The Cattleman’s Dilemma


undesirable alternatives. It seems as if many of life’s decisions could be classified as a dilemma. This certainly seems like the appropriate word to describe many decisions made by cattle produc- ers. However, many times that dilemma is actually an opportunity to take a risk or make a change that could be ex- tremely advantageous to the operation or be a costly mistake. Situations such as


T


drought, a bull getting in with the cows at the wrong time, and cattle not performing as ex- pected may all create a dilemma. For instance, the dilemma created by drought may mean ei- ther marketing calves earlier than anticipated, purchasing more feed, or culling the herd. How- ever, another alternative may be to sell out and custom graze cattle for someone else or to sea- sonally graze some pur- chased cattle. Similarly, what are the decisions to


DR. ANDREW P. GRIFFITH KNOXVILLE, TENN.


he word dilemma means to choose be- tween two equally


be made if the bull gets in with the cows at an in- opportune time? A pro- ducer could leave the bull in with the cows and let the thing ride, give them all a shot of prostaglandin to abort any bred animals, or pull the bull as quickly as possible and then put the bull in at the correct time. Another alternative would be to pregnancy check the cows at some point along the way and market any animals that will not fit the desired calving season as bred females. The point in all of this


is to say that coron- avirus has placed many cattle producers in a dilemma. The most obvi- ous dilemma was when to market cattle. As soon as it was evident that coronavirus was going to be around for a while, cattle prices declined quickly. With the decline in prices, cattle produc- ers were faced with the dilemma of selling cattle in the depressed market, holding the cattle a short period with the hope prices would improve, or retaining ownership in the feedlot. Unfortu- nately, many producers who held cattle in March and April were forced to move those cattle in May and June which proba- bly did not provide them any benefit from a price standpoint. Similarly, producers who sent cat- tle to the feedlot in Feb- ruary and March are facing the sobering fact


that they will have to market finished cattle on a terrible market which may have made them worse off than if they would have just sold the feeder cattle in the late winter or early spring. Many of the producers who did not market cat- tle in June and July are now faced with the same situation as those in March and April. Now that we are in Au-


paper using the futures market. This strategy is only appropriate for pro- ducers


marketing


gust, a large number of yearling type cattle are expected to be marketed. August is generally a good time to market yearling cattle, because prices begin to season- ally peak. At the same time, there tend to be a lot of cattle sold in Au- gust for October and No- vember delivery. This is an opportunity for pro- ducers to take advantage of the positive nature of prices in August. Will that be a good idea this year? It is difficult to know, because the mar- ket has not rebounded to any degree to provide op- timism. Regardless, pro- ducers in this time period will also face the same dilemma many be- fore them have faced. Ac- tually, some producers will be facing the same dilemma they faced in the previous months. An alternative method


SEE US TODAY.


of facing this dilemma as opposed to holding on to the cattle a couple more months or


retaining


ownership in the feedlot is to sell the cattle and then buy them back on


Weed Control In Wheat Stubble Fields


the soybean to reach ma- turity. Wheat stubble fields not planted with a second crop often be- come populated with a “crop” of summer annual (and sometimes peren- nial) weed species. Un- like


double-crop W


DR. AARON HAGER URBANA, ILL.


heat harvest


marks the end of one


cropping


cycle and the beginning of a second. In parts of central and southern Illi- nois, farmers frequently opt to plant double-crop soybean following wheat harvest, with hopes that the first “killing” frost will be late enough to allow


soybean, farmers should not allow these plants to reach maturity and pro- duce seed. Several different sum-


mer annual weed species populate wheat stubble fields. Common exam- ples include velvetleaf, common ragweed, pig- weed and waterhemp, foxtails, and fall pan- icum. These species are capable of producing large amounts of seed if allowed to reach matu- rity, sowing the seeds that will contribute to


weed control challenges in future growing sea- sons. Farmers have several


options available to con- trol weeds present in wheat stubble fields, in- cluding mowing, tillage and herbicides. Imple- ment these options be- fore the weeds begin to produce seed to realize the greatest long-term success. Mowing can effectively


