Extreme cold temperatures and heavy snow will grip much of the eastern half of the country this week. As a result, OSU's Derrell Peel says beef markets will mostly be impacted by reduced feedlot performance and carcass weights; possible disruptions in movement of cattle to packing plants; and potential transportation delays of products through wholesale and retail markets. He says, too, that the residual impacts from production losses due to winter weather could last for several weeks. In his article for this week's Cow/Calf Corner, Peel warns producers of the numerous management challenges and increased production costs that are likely just ahead for them.

In the meantime though, while cattle country starts to freeze, it seems that the government shutdown is beginning to thaw with a three week continuing resolution signed last week. During this time, Peel says the USDA will be able to play a bit of catch up on its reporting. However, Peel says agricultural data has been severely disrupted and there is surely to be repercussions for this. Peel writes that "It is critical that these... reports resume quickly."

The Department of Agriculture did not supply more than 60 reports during the government shutdown and will supply much of that data next month. USDA announced Monday many reports, including final production reports for 2018 will be published on February 8th, the same date of the February World Agriculture Supply and Demand report. However, some of the data will never be available. For example, the January World Agriculture Supply and Demand report will never be published, but some of the data will be rolled into the February report. Peel joins many other market analysts who warn of a glut of data from USDA that could shock the market over the next few weeks as markets had previously relied on privately reported data during the shutdown, but USDA reports are often considered a benchmark in reporting.

Read Peel's complete commentary from this week's article, by clicking or tapping here.

Noble Research Institute's governing body announced Monday the selection of Steven Rhines as the organization's new president and chief executive officer. The governing body voted unanimously to select Rhines at last week's regular January meeting. 

In a recent conversation with our Associate Farm Director Carson Horn, OSU Extension Weed Specialist Dr. Misha Manuchehri discussed some of the weed related issues affecting area farmers this year and what tools are available in combatting them. Right now, given the amount of moisture that has accumulated since this past fall, Manuchehri says weeds across the state have been especially challenging. From her observations, farmers are seeing a lot of weeds from the mustard family, bushy wallflower has been prevalent as well and so have plants like Italian ryegrass and feral rye.

 

While synthetic auxens such as 2,4-D and dicamba are always effective tools for these characters, Manuchehri says they aren't as useful once weeds grow past that four-inch stage - which most farmers are probably past by now. With that in mind, Manuchehri suggests farmers consider tank mixing your auxens with another herbicide designed for targeting larger plants - something perhaps in the ALS product line.

 

In addition to these considerations, Manuchehri says now is a good time to conduct some routine maintenance on your equipment as well in preparation for spring weed management. Checking a few of these things off your list like recalibrating your sprayer for instance, she says, can help make your chemical spraying more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable.

 

You can listen to Carson's complete conversation with Manuchehri for more of her advice on weed control, by clicking or tapping here.

A recent study completed by Penn State University's College of Agricultural Sciences confirms round bale density leads to improved cattle nutrition and producer return on investment. In the study, New Holland Roll-Belt round balers produced the highest-density bales in all tests compared to three leading competitors.

 

According to the study, denser bales have greater total acid production and stay cooler through the fermentation process. This increases the whole-bale bunk life of round bales through reduced spoilage, allowing for the feeding of larger-diameter bales to the same number and size of cattle without waste. Penn State observed up to 25 more hours of bunk life due to higher bale density. In addition, the study also showed higher density equates to up to 39 percent fewer bales, resulting in less twine or net wrap used as well as plastic silage film, reduced labor, and less overall baling and bale-moving time in the field.

 

You can continue reading this article to learn more about Penn State's study, by clicking over to our website.