Buckeye Meat Goat Newsletter

Volume 6, Issue 1                                                                       May 2008

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An educational publication of the Southern Ohio Meat Goat Task Force

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Our Mission:  To enhance the production and marketing of

meat goats through educational and practical experiences.

INDEX:

FORAGES FOR GOATS SUMMER FIELD DAY

BLACK VULTURE CONTROL:  THE INDEMNITY PROCESS

NITROGEN MANAGEMENT FOR PASTURE

CRESSLEAF GROUNDSEL

GRADED MEAT GOAT SALE RESULTS

OSU Extension embraces human diversity and is committed to ensuring that all educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, age, gender identity or expression, disability, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or veteran status.

Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Director, OSU Extension TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868

FORAGES FOR GOATS SUMMER FIELD DAY

Join us at Boers Inc. Meat Goat Farm owned and operated by the Scarpitti family located at 4395 Richland Road NE, in the scenic rural community of Pleasantville in Fairfield County. This small farm operation is home to a registered seedstock Boer Goat herd comprised of sixty does, bucks and young stock. Mark Scarpitti has developed a grazing system utilizing diverse types of forages as a holistic approach to reducing internal parasites and enhancing animal performance. This holistic system incorporates cool and warm season forages as well as forages containing moderately high levels of condensed tannins. You will not want to miss this field event which features walking tours of grazing paddocks, barbecue for lunch and several presentations relating to designing a holistic system which is economically viable for Meat Goat enterprises.

BLACK VULTURE CONTROL:  THE INDEMNITY PROCESS
Jeff Pelc, Wildlife Biologist USDA/APHIS, Wildlife Services, Tim Fine, Extension Program Assistant, Miami County

Black Vultures have become a serious pest in certain areas of Ohio.  This article will focus on the procedures necessary to report a predation loss by black vultures to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) for reimbursement under the indemnity program.

There are certain procedural steps that must be followed when dealing with losses due to Black Vulture predation.  In most cases, if these procedures are not followed, compensation by ODA for your losses may not be granted.

1.       Notify your local dog warden by telephone within 72 hours after the loss or injury has been discovered. The dog warden shall promptly visit your farm to determine whether the kill was by a predator or not.  If the dog warden determines that the kill was not by a predator then no further steps need to be taken as there is no claim under the ODA indemnity program.

2.       Document, by photograph, the injuries sustained by the animal.  This should be done immediately after contacting the dog warden.  Do not wait for the determination as to whether the kill was by a predator or not.  It is advised to leave the animal where it lay for investigative purposes.

3.       Obtain an indemnification form from the dog warden.  This form will need to be filled out and sent to ODA within 30 days of discovery of the animal by the owner.  Photos taken of the injuries and any other pertinent facts shall accompany this document.  You may request assistance from the dog warden in filling out the indemnification form.  If the animal injured or killed is a registered animal, then registration papers should also accompany the indemnification form.

4.       If the dog warden determines that the kill was by a predator then he/she must promptly contact by telephone the county’s wildlife officer.

5.       Following the notification from the dog warden, the wildlife officer must confirm, disaffirm, or state that he/she is uncertain about the determination of the dog warden on the claim. If the wildlife officer disaffirms the claim of the dog warden, the owner has no claim under the ODA indemnity program.

6.       If the wildlife officer affirms or states that he/she is uncertain about the determination of the dog warden, the wildlife officer must notify the ODA, in writing, of his/her determination.

7.       The ODA will hear claims that are approved by the dog warden and supported by the wildlife officer.   The ODA may decide to grant full compensation, partial compensation, or no compensation.

8.       If the owner feels that the ODA’s determination of the fair market value, he/she may appeal the determination.

For more information on the indemnity process, contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture at 614-728-6220 or at

http://www.ohioagriculture.gov/animal, or contact USDA/APHIS at 614-861-8607 or on the web at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/ .

 NITROGEN MANAGEMENT FOR PASTURE
- Clif Little, Extension Educator, Guernsey County

Fertilizer prices are extremely high at this
time.  How do we economically stimulate pasture growth throughout the growing season?

In general nitrogen has the greatest potential to influence pasture production, or dry matter (DM) production.  The economics of nitrogen (N) application can be influenced by many factors, such as legume content, temperature, soil moisture content, grass species, timing of application, form of nitrogen applied, organic matter content, and phosphorus and potassium levels, to name a few.

When is it economical to utilize nitrogen on a
pasture?  The answer is, when you need more
forage and when the legume content of the pasture sward is less than 35 percent.

When is the best time to apply nitrogen to a
pasture?  Plants will utilize available nitrogen
when they begin actively growing. We know that cool season grass pastures will produce 60-70 percent of their total annual production in the spring with fall being the next major bump in growth.  Therefore, consider these time periods when making an application of nitrogen to grass pastures.

How much nitrogen do I apply?  I'll answer this
question with another; how valuable is the forage you are producing?

For example:

Let's break the growing season and timing of
nitrogen applications into three periods, May,
June and August.  Applying nitrogen at each of
these time periods will result in a different
yield potential and therefore a different level
of economic efficiency.  If we expect a
fescue/orchardgrass pasture with ten percent legume to yield the following:

20 lbs. of DM/lb. of N applied ­ in May

10 lbs. of DM/lb. of N applied ­ in June

14 lbs. of DM/lb. of N applied ­ in August

(These yield estimates will vary)

If urea is $500/ton and we value comparable hay at $100/ton, how do the economics work out?

            $500 ÷ 920 lbs. of N in a ton of urea =

54¢/lb. of N.

We will utilize 50 units of actual nitrogen.  50 lbs. x .54 = $27 per acre to apply fifty units of nitrogen, not including spreading.

Based on our example here:

The May application could result in 20 lb. DM x 50 units N = 1,000 lbs. DM.

The June application will result in 10 lbs. DM x 50 units N = 500 lbs. DM

           The August application will result in
14 lbs. DM x 50 units N = 700 lbs. DM

We said comparable hay was worth $100/ton and is 87% DM.  Therefore our value of this forage is $100/.87 = $114.94/ton of DM or 5.7¢/lb. of DM.

How do the economics compare on these three different applications?

The May fertilization resulted in:

             1000 lbs. DM x $.057/lb. = $57 less $27 cost of N = $30

The June fertilization resulted in:

             500 lbs. DM x .057/lb. = $28.50 less $27 cost of N = $1.50

The August fertilization resulted in:

             700 lbs. DM x .057/lb. = $39.90 less $27 cost of N = $12.90

If you need more pasture growth and can utilize
nitrogen, consider utilizing it in 50 unit
increments of actual nitrogen and during periods of when you need forage growth.  For more information on pasture fertility management ask your local Extension Office for a copy of "Fertility Management of Meadows," ANR-5-99.

 Have You Seen This Weed? Cressleaf Groundsel - Stan Smith, PA Fairfield County OSU Extension