Age Determination in Cattle

Determining the age of a cow can be an important factor in making decisions related to buying, culling, breeding, retaining, etc. Practices such as branding or tagging with ages are a good measure and can add value especially when selling bred cows. Unfortunately, many producers cannot or do not take the time for such practices (often times they may not be practical). Examination of the teeth can however provide an approximate age of a cow. This method evaluates the appearance of temporary and permanent teeth and the degree of wear. At maturity cattle have 32 teeth of which 8 are the incisors in the lower jaw which are typically evaluated. There are no upper incisors only a thick dental pad. Depending upon range and pasture conditions the degree of wear can vary. Cattle on sandy, rangeland type country typically wear quicker than cattle on higher clay content soil with improved pasture. Because this method is approximate it is important to note that it may not ascertain a cow’s biological age but rather gauge her youthfulness in terms of grazing ability. A second method to determine age would include looking at the brucellosis tattoo in the right ear. This would indicate the year the cow was a weaned calf. The first digit represents the quarter of the year it was tagged, the middle digits are a shield and the last number is the year vaccinated. A good resource and aging table can be accessed at http://www.avc-beef.org/AgingCattle-Griffin/AgingCattle-CL712.pdf.

Average Home Could Collect 25,568 Gallons of Rainwater Annually

Have you ever wondered how much water comes off of your roof in a major rainfall event? What about over the course of a year? Let’s assume the average home in Navarro County is 1200 square feet and that the average rainfall is 38 inches annually. For every square foot (horizontal square foot not roof area) we collect 0.623 gallons per 1 inch of rain. So the average home would collect 747.6 gallons per 1 inch of rainfall. If we figure 38 inches annually and a 90% collection efficiency, then the average home could collect 25,568 gallons per year! That water could go to a variety of uses. As the state of Texas faces increased population growth and demand on water resources, rainwater may be making a comeback. Want to know more?

A Rainwater Harvesting Workshop is scheduled for Thursday, May 6 from 5:30pm to 8:30 pm at the Sumner Family Property, north of Blooming Grove, TX. Highlighting the event will be Dr. Dotty Woodson, Extension Specialist for Water Resources who will present on the basics of rainwater harvesting and guide us in putting together rainwater barrels. A limited number of rain barrels will be available for purchase on a first come, first serve basis. Also, as part of the program we will view a 3,000 gallon rainwater collection demonstration as well as a unique project that is funneling rainwater to a surface tank. Directions: Take Highway 22 to Blooming Grove, TX. On the east side of town, turn north onto Pecan Street (this turns into NWCR 1420). Go 1.2 miles and turn left into the drive, look for signs. RSVP by April 28th at 903-654-3075

Cattle Artificial Insemination and Palpation Training
Corsicana Livestock Auction – Angus, TX
April 23 – 25, 2010
Limited to the first 20 paid registrants
$275 per person

Tentative Schedule
Friday – April 23, 2010
1pm – Registration
1:30 – Orientation and Introductions
2:00 – Body Condition Scoring Cattle
2:30 – Artificial Insemination Basics
3:00 – Synchronization
4:00 – Live Animal Work
6:00 – Adjourn for the evening

Saturday – April 24, 2010
9:00am – Coffee and Visit
9:30 - Semen Handling
10:15 – Live Animal Work
12:00 – Break for Lunch (provided)
1:00 – Heat Watch and Detection
2:00 – Live Animal Work
3:30 – Conclude AI Instruction
4:00 – BioPreg Check Presentation
5:00 – Anatomy & Physiology of the Reproductive Tract
6:00 – Palpation and Pregnancy Stages
7:00 pm – Adjourn for the evening

Sunday – April 25, 2010
1:00 pm – Examine Uteri Tracts
2:00 – Live Animal Work
4:30 – Final Questions and Discussion
5:00 pm – Course Adjourned

This is designed to be a low-cost yet high quality training. Presenters are experienced educators and/or practitioners in their respective areas. FYI, the cost per person will help defray the costs for cattle, materials and food. Call 903-654-3075 with questions.

For the flyer and registration form, go to http://navarro-tx.tamu.edu/newsletters/Spring%202010.pdf to page 3.

Private Pesticide Applicator Training and Testing - April 13th

Tuesday, April 13
8am to 2pm
Corsicana Library Civic Room

This is the required 4 hour training that you must complete in order to obtain your private pesticide applicator license from the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Cost: $40 for study manuals available in the Extension office, please pick up before the training to familiarize yourself with the material

RSVP by April 7th at 903-654-3075

Spring 2010 Newsletter is now online at http://navarro-tx.tamu.edu/newsletters/Spring%202010.pdf

Cold and wet weather presents challenges for county producers!



The weather has been tough, especially when trying to feed cows... Does this look familiar?

Row Crop Update and CEU Seminar
Friday - January 29, 2010
Corsicana Public Library – Civic Room
Cost: $5 (Lunch will be provided)
5 CEU’s will be provided (2 General, 2 IPM, 1 L&R)

Topics and Agenda
8:15 am Registration and Introductions
8:20 Corn, Grain Sorghum, Wheat, Oats and Soybean Demonstrations - Derek Scasta, Navarro County Extension Agent - Agriculture
8:45 Growing Soybeans and Sunflowers in the Blacklands - Steven Beakley, Ellis County Producer
9:45 Cotton and IPM Update - Glen Moore, Extension Agent IPM
10:45 Laws and Regulations - Benji Parham, Texas Department of Agriculture
11:45 Lunch
12:15 Weed Control and Herbicide Tolerant Milo - Dr. Paul Baumman, Texas AgriLife Extension Service
1:15 Sprayer Technology, GPS, Nozzle Selection and Sprayer Demo - Johnny Walker, John Deere
2:15 Final Questions and pass out certificates

**Please call and RSVP by January 26, 2010 at 5pm for meal and material arrangements**