Technology Tip: Oklahoma State University – Cowculator v2.0

When it comes to making winter feeding decisions for the cow herd it is easy to get overwhelmed. The numbers can be mind numbing! When you look at prices, amounts, crude protein, nutrition requirements, days in the feeding period, cow size, desired daily gain, body condition score, etc they all start to run together and make your head hurt. Oklahoma State University, the land-grant agricultural institution in Oklahoma, has a computer based program that assists producers in summarizing the data, comparing options and making a decision. This program was recently highlighted at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Shortcourse in a powerpoint presentation that you can view (http://animalscience.tamu.edu/ansc/BCSC/BCSC09%20Nutrition%20Management%20Section.pdf).

According to the website: “OSU Cowculator is an excel program designed to assist cattlemen in making informed decisions associated with beef cow nutrition. Animal criteria (such as cow weight, body condition, stage of production and breed), as well as the feed and forage library can be customized to each operation or to specific scenarios within an operation. Animal requirements and performance predictions are based on years of research data, including the 1996 and previous versions of the National Research Council's Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. Cowculator can be used as a decision making tool for individual operations and is especially useful as a teaching tool.”

The program is free to download onto your personal computer. You will need Microsoft Excel to operate it. It is very user friendly and allows you to compare different feeding options such as range cubes versus whole cottonseed versus cottonseed meal. When using make sure prices are in-line with local prices to ensure accurate cost analysis. You can download the program and a user handbook at http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/exten/cowculator/.

Online Pasture Management Web-Course Starts November 2nd

I will be leading an online web-course covering Pasture Management starting November 2. This is a great opportunity to access technical training at the university level. The course has been developed by Texas A&M University and Texas AgriLife Extension Service Specialists. Topics will cover Nutritive Value and Quality, Stocking Rate, Hay Storage and Feeding and Forage Establishment. The cost is $50 and those interested can visit the Small Acreage Landowner Webcourse site at http://grovesite.com/page.asp?o=tamu&s=RI&p=227590.

Landowners can register for the courses at http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu/.
The course will be accessed (once you register) from http://campus.extension.org/. Other courses include: Resource Inventory, Beef Cattle Management, and Introduction to Enterprise Budgeting.

Questions? 903-654-3075 or jdscasta@ag.tamu.edu

Fall Forage Workshop Set for October 29 at Fannie Mae Vernon Room

Cattle and hay producers in Navarro County will want to mark October 29 on their calendars for the annual Fall Forage Workshop. The program will begin at 6pm and run until 8:30. Topics for the evening include: Dr. Larry Redmon, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Forage Specialist providing an update on pasture management and soil fertility; Kelly Cross, Fort Dodge Animal Health will then provide an update on Trichomoniasis management and how to integrate a vaccine into your program. We will also have updates on a pasture result demonstration and results from the Hay Testing Drive (which include forage analysis and supplemental feeding recommendations).

2 CEU’s will be offered in (1 General and 1 IPM) for producers with Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide Applicator Licenses. Cost is $5 per person for a BBQ meal. Sponsors for the 2009 Hay Testing Drive and Fall Forage Workshop include: Ag Texas Farm Credit Services, Community National Bank, Forrest Green Polled Herefords, JPM Company, Kerens Grain and Elevator, Rosewood Ranches, Texas Land Bank, Vitters Tractor and Williams Gin and Grain. Please call 903-64-3075 to RSVP by October 26.