May 2015 4-H Flash Newsletter

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May 2015 4-H Flash Newsletter

NM JR Swine Association Pig Jackpot

Livestock Monitor

In the Cattle Markets

Yard & Garden

 

Yard and Garden

May 2, 2015

 

 

Q.   My friend has done some research and found concerns for root veggies planted in tires.  The concern is that root vegetables may absorb chemicals from the tires.  Are there other veggies that may be planted in tires that would not be affected adversely? We want to plant in healthy environments. 

A. Johnson

 

 

A.   I have often seen recommendations to grow potatoes in tire, often stacked so that as the potato plants grow up, another layer of tires and soil may be added to increase the yield in a small area.  I have also heard of concerns that there are materials in the tires that are toxic or potentially toxic.  Like root crops, potatoes could potentially become contaminated.  I found no information about levels of these materials from tires that are necessary to cause the toxic effects, however, I did find information indicating that the amount of material leached or evolved (gaseous materials) from the rubber was greatest in crumb rubber used as mulch.  Smaller the particles of rubber have a greater surface area for leaching of materials.  Intact tires have much less surface area exposed to soil and therefore loose materials slowly.  This was a point expressed by an author discussing the problem of toxic materials in tires used in Earthship rammed earth homes.  An important point brought up by that author was that surface area exposed to sunlight which increased the rate of the loss of material from tires important factor in loss of toxic materials from the tires.  His point was that there was very little tire material exposed to the external environment to leach toxic materials into a home and concluded that this was a beneficial use of old tires.  His comments suggested a solution to the concerns related to tire gardens if even underground crops such as potatoes and root crops were to be grown in tires.  Tires lined on the inside with plastic or treated with non-toxic water-proof paint should have very little loss of toxic materials into the soil.  If the crops were not in contact with the tires and if they were washed and peeled before use, the hazard would be reduced even more.

     However, as you mentioned in your question, there are many other crops that are produced above ground.  Growing crops produced above the soil will further reduce the potential for concerns.  Heavy metals leached from the tires are much less soluble in high pH soils typical in New Mexico and the plants will not be able to absorb these heavy metals and translocate them into the edible parts of the plant.  Even in soils amended with organic matter and less alkaline should be safe for plants with above ground edible parts.  Organic materials that leach from the tires are also not absorbed through plant roots and should not be a problem. Crops to consider are beans, squash, cucumbers, and other climbing plants that may be trellised to keep the fruit from contact with the tires. Tomatoes in cages, corn, and other tall plants may also be considered.  This option will permit beneficial use of old tires and provide an abundance of caution to avoid the concerns about toxic materials from the tires.  Protective coatings covering the tires will further reduce concerns even if the edible part of the crop comes into contact with the tire. 

 

 

 

Send your gardening questions to Yard and Garden, Attn: Dr. Curtis Smith, NMSU Agricultural Science Center, 1036 Miller Rd. SW, Los Lunas, NM 87031. You may also send to cwsmith@nmsu.edu or leave a message at https://www.facebook.com/NMSUExtExpStnPubs.  Curtis W. Smith, Ph.D., is an Extension Horticulture Specialist, retired from New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service.  NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.

 

Cow/Calf Corner

COW/CALF CORNER

The Newsletter

 

From the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

April 27, 2015

 

May cattle market roundup

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

 

It’s nearly May and the April showers continue in the southern plains bringing May forage.  For the first time in a long time parts of western Oklahoma are experiencing flash flooding.  Not only are we enjoying more rain than in many months, but the cumulative effect of continued rains, heavy in some locations, will provide better soil moisture penetration and surface water replenishment than the same moisture total in sporadic rains.

