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NORTHEAST TEXAS FARMERS COOP
October 2014
Volume 14, Issue 10
GENERAL MANAGER’S VIEWPOINT
by Brad Johnson
Inside this issue:
Land stewardship is alive and well in Northeast Texas. And why not? Forage production and sustaining forage growth makes dollars and sense with
livestock and dairy prices at these levels. Feed production is still seasonally and historically
low with reduced animal numbers. One of our Cooperative’s goals is to continue to stress the
importance of forage utilization in all facets of animal agriculture in Northeast Texas. We
have several classes of seed in stock for you to plant. Check with our personnel in our Farm
and Ranch Centers to see how we can help you make the most of your operation. Finally, we
are beginning to see a welcome break in our feed prices from mid-summer values. Contact
David Holt or Steve Freeman at 903 885 5036 or 903 885 7221 to see what we have available, or
we can custom formulate. Dr. Robert Winn or Dr. Mac Taylor are on staff to serve our member needs.
Have a great October!
Retail Farm Supply
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Sulphur
Springs 3
Farm & Ranch Center
Canton
Farm
Ranch Center
& 3
Feed Mill Repre- 3
sentative/Micro
Ingredient Buyer
New Product
“Owned by Those We Serve”
FRESH FEED
QUALITY
VALUE
Annual Indian Summer Days Festival and John Chester Dutch Oven Cook-Off.
Saturday, October 4th, Heritage Park
Our own Donnie Peters will be showcasing his cooking talents once again!
FEED MANAGER’S REPORT
By Kenneth Smith
The mornings are getting cooler and the smell of the fall season is in the air, only God knows what this winter will hold. It
appears that there will be sufficient forage to get us through this winter so now is the time to decide what kind of supplement we will require to keep our animals healthy through this season. Too often we neglect our animals by just feeding
forage without the additional energy they need to digest it properly. As your feed center, we can offer all types of supplements whether cubes, range meals, either medicated or non-medicated, creeps & textured feeds for hand feeding cattle,
horses, goats and swine. Whatever your needs, the Coop will have the right product. We appreciate your business and
want to serve your needs.
GO COOP!
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RETAIL FARM SUPPLY & SULPHUR SPRINGS FERTILIZER
by Jim Ratzlaff
903 885 3143 Store
903 885 5036 Fertilizer
800 722 0174 Fertilizer
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Several long-range weather predictions are indicating above average rainfall October through January. What does that mean for us? In my personal observations, it just means that the cattle are going to be eating a lot
more hay and be requiring a lot more supplementation. The last wet winter we had, the cattle went through a lot of hay
and extra cubes were needed to keep the replacement heifers in shape. We all were glad when the winter pasture finally
kicked in. The big savings with winter pasture was on the cost of feeding supplement. The replacement heifers picked
up in flesh; life was better from then on.
We have the opportunity this fall to plant ryegrass and add some clover to it to take advantage of the extra protein to
supplement our hay this winter and the fixed nitrogen will benefit our pastures next summer. All this summer we were
able to observe where the clovers grew and where the clover did not grow last winter. The grass was greener and had
less weeds all summer.
With the moisture that is being forecasted for this winter, now would be a great time to get clovers started in your pastures. We have several great options. The ball clovers are the easiest to manage. They seed back is very well. Ball clover will bloom and make seed under most grazing conditions unless one is really over grazing. We have two different
varieties available, the Grazers Select and the A U Don. They will adapt to about any soil. For the serious grazer we
have the Durana and Ocoee Clovers. These are perennial clovers and will take more management but the benefit is that
they will put down up to 150 lbs of nitrogen per year, and if we have a wet fall they will provide grazing in the fall
where other clovers will not. Blackhawk clover had a seed crop failure this summer, but we do have Apache clover.
