susceptible to leaf rust. Some

tried and true varieties are

Ozark and Bob.

Lastly, I will mention annual

ryegrass. Annual ryegrass

will aggressively reseed if

allowed to mature. This

should be kept in mind when

planting in warm season

grasses as it can become a

weed problem but it can also

mean less seed would need to

be replanted the next year. It

is the latest to mature of all

the winter annuals and its

peak production lasts from

May into, as late as, June. It

can be planted from late

January to February as an

emergency spring forage.

Varieties include Marshall,

Jackson and Sumey.

There are several winter

annuals to choose from and

depending on your operation

one may work better than the

other in your forage plan.

Wheat has been used for

years and is generally the

lowest seed cost of winter

annuals. Wheat grows best

between 38-77 degrees and

can provide potential grazing

from February to April.

Varieties that are used

commonly in Arkansas are

Hickory, Jaypee, Jackson and

Madison, just to name a few.

Wheat is the best dual

purpose small grain in that it

can be used for grazing and

for grain harvest.

Rye is the second most

common winter annual grown

and it grows in cooler

temperatures than any of the

others and therefore it tends

to make forage earlier. It is

the earliest to head of all the

winter annuals and it tolerates

the wetter soils better than

most. However, it tends to be

less palatable than other

winter annuals when

livestock are given a choice.

Proven varieties include

Koolgrazer, Elbon, and

Wintergrazer 70.

Triticale is a wheat/rye cross.

It is not as cold tolerant as

rye, but is more palatable. It

combines the best

characteristics of both of its

parents, but is generally

harder to find seed and is

more costly.

Oats is extremely palatable

and heads out slightly later in

spring, but can make more

fall growth than wheat. The

main disadvantage of oats is

its lack of cold tolerance as

compared to the other winter

annuals and it is more

Which Winter Annual is Best for You?

Backyard Egg Production Class to Be Held

There will be a very

informative program about

backyard poultry egg

production on November 5th

at the Marion County

Fairgrounds in Summit,

Arkansas at 6:00pm.

Dr. Dustan Clark, Extension

Poultry Veterinarian with the

University of Arkansas, will

be conducting the class.

Topics to be covered will be

common poultry diseases and

their control, biosecurity,

predator control, basic

husbandry and hobby flock

breeds.

The clinic is being sponsored

by the University of Arkansas

Marion County Cooperative

Extension Service. Come and

spend the evening learning

how to raise poultry for your

own meat and eggs.

No preregistration is required

and there is no fee for this

clinic. For more information

please contact the Marion

County Extension office at

870-449-6349.

Staff:

Renee Myers

County Extension

Agent Staff Chair

Brian See

County Extension

Agent Agriculture

Lauren Milum

Administrative

Specialist

PO Box 386

313 West 7th St.

Yellville, AR 72687

Phone:

870-449-6349

Fax: 870-449-4049

University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture October 2015 Volume 6, Issue 3

Inside this issue:

Hay Testing 2

Common Questions

and Answers

2

Gardening Calendar 2

Cow-calf Profits 3

Small Ruminant

Parasite Control

3

Marion County Agriculture News

Yes, I am talking about it again, hay testing. It is so very important to know what the nutritional value of the hay your feeding is. If you do not know then it’s like fertilizing without a soil test or building a house without a blue print. Winter feeding is all just a guessing game without a hay test. Having a hay test doesn’t mean you will have to spend more money this winter, in fact I hope it will result in saving you money and having more bred cows.

Waiting until you notice your cows condition begin to drop is not economical nor recommended. It’s much easier to maintain body condition than it is to put condition on. Most hay tests

so far this year have been adequate in protein, likely due to hay being fertilized, but it is testing low in TDN (energy) when compared to the nutritional needs of a lactating cow. In many cases, producers will have one or two lots of hay that test exceptionally well when compared to the others they have. Knowing this, you can plan specifically when and what cows to feed the higher quality hay to and possibly negate the need for grain supplementation.

Most everyone's cows have come through this summer in the best condition they have been in years. Many predict they will not be feeding hay until after the first of the year or even later. With such a

short hay feeding season predicted and by using the information gathered from hay test, grain supplementation may not be needed at all, even with lower quality hay. If the cow is in good body condition at the onset of hay feeding season, then only minimal loss in body condition maybe realized. This is the type of planning you can do if a hay test is done.

The cost of hay testing is $18 per test plus shipping. How many pounds of beef would it take to buy $18 worth of hay test? trending down.