 

The April Cattle on Feed report pegs March feedlot placements fractionally above year ago levels, higher than expected.  Placement consisted of a large increase in placements over 800 pounds with reduced placements for all weights under 800 pounds.  March marketings were 98 percent of year earlier totals with one extra business day this year.  The April 1 on-feed total was equal to the same time last year.  Feedlot placements were up in Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska but down in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.  Nebraska had the largest state cattle on feed total for April 1; exceeding Texas for the third month in a row.  Nebraska briefly exceeded the Texas total last year on May 1for the first time in the current cattle on feed data series back to 1992.

 

One third of the way through 2015, total cattle slaughter for the year to date is down 7.5 percent and beef production is down 5.3 percent.  Total steer and heifer slaughter so far this year is down 7.3 percent, with heifer slaughter leading the decrease, down 8.2 percent.  Total cow slaughter for the year to date is down 7.2 percent, with dairy cow slaughter up 2.1 percent and beef cow slaughter down 17.5 percent. 

 

Reduced heifer and beef cow slaughter indicate that herd expansion is continuing and perhaps accelerating in 2015.  The April 1 inventory of heifers on feed was the lowest quarterly heifer on feed total since October, 1996; near the end of the last complete cyclical expansion in the U.S. beef cattle industry.  Improving moisture conditions in Texas and Oklahoma increase the likelihood that herd expansion plans in those areas will continue.  On January 1, 2015, the combined beef replacement heifer inventories in Texas and Oklahoma accounted for 58 percent of the year over year national increase in beef replacements, which was up 4 percent.

 

 

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services.  References within this publication to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement by Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Yard & Garden

Yard and Garden

April 25, 2015

Q.   I would like to plant some raised beds in the Glorieta area and would like some recommendations about what to plant. I have a drip line irrigation system.

A.   Glorieta and other higher elevation, colder parts of New Mexico, can grow many things.  Some of these plants are those that grow in other parts of the state and some are plants that may be difficult to grow in hotter areas.  You did not mention whether you were considering flowering plants or vegetables, so I will discuss both. 

     In a raised bed there are many plants that can be grown, but you should consider factors regarding climate. A major such consideration is that raised containers can become colder than the surrounding soil since they are above ground and exposed to the cold weather.  They also heat up on the side toward the sun.  Wide fluctuations in day and night container near the edges of the raised bed/container can kill plant roots.  This effect is minimized by large raised beds so that there is sufficient protected root mass far enough away from the edges of the bed. Within 3 to 4 inches of the container or raised bed the roots will have problems, so a container that is at least 12 inches across will have a large zone insulated from the temperature variations along the edge.  Containers, especially smaller containers, can dry very quickly.  In some cases they must be irrigated two or more times a day.  Larger containers and raised beds have fewer problems with this.

     An advantage of raised beds and containers is that the soil placed into each container can be matched to the plants that will be grown in the container.  Very well-drained soils can be engineered for succulents, cacti, and other plants that need drying between irrigations.  Soils that retain moisture can be engineered for plants that need constant, even moisture around their roots.  Plants that need lower pH soils (more acid) than our native soils can be planted in soils engineered for them.  This is a temporary solution because our irrigation water contains dissolved minerals that eventually make the soil more alkaline.  At that time the plants should be repotted in fresh, properly engineered soil.  This will also help avoid salt burn since the minerals in the water accumulate in the soil and cause salt burn symptoms in the plants.

     Examples of flowers you can grow are pansies, calendula, snapdragons, cosmos, hollyhocks, petunias, geraniums and many others.  The first three can take a little frost, but will suffer in the heat.  However, since Glorieta is a lot cooler than most other parts of NM and they should make it through the summer.  Peonies, daylilies, irises, and roses are some perennial flowers that should grow well there.  Vegetables include (but are not limited to) cabbage, lettuce, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. for cool season, early planting.  Chiles, tomatoes, corn, beans, squash, and many other warm season vegetables can be grown, but should be planted later when there is no longer a chance for frost.  Several types of herbs can also be grown.  These include basil, dill, oregano, fennel, and others.

