Stocking supplies, cleaning equipment are among management strategies

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Cattle producers who have not yet started the spring calving season still have time to plan ahead, and a Kansas State University veterinarian notes that could make a big difference in having a successful year.

“This is the time for a pre-emptive strike,” said A.J. Tarpoff, a beef veterinarian with K-State Research and Extension. “If you haven’t started calving yet on your operation, now is the time to start thinking about what you can do to be ready.”

Tarpoff noted that producers need to make sure they have the necessary supplies on hand, which may require buying or repairing items and facilities. Then, he adds, set in motion a plan to manage the birth of the new calves.

“Calving books are a phenomenal tool,” Tarpoff said. “It could be just a little pocketbook where you write down who calved, when they calved, if there was difficulty, and whether it was a male or female coming out. There is a lot of information that we can capture about the birthing process so that we’re able to make better decisions within our herd in the future.”

One of the newer management techniques that can lead to successful calving is to feed cows at dusk. “There have been several research studies that show reliable results that a higher percentage of animals are born during daylight hours when we feed the cow in the late evening hours,” Tarpoff said.

Feeding late in the evening, he said, will help decrease midnight or early morning births, which are hard on workers and can make the birth more complicated if there are difficulties.

Tarpoff hosted a series of calving schools across Kansas over the last several weeks to help the state’s producers be adequately prepared to bring in as many healthy animals as possible. The final session for this season was video-streamed on Facebook Live. A recording of that session can be seen on the K-State Research and Extension Facebook page.

One of his recommendations is that producers use a cooler to store tools and equipment: “On cold days and nights, the cooler will help equipment to stay nice and warm. We can close it up and know that our equipment is not going to freeze,” he said.

Tarpoff said producers should check calving chains or obstetric straps for rust, sharp spots or fraying. He also suggests having multiple sets on hand in case there are multiple births at once. The straps should be cleaned, disinfected and hung to dry after each use.

“Once those straps are dried, put them in a closed container so that you don’t re-contaminate them by accident,” he said. “Then, throw them back into your cooler kit.”

Producers should have a meeting with their local veterinarian to discuss situations that may occur, and what medicine or other supplies may be needed to handle those. “They can prescribe the products you’ll need and set you up to be a little more prepared,” Tarpoff said.

Producers can also contact their local extension agent or visit KSUBeef.org for more information on getting prepared for spring calving.

Kathy S. McEwan

Family and Consumer Sciences Agent

Foods & Nutrition, SNAP-Ed Coordinator

Southwind Extension District – Iola Office

P.O. Box 845, Iola KS 66749

620-365-2242

[email protected]

By Marley Sutton, Uniontown 4-H Club Reporter

Uniontown 4-H Club members worked hard this past month not only on their individual events for the Southwind District 4-H Day, but as a club they practiced numerous times on their club skit. On February 1st the club traveled to Moran, Kansas to compete in the event. After performing their skit, “4H Feud”, the club earned a Top Blue placing and will now compete at the Regional 4H Day in Chanute on March 7th.

Several club members also received individual Top Blue Placings. Those members are:

Austin Maycumber and Will Maycumber with their Illustrated Talks, Bareigh Farrell with her Senior Solo and Reading, Marley Sutton, and McKinley Sutton and Kendyl Bloesser with their Junior Reading. Mackinlee Bloesser, Seth Shadden and Hailey Shadden all received a Blue placing with their readings.