November

Shallots

Garlic

Lime Soil

Salad Greens (protected)

Order Catalogs

Lettuce in Cold Frame

Collards

Turnips

Cover Crops

Test Soil

October

Cover Crops

Winter Peas

Lettuce

Shallots

Garlic

Collards

Mustard

Kohlrabi

Turnips

Spinach

December

Garlic

Lime Soil

Salad Green (protected)

Order Catalogs

Lettuce in Cold Frame

Salad Greens

English Peas

Test Soil

Order Seed

It’s Not too Late to Test Hay

Garden Planting Guide

Common Questions and Answers

signs, one possibility is

that there was some

internal damage to the

branch earlier this year or

even a couple of years ago

as a result of ice, snow, or

wind. Think of it as a

small fracture. As the

branch continues to grow,

more and more weight

accumulates on the

branch. Eventually the

stress fracture "gives" and

the branch fails.

Q: How can my child

become involved with

4-H?

A: Call our office. And we

will be glad to help you

find a 4-H club in your

area or start a new one!

Q: Is perilla mint

poisonous when baled in

hay?

A: Yes, it remains

poisonous when baled with

hay.

Q: Only certain limbs on

my oak tree seem to be

dying, why?

A: It’s hard to say, but if

there are no other clinical

Page 2 Marion County Agriculture News

“Perilla mint

poisonous?”

“Hay testing

will result in

saving you

money”

Calf prices will behave seasonally in the second half of 2015 – averaging $267/cwt for the year. A larger fall run in 2015 will be followed by a larger 2016 calf crop as the US cow herd expands at near record pace. Calves should average $237/cwt in 2016 which means weaned calves will bring $150 per head less in 2016 than 2015. In addition to a lower selling price, expect cow cost to increase 3 to 4% annually for the next 4 to 5 years. For example, if it cost $700 (indirect and overhead cost combined) to run a cow, costs will increase to $724 in 2016 and $750 in 2017.

To put the drop in selling price and increase in the operating cost into perspective, consider this: with a $150 decrease of the selling value of a weaned calf and a $24 increase in the cow cost, a cow calf producer is giving up a total of $174 per calf in 2016. Therefore, for every 10 calves that’s $1,740 a cow-calf producer must manage around. During the last couple of years, profits were rather easy to come by, but there is change in the wind. The next couple of years it’s going to be very important to become a cost manager by implementing management practices that make money and market

calves that return profits to your pocket. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is here to help you cut cost where you can in your operation and implement practices that will generate a better return for your dollar. Visit our website at www.uaex.edu and find our Facebook page @ UAEX Marion County.

Cow-Calf Profit will become Tighter and Tighter

Small Ruminant Parasite Control

The methods for controlling internal parasites in sheep and goats has changed over the last few

years. The most clinically significant nematode parasite, Haemonchus contortus (barber-pole

worm), has developed resistance to most dewormers on the market. With the constant movement

of animals from farm to farm, these resistant worms are traveling with the animals and

contaminating new farms. So without effective dewormers we are left with using alternative

measures which concentrate more on proper management of pastures, limited use of dewormers

and better culling practices. The 4 P’s of parasitism are: permanent pasture perpetuates

parasitism.

Sound pasture management consists of minimizing stocking rates and using “safe” pastures.

Safe pastures are those not grazed by sheep or goats for 3 months in the warm season and 6

months in the cool season. It should be noted, however, that deworming all animals before

moving to a safe pasture is not recommended. Keeping animals in a dry lot for 48-72 after

deworming allows the eggs (which aren’t killed by dewormers) that have already been laid to

pass in the feces and remain on the dry lot instead of contaminating pasture.

To make control recommendations, it is essential to know which dewormers might still work on

a farm and to what degree. There are two ways to determine this information. The first requires

a vet to perform fecal egg counts, deworm the animals, and repeat the fecal egg count a week

later. This has to be done for each dewormer. The second method is the Drenchrite test offered

through the University of Georgia. Reference: www.lsuagcenter.com

Volume 6, Issue 3

“Dry lot for 48-72

hours after

deworming”

Page 3

“It’s going to be

very important to

become a cost

manager”

It is my pleasure to serve the people of Marion County. "The Arkansas

Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons

regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin,

religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any

other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity

Employer. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service is an equal opportunity/

equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable

accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact

your County Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible.

Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay."

Sincerely,

Brian See

Brian See

County Extension Agent – Agriculture

Email: bsee@uaex.edu

In Closing…