     Some growing season extension techniques may be employed in your area.  You can use various covering materials to get an early start and protect the plants from late freezing weather. 

     For a few years I helped with the gardens at Glorieta Conference Center and observed that a big problem was deer and other wildlife damage to the plants.  The deer did a lot of damage.  Raised beds alone may not help, but a barrier of fencing around the beds may be sufficient to minimize damage by deer and rabbits.  Deer do not like to step on crumpled chicken wire placed on the ground around the raised beds, so that may be something temporary to help protect against deer.  Rabbits will take more effort.

     The drip irrigation will need special attention.  It should be drained before freezing weather can cause ice to form in the tubing.  Water expands as it freezes and can cause the tubing to burst.  This can be a problem in the spring as well as fall and winter.  Provision for draining should be considered when installing a drip system.  Drip irrigation systems must also be checked frequently to replace any clogged emitters.  A good filter can help reduce the problem of clogging, but replacement will still be necessary periodically.

Send your gardening questions to Yard and Garden, Attn: Dr. Curtis Smith, NMSU Agricultural Science Center, 1036 Miller Rd. SW, Los Lunas, NM 87031. You may also send to cwsmith@nmsu.edu or leave a message at https://www.facebook.com/NMSUExtExpStnPubs.  Curtis W. Smith, Ph.D., is an Extension Horticulture Specialist, retired from New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service.  NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.

4-H Judging Contests

4-H Contest Time!! If you are interested in participating in any of the below contests you can call the Extension Office 396-2819 or comment below.

Consumer Decision Making
Entomology
Home Economics Bowl
Home Economics Skill-a-thon
Horse Judging
Horse Bowl
Horticulture
Impromptu Public Speaking (Senior Only)
Fashion Revue
Favorite Food Show
Land Judging
Livestock Judging
Livestock Skill-a- Thon
Meats Judging
Parliamentary Procedure
Poetry (Novice/Junior Only)
Prepared Public Speaking
Presentations (Demonstrations)
Talent Show (Senior Only)
Wool Judging
Wildlife


Contest Practice Schedule:
 Wildlife- May 26th: 9am– 12 noon
               June 1st: 9am-12 noon
                June 8th: 9am-12 noon

Consumer Decision Making (CDM) May 27 & 28th : 9-11am
                                                           June 10th: 9-11am
Horticulture- May 27 & 28th : 12-2pm
                      June 10th: 12-2pm

Horse Bowl- May 27 & 28th : 2-4pm
                     June 10th: 2-4pm

Fashion Revue– By Appointment Only– Call the Extension Office

Cow/Calf Corner

COW/CALF CORNER

The Newsletter

From the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

April 20, 2015

In this Issue:

Keep or cull open replacement heifers?? (and buyer beware!)

Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist

Oklahoma forage conditions improving

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

Keep or cull open replacement heifers?? (and buyer beware!)

Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist

For some Oklahoma cow calf operations, the bulls go into the breeding pasture with replacement heifers in mid-April.  As the bulls are being removed from the replacement heifers in two months, this would be an ideal time to call and make arrangements with your local veterinarian to have those heifers evaluated for pregnancy after another 60 days. In two months after the breeding season, experienced palpaters should have no difficulty identifying which heifers are pregnant and which heifers are not pregnant (open). Those heifers that are determined to be "open" after this breeding season, should be strong candidates for culling.

Culling these heifers immediately after pregnancy checking serves three very useful purposes.

1)      Identifying and culling “open” heifers early will remove sub-fertile females from the herd. Lifetime cow studies were conducted at a USDA experiment station in Montana. Over the span of 23 years, 1589 replacement heifers were exposed to bulls. Over that number of years 266 heifers were found to be “open” after their first breeding season. All of these "open" heifers were kept in the herd for an average of about 4 years. From the 1006 opportunities to become pregnant that followed, only 551 calves were produced.  In other words, when the heifers that failed to breed in the first breeding season were followed throughout their lifetimes, they averaged a 54.9% yearly calf crop. Despite the fact that reproduction is not a highly heritable trait, it also makes sense to remove this genetic material from the herd so as to not proliferate females that are difficult to get bred.