Blackhawk, Apache and Arrow leaf clover all like sandy soil the best. We have plenty of Crimson clover at a good
price. Crimson will do a good job in most soils and does not take as much management to grow as some others. We
have people asking about the new Naches Clover for wet bottom land. We have had it on order, we are hoping to have
some for this fall planting. However, you may find that Ocoee would do very well also in the bottoms. Southern Belle
clover has been an outstanding producing clover. It is a bi-annual clover. In some areas it may only act like an annual,
but it has the ability to produce a lot of hay in the spring and we have reports that several got two excellent cuttings of
hay of Southern Belle the first year. If you have not had a soil analysis when planting clovers, extra phosphorus and
some potassium will benefit. We have a 9-23-30 which is an excellent fertilizer formula for clovers. 100 to 200 lbs of 923-30 per acre will help the clovers requirements. A soil analysis is still the best recommendation.
For making excellent hay in the spring or for winter grazing we suggest using 25 lbs TAM T BO per acre and then add
either of the following clovers, an arrow leaf clover like Blackhawk or Apache, Southern Belle, or Crimson. Put this
down with a light application fertilizer like 40 lbs of nitrogen per acre to get it going good. For winter grazing with hay
one can run three dry cows per acre or two cow calf pairs per acre. This will supply the protein needs for cattle on hay.
Cows will breed back on time, calf crop will be strong and healthy, and if fall or winter calving you will really put the
gains on the calves by next spring. For the serious grazer plant oats, TAM T BO and clovers this fall.
With cattle prices remaining good, we still need to do all we can to take advantage of our situation. Getting extra gain
on our cattle will really pay off right now. In a few days we will have the MoorMan’s Mintrate Blocks with Rumensin
on hand. This should be an excellent block to put out in the creep area for your calves, or for your stocker cattle. You
may find this Rumensin block a little more affordable than the Sweetlix block which we will still stock. This is just another way of getting added profits from your cattle. The other option for getting Rumensin to your cattle is our Rumensin loose mineral. Gains will vary but one can generally figure .25 lbs increase in daily gain.
We probably have not given much thought about feeding hay, but we need to be thinking about how we are going to
feed hay even though we have an abundance of hay. First, if we put up our own hay how much money do we have in a
1000 lb roll of hay? From a nutrient point of view an average roll of hay has 25 lbs of nitrogen, 5 lbs of phosphorus, and
15 lbs of potassium. The value of just these three is over $20 at today’s costs, then add baling cost of at least $20, then
add another $5 for moving and so on and you got $45 per roll of hay. Did you know that an average $90 dollar hay ring
has an average of 30% wasted hay? That is wasting $13.5 for every bale that is fed. It is a good thing that cattle are
selling for a good price isn’t it? A cow consumes three rolls of hay a winter that is $40.50 per cow, which means for every 25 cows fed this winter we are losing $1000 in hay or the value of one calf. The answer to this problem is buy a Hay
Minder hay feeder and cut hay loss by as much as 80%. These Hay Minders feeders are $395 each, hot dipped galvanized with a life expectancy of over 5 years, unless they get ran over by a tractor.
When the manure turns from cow pies to manure piles like they do when feeding hay, you know it is time to start feeding Beef Cow Mineral with Radex. The additive Radex helps break down the fiber in tough grass and dry hay. A difference can be seen in 4 days.
The new Vet Gun, getting all the equipment needed with one will cost around $300 and I thought they were too high,
but I was the first here at the Coop to buy one. And after a couple of months I am glad I did. To begin with, I treated
my cattle with it and cleaned up the flies. Then last week the flies were coming back. I took the Vet Gun out with me
when I was rotating paddocks and just treated the cattle that had the most flies, like the bull, a few cows and a couple of
the bigger bull calves. In two days the whole herd was almost fly free! I was amazed. You got to get one of these!
NETFC NOW
FARM & RANCH CENTER
By Donnie Peters
903 885 3143
Ready for Winter?
