Chute-Side Vaccine Handling
Most producers know to put their modified-live vaccines (MLV) in a cooler as soon as they purchase them. But they often drop the ball chute side.
The same heat and light that can damage the vaccine on the way home gets it at processing time.
"Always limit exposure of vaccines and syringes to sunlight and heat while you are processing cattle," says Ronald Gill, Texas A&M Extension livestock specialist.
"Keep the working bottle, or the bottle with the mixed product, in a cooler with the syringes—not on your tailgate or on top of a barrel." Gill also advises keeping unused and unmixed product in a refrigerator or closed cooler until needed.
Timing is critical too. Gill says don't mix up more vaccine than you can use in 30 minutes or it will lose effectiveness.
Are your pastures dead or dormant?
If drought and high summer temperatures did a major number on your pastures or hay fields, it may be hard to tell if they are dead or merely dormant.
First, ask yourself a few questions. Are your perennial pastures mostly warm-season or cool-season forages?
"Warm-season species are generally more heat- and drought-tolerant than cool-season species," says Don Ball, Auburn University Extension forage specialist. "So cool-season forages are much more likely to have died. Usually drought will not kill warm-season pastures or hay fields more than 1 year old."
Second, think about stresses other than heat and drought your forages may have endured. Stress, such as overgrazing, is cumulative.
"Pastures that were in particularly good condition before a drought are much more likely to have survived than those that were already under some type of stress when the drought began," says Ball.
Third, take a hard look at the plants. "If there is even a small amount of green leaf tissue on forage plants, they are still alive," says Ball.
On cool-season perennials, if there isn't any green present, they may be dormant. Split the crown of the plant with a pocket knife. If the center of the crown is creamy—not brown—it is probably alive. If the roots are firm and not withered, that is another good sign.
Ball adds, "If viable (non-withered) buds are on the crown of the plants, they are probably still alive. In areas where soil moisture is good, cool-season perennials should start greening up when night temperatures reach the mid-50s to mid-60s, and daytime temperatures are in the mid-70s to mid-80s."
Limit-feeding hay
If you're short on hay this winter, you might want to consider limit-feeding it to your cows.
Johnny Rossi, University of Georgia Extension animal scientist, says, "Feeding square bales, using a tub grinder, unrolling bales or limiting the amount of time cows have access to hay can all limit hay intake."
If you are limit-feeding hay, Rossi says it is vital that all the cows have access to the hay at the same time.
That's not hard to do if you're unrolling it, but if you have round bales in rings it gets more difficult. In this case you have to have enough hay rings for all the cows to eat at once, and you have to keep the cows and the hay separate for most of the day.
"It may be difficult to get the cows away from the hay before they are full," adds Rossi. So feed the hay first, before you feed the concentrate. The concentrate can be used to lure the cows away from the hay.
"Limit-feeding hay may mean hungry-acting cows for the first couple of weeks, but they'll adjust to the new feeding schedule," says Rossi. Make sure cows have access to hay for at least 45 minutes a day to get enough roughage to maintain good rumen health.
Other feeds like winter grazing, grains and byproduct feeds can help make up the difference in needed protein and energy. In general, 1 pound of grain or byproduct feed can replace 11/2 to 2 pounds of hay.