Ag News and Views: July 2006

Like us, many producers purchase inputs such as fuel, fertilizer, hay and feed in bulk quantities in order to obtain price discounts. Although this can be viewed as "smart shopping" on the part of the producer, it has serious implications to farm management decisions if the bulk-purchased inputs are not expensed across the enterprises correctly.

With the end of the spring breeding season coming to a close, it's time to start planning the next step for the cows in your herd - pregnancy evaluation. Pregnancy evaluation in cattle is an important and valuable management tool. Checking the pregnancy status of your cow herd allows you to make timely culling decisions and focus your resources on the sound, reliable breeders in the herd.

If you were creating a list of important wildlife plants for the Noble Research Institute's service area, oaks would certainly be at or near the top of the list.

Planting season for winter pasture is rapidly approaching, and, after the lack of rainfall in our geographic region last fall and winter, there will be less cereal rye and wheat seed available this year. Therefore, if you have not located a source of seed for winter pasture, you'd better start now and reserve your needs as soon as possible.

Cow-calf producers have seen interest rates and energy, fertilizer, freight, corn and hay prices increase over the past few years. There doesn't seem to be any relief in the immediate future. As cost per cow increases, so do break-even prices for weaned calves. How sensitive are the break-evens to fluctuations in costs? What can producers do to improve their operations?

Whether you live in the city or the country, the cost of keeping your garden and landscape watered continues to escalate. To get the most out of your irrigation dollar, consider adopting some of the following moisture management strategies.

Deciding what source to use for summer nitrogen can be difficult, because each has its pros and cons. The deciding factor for most producers is their tolerance for risk versus the cost for each type of nitrogen fertilizer.