Although it may be a ways off, it is wise to keep in the back of your mind after all; winter is the most costly period to get
your cow herd through. One thing that should be an unwritten is that there is plenty of hay. What should go with it remains
based upon the quality of hay. One producer last year brought us a sample of TAM TBO ryegrass and Black Hawk clover.
After doing a forage test at our lab, found 19.6 % Crude protein and 63% TDN. Based upon a 3% body weight requirement for a 660 pound steer of 14.7 pounds of dry matter per day, the steer would gain 2.64 pounds per day with this type of
hay alone. This figures a whopping 24 cents per pound of gain. With today’s calf prices, you don’t need a calculator to figure a HUGE profit with this type of forage. Our testing lab can do your forage testing for you. Just bring sample of your
hay to the scale house or one of our Farm & Ranch Centers and the ladies can get your test completed so that you will know
what is in your hay. We will gladly help you with any supplements of protein or mineral needs.
There is still plenty of time to get your winter pastures planted and seed is in good supply with exception to the black Hawk
clover which had a crop failure this summer. We are suggesting the use of Apache arrow leaf clover or Crimson clover as a
substitute. We also suggest the addition of 1-2 pounds per acre of the AU Don or Grazer Select ball clover into the mix.
There is still time to plant turnips which is quick growing but requires warmer soils to germinate.
Be sure to keep some insecticide on hand to protect your crops from outbreaks of grass hoppers and armyworms. Most that
have seen these pests work will admit to the amount they can consume over a very brief time. As the seedling begins to
emerge, no damage can be done or the plant is totally lost.
We are here to serve your needs. Let us know how we can help you. We always appreciate your business.
CANTON FARM & RANCH CENTER
By Ruth Freeman
903 567 5223
903-567-6636
Welcome to the fall season as of September 22. For some folks, fall planting is already in full swing getting their Rye grasses, Turnips, Clovers, Wheat and Deer plot blends, others are waiting on a bit more moisture in their areas. We now carry
20% Ranch Hand Cubes in bulk for $15.90 cwt., min. is #750 lbs, as well as the 14% Multipurpose pellets with 6% fat in
bulk for $14.40 cwt. We carry the 1 ton tote bags for easier loading and transport to your farm and ranch. For those which
have hunting dogs or just a wonderful house or yard dog we carry a good line of dog foods such as Sportsmix 50# Hi Energy 24/20 for $23.95, Sportsmix #40 21/8 for $14.95, and Sportsmix #50 Maintenance 21/12 for $22.95. We also carry the
Adult Pro Pac #44 mini chunk 26/15 for $27.19, and Pro Pac Puppy #44 small bite for $31.50. Pro Pac has a new Ultimate
line as well for those which are more holistically minded about their dogs. Ultimate Mature Chicken and Rice 26/15, #28 is
$24.95, and Ultimate Puppy Chicken and Rice 30/20, #28 is $24.95.
Come in and see us for your dogs yearly shot and worming program as well. Also remember to stop in at our Tire Shop and
let Garland or Neil help you with new tires or flat repairs on your cars, trucks, trailers, and tractors. Enjoy the new Fall
season!
Feed Mill Representative/Micro Ingredient Buyer
By Steve Freeman
903 885 7221
903 885 5036
The season is rapidly approaching for a time to revise your feeding program. If you planted winter forages or are planning
to use your hay on hand, we can test your forages in house at our testing laboratory. Our lab at the Coop can assure its
members and customers feed qualities on a daily basis; plus we have folks to assist you in making your supplemental feeding decisions, fitted with your forages.
Whether your weaning program includes getting calves started with a nutrient dense supplemental feed while nursing, or
not, we would like to help you avoid costly negatives that impact calves weight gain potentials, affecting profits. Reducing
stress when weaning has economical rewards; the earliest you can effectively maximize the growth potential in a calf, that is
the most economical and most efficient time for weight gains. The younger the calf, the greater the requirements are for
intakes of dense nutrient feeds, with protein and energy levels that achieve their genetic potentials.
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