reduce the amount of weed seed produced by established broadleaf weeds. The shredder or sicklebar mower should be adjusted to cut as close to the soil surface as possible. Mowing does not always eliminate weed seed production as some seed could be pro- duced from plants that


regrow or from tillers present on grasses below the height of cutting. This method can help re- duce seed production of simple perennials (such as common pokeweed), but would do less to con- tain the expansion of perennial species that spread primarily by un- derground rootstocks (such as Canada thistle and johnsongrass). Tillage is a viable op-


tion to control weeds in wheat stubble. Large weeds may be more ef- fectively controlled with an “aggressive” tillage implement (such as a tandem disk) compared with a less-aggressive implement (such as a field cultivator). While ef- fective at controlling


CONTINUED ON PAGE 16


FARMALL B TRACTORS TRACTORS THAT WORK AS HARD AS YOU DO


Thanks to smart design, rugged construction and reliable horsepower, Farmall B Series tractors are able to deliver tons of performance in a compact size. Their fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder, diesel engines provide horsepower ranging from 28 to 47, so you’re sure to find a model that fits the needs of your operation.


50,000 pound lots or more, but it is an alter- native. Such a strategy may be considered spec- ulation by some, be- cause it opens the producer up to unlimited risk since they do not ac- tually own any cattle. However, it may actually be less risky than retain- ing ownership of the cat- tle in the feedlot. If a person sends the cattle to the feedlot with the hope that cattle prices will increase, then that person is taking the risk of the market, risk of cat- tle performance, risk of feed prices, and risk of health issues with the cattle. If they sell the feeder cattle and buy them back on paper then they are only facing the risk of the market. This is not meant to


®


FARMALL B TRACTORS TRACTORS THAT WORK AS HARD AS YOU DO


®


Thanks to smart design, rugged construction and reliable horsepower, Farmall B Series tractors are able to deliver tons of performance in a compact size. Their fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder, diesel engines provide horsepower ranging from 28 to 47, so you’re sure to find a model that fits the needs of your operation.


FARMALL B TRACT TRACTORS THAT WORK AS HARD


®


Thanks to smart design, rugged construction and reliable horsep tractors are able to deliver tons of performance in a compact size 4-cylinder, diesel engines provide horsepower ranging from 28 to find a model that fits the needs of your operation.


SEE US TODAY


advocate utilizing the strategy discussed in this article. This is meant to stretch the readers mind to think of alternatives


to any All rights reserved. Case IH is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC.


dilemma. The alterna- tives most people think about tend to be the ex- tremes. There are many alternatives for folks to evaluate, and they may just be the ticket to suc- cess.


∆


FITH: Assistant Profes- sor, Department


DR. ANDREW P. GRIF- of


Agricultural and Re- source Economics, Uni- versity of Tennessee


Baker Implement Co. www.bakerimp.com


(K) Kennett, MO 573-888-4646


(A) Arbyrd, MO 573-654-3511


(D) Dexter, MO 573-624-8021


(O) Osceola, AR 870-563-6636


(B) Blytheville, AR 870-763-4556


(MA) Malden, MO 573-276-3896


©2005 CNH America LLC. All rights reserved. Case IH is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC. CNH Capital is a trademark of CNH America LLC. www.caseih.com


July 17, 2020 www.mafg.net / MidAmerica Farmer Grower • 9


(PG) Paragould, AR 870-573-6970


(C) Cape


Girardeau,MO 573-335-8226


(PI) Piggott, AR 870-598-3848


(PV) Portageville, MO 573-379-5455


(PB) Poplar Bluff, MO 573-785-9628


Alll rights reserved. Case IH is a registered tradema k o C H A r s r . C e IH is a r d t mark off CNH America LLC. a L All rights reserved. Case IH is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC. AY. MIDAMERICA FARM PUBLICATIONSMIDAMERICA FARM PUBLICATIONS


19 n main street perryville, MO 63775 573-547-2244 www.mafg.net


SEE US TODAY.


Baker Implement Co. 11 Locations


19 n main street perryville, MO 63775 573-547-2244 www.mafg.net


MIDAMERIC


19 n main str perryville, M 573-547-224 www.mafg.ne


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24