2)      Culling open heifers early will reduce production costs. If the rancher waits until next spring to find out which heifers do not calve, the winter feed expense will still be lost and there will be no calf to help eventually pay the bills. This is money that can better be spent in properly feeding cows that are pregnant and will be producing a salable product at weaning time.

3)      Identifying the open heifers shortly (60 days) after the breeding season is over will allow for marketing the heifers while still young enough to go to a feedlot and be fed for the “choice” beef market. The grading change of several years ago had a great impact on the merchandising of culled replacement heifers.  "B" maturity carcasses (those estimated to be 30 months of age or older) are much less likely to be graded choice. Therefore, it is imperative to send heifers to the feedlot while they are young enough to be fed for 4 to 5 months and not be near the "B" maturity age group.

Certainly the percentage of open heifers will vary from ranch to ranch. Do not be concerned, if after a good heifer development program and adequate breeding season, that you find that 10% of the heifers still are not bred. These are the very heifers that you want to identify early and remove from the herd.  Resist the temptation to “roll them over” to a fall-calving herd if they have failed to breed in a spring breeding season.

Producers that are buying replacement females (at a quite hefty price) need to be wary of heifers that were exposed to bulls or artificial insemination/clean-up bulls and remain non-pregnant.  This is the easiest opportunity to become pregnant that they will have.  If they are still open after that first breeding season, they may be infertile at worst, or sub-fertile compared to other heifers.  Remember the old Montana data that suggests that they will be 55% calf crop females the rest of their lives. 

Oklahoma forage conditions improving

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

Most of Oklahoma has received significant rain the past 10 days with totals generally ranging from one to three inches, with localized totals over 8 inches.  Some of the best rain fell in some of the worst drought area of western Oklahoma.  Much of northern Texas and the Texas Panhandle also received good rain.  While this moisture does not eliminate all the drought conditions, the timing is superb for forage growth, not to mention the wheat crop in the region. 

This moisture ensures initial forage growth in warm-season pastures and provides producers an opportunity to assess the health of those rangelands after extended periods of stress.  The temptation will be to stock pastures too heavily and too early.  Patience and discipline are needed to ensure forage recovery and long term productivity.  However, producers may finally be able to plan production offensively compared to being always on the defense. 

Cattle and beef markets have continued strong on continued tight supplies.  Calf and stocker prices have holding close to spring highs on good summer grazing demand, which may be extended a bit with the recent rains.  Limited numbers of wheat graze-out feeder cattle will be marketed over the next month, mostly in May.  Feeder cattle prices have been steady; limited by the sharp discount on deferred Live Cattle futures.  Cull cow prices in April are about 9 percent higher than this time last year on reduced cow slaughter.  Total cow slaughter is down 7.3 percent for the year to date compared to one year ago, with a 1.9 percent increase in dairy cow slaughter partially offsetting a 17.5 percent year over year decrease in beef cow slaughter.  Total steer and heifer slaughter is down 6.8 percent for the year to date from last year, with heifer slaughter down 7.6 percent so far this year.  Reduced heifer and cow slaughter in 2015 suggests that herd expansion is continuing.

Choice boxed beef averaged the fourth highest weekly average in history last week with Select boxed beef at the fifth highest weekly average.  Fed cattle traded lower at $160-$161/cwt. in the southern plains last week.  Seasonal supplies will build into May and June and push fed cattle prices lower into summer but how much lower is a question. Feedlot placements have been down year over year for 11 of the past 12 months and were down 7.5 percent in the November through February period. This is a total of 536 thousand head fewer cattle placed over the four months.  Placements are expected to be down again for March in the upcoming April Cattle on Feed report.  Live Cattle futures have stubbornly maintained a sharp discount to current cash markets based on normal seasonal summer price declines and beef demand concerns.   Reduced placements in recent months suggest that seasonal supply pressure will be less than typical going into summer and, despite record wholesale and retail beef price ratios to other meats, there is little indication that beef prices are weakening relative to pork and poultry prices for the foreseeable future.  I suspect that fed cattle prices will get through the summer at higher levels than futures currently indicate, likely averaging in the mid to upper $150 range.

