider listening to the Extension Experience.