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services.  References within this publication to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement by Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service.

Yard & Garden

Yard and Garden

April 18, 2015

Q.   Our piñon trees are infested with scale (little black specks turning the needles yellow). What can we do to save them?

Sylvia R.

Via University-Wide Extension web site

A.   Your piñon trees have a common pest of piñon, the piñon needle scale.  They rarely kill piñon trees quickly, but make them weak and susceptible to other problems such as attack by borer insects and drought.  These small insects cause slow debilitation of trees by reducing the number of functional needles on the trees.  With fewer needles to capture sunlight and feed the tree through photosynthesis, the trees become weaker over time. 

     The black specks you described on the needles are a waxy material the insect makes to cover itself for protection.  This waxy “house” protects the insects from drying and from some predators.  The yellowing needles you described are the symptoms of their feeding on the needles.  You will notice that there is a tuft of green needles at the ends of the twigs with a cluster of yellowed needles immediately behind the green needles, and usually no needles on the twigs after that.  The green needles are needles that formed last year after the scale had infested the needles formed the previous year.  These infested needles will fall from the twigs this year and the needles that formed last year will become infested this year.  A small tuft of new needles will form this year and maintain the appearance described above.

     The adult needle scale insects usually leave their protective coverings in late winter and migrate down the tree.  The female insects then lay their eggs on the underside of branches, on the trunk, and in debris at the base of the tree.  A simple and effective way to reduce the effect of piñon needle scale on your tree is to remove the eggs from the tree.  The eggs are contained in a dirty-white material that looks much like strands of yarn or very think spider webbing on the underside of branches, the trunk, and the debris.  Using a broom to sweep most of this material from the tree or a strong jet of water to wash it away removes the eggs and reduces the infestation of the new needles as they form.  If you can collect the egg masses and destroy them, then there will be few new insects to infest the needles that form this year. 

     If you want to have an even greater impact on the piñon needle scale infestation you can watch for the newly hatched insects moving back up the tree to settle down on the green needles that formed last year.  These “crawler” phase insects are very small and most easily detected by holding a black or light colored piece of construction paper below the needles.  Then you can sharply strike the branch and needles above the paper with a gloved hand (gloved to protect you from needles punctures).  If you see very small specks moving around on the paper after this test you have discovered the crawlers.  If you wish you may then spray the tree (on a windless day) with insecticides labeled to control scale on ornamental conifers.  An insecticide containing the active ingredient acephate™ is often effective when the crawlers are present.  This is not an organic material and if the eggs were sufficiently removed, treatment with insecticide will not be essential.  If you missed removing the eggs before they hatched  chemical treatment may be the only way to manage the problem this year.  However, since this insect is unlikely to kill the tree quickly, you can wait and remove the egg masses as soon as they appear next year if you prefer not to use chemicals.

     An interesting note about this insect is that although they normally leave their protective covering to deposit their eggs in the late winter, they were observed out of the coverings and laying eggs in the autumn last year in Santa Fe.  So, egg mass removal can begin earlier in some years.

Send your gardening questions to Yard and Garden, Attn: Dr. Curtis Smith, NMSU Agricultural Science Center, 1036 Miller Rd. SW, Los Lunas, NM 87031. You may also send to cwsmith@nmsu.edu or leave a message at https://www.facebook.com/NMSUExtExpStnPubs.  Curtis W. Smith, Ph.D., is an Extension Horticulture Specialist, retired from New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service.  NMSU and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.