Each year, the All-America Selections (AAS) tests and introduces new flowers and vegetables to home gardeners. These plants have proven themselves to do well in trials across North America. The AAS winner label is like a stamp of approval. This year, there were ten vegetables winners, of which seven were tomatoes, and four flower winners.
The vegetable descriptions were taken from All-America Selections material.
Cucumber Green Light F1 – this is an excellent mini cucumber that can be grown on stakes or poles. It will yield 40 or more spineless fruits per plant. Fun fact: This cucumber is parthenocarpic – meaning the flowers are all females and the fruits are seedless without needing to be pollinated.
Pumpkin Blue Prince F1 – vigorous trailing vines produce 7-9 pound beautiful blue flattened pumpkins with non-stringy, deep orange flesh with savory sweetness. These pumpkins are as pretty as they are delicious. Of all the varieties trialed, Blue Prince was first to flower and fruit which is beneficial for gardeners with a shorter growing season.
Watermelon Mambo F1 – these are perfectly round melons with a beautiful dark green rind and deep red flesh. The sweet crisp flesh is extremely tasty and holds well if you can’t harvest them right away. Each 9” fruit will weigh about 11 pounds at maturity. With a smaller seed cavity, they almost have the look of a seedless melon but with the superior taste of a seeded melon. The judges said this was one of the easiest watermelons they have grown because of high seed germination and vigorously healthy vines.
Coleus Main Street Beale Street – this is the first-ever coleus to be named an AAS winner. This is an outstanding variety that exhibits deep red foliage and holds the color extremely well in the garden. The rich color does not fade, bleach or get spotty as the season moves into late summer. This lush, bushy plant grows uniformly and does not flower until very late in the season. It can be grown in full sun or full shade – making it an ideal foliage for anywhere in the garden.
Echinacea Sombrero Baja Burgundy – this plant will add a bold accent to sunny gardens with its vibrant, deep violet-red blossoms. After being trialed over three tough winters, AAS judges noted this plant for its standout hardiness, sturdy branching, and floriferous blooming habit. Birds and pollinators will certainly flock to this deer-resistant beauty making it a dual purpose plant.
Nasturtium Tip Top Rose – a strong yet compact nasturtium with unique and showy rose-colored flowers. Judges described the color as a “warm, bright rose with less of the black undertones typical in nasturtium flowers.”
Rudbeckia x American Gold Rush – bright, golden-yellow flowered perennial with black centers. This compact, upright domed-shaped beauty has narrow 2-inch wide hairy foliage and
has resistance to Septoria leaf spot. It showed no signs of the fungus even in wet, humid conditions. It is incredibly easy to grow and pollinators love it. It is destined to be the new rudbeckia staple for gardens and landscapes!
For a complete description of the 2020 All America Selections, including the seven tomato varieties, visit www.all-americaselections.org
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at [email protected] or by calling 620-244-3826.
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Joy Miller

K-State Research and Extension Southwind District

Family Consumer Science

620-223-3720 or [email protected]

Many people use the terms “credit report” and “credit score” interchangeably, but they are not the same. Your credit report is a detailed account of your credit history, while your credit score is a three-digit number signifying your credit-worthiness. You are entitled to three free credit reports per year, but you generally have to pay to view your score. Although a credit score is a useful piece of information, it is ultimately calculated using the information in your credit report. Therefore, paying for a credit score is typically unnecessary, but ensuring the accuracy of the underlying data in the report is crucial.

What is a credit report? Your credit report is a collection of all of your credit activities within the past 7-10 years. It includes your payment history for your credit cards and other loans such as auto loans and mortgages; public records related to your finances such as bankruptcies, tax liens, and court judgements; and a record of everybody who has looked at your report within the past two years. You can request one free credit report every year at AnnualCreditReport.com from each of the three main credit agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Companies use the information in your credit report to calculate credit scores.

What is a credit score? Your credit score is calculated using the information in your credit report. Financial institutions use your credit score to decide whether to offer you a loan or credit card. Your credit score also determines the interest rates and credit limits that financial institutions offer to you.  Although many people believe they have one credit score, in fact everybody has several credit scores–different companies calculate your credit score in different ways. Your scores change constantly based on your financial activities. Regardless of the agency, your score will consist of five main components: payment history, amount of current debt, length of credit history, amount of new credit, and types of credit used. Companies use each of these components to calculate a three-digit score, ranging from a low around 300 to a high around 900, which again varies across different types of scores. In the United States, the most widely used credit score is the FICO score. Your credit score is not available for free through AnnualCreditReport.com.

How can I improve my score? You can improve your score by paying your bills on time, using less of your available credit balance, not opening multiple credit accounts over a short period of time, keeping older credit cards open, and using different types of credit responsibly.

It is important to check your credit report regularly to make sure it is accurate and up-to-date. K-State Research and Extension Check Your Credit email program is free and registration is easy, visit southwind.k-state.edu under Upcoming Events.

A cow’s body conditions affects cold stress.

According to Mary Drewnoski, University of Nebraska Beef Systems Specialist, cold stress increases a cow’s energy requirement and can pull down her body condition. We think many cow/calf producers will experience this issue this winter. While we don’t know what mother, nature has in store for us this year, it is good to think ahead and have a plan. A good start is to evaluate body condition score (BCS) now, and if cows are not at a 5 to 5.5 body condition score, then taking steps to improve body condition score before cold weather hits can help reduce the impacts of cold weather on the cows. Your local extension agricultural agent can assist you determining the body condition score of your cattle if needed.

The threshold at which cattle have to start using energy to maintain their body temperature is called the lower critical temperature (LCT). Cows in good condition which have a heavy winter coat that is dry, do not need to use extra energy to maintain body temperature until the wind chill index is below 19°F.

Having cows in good body condition is a risk management strategy and affects the lower critical temperature. A thin cow with a body condition score of 4 and a dry winter coat has a lower critical temperature of 27°F versus the 19°F of a cow in body condition score 5. Getting cows into good condition early in the winter can be useful for managing risk of bad weather, in that they have condition they can lose, but also because cows with higher body condition score will lose less than those with lower body condition. Additionally, a practical management strategy may be to consider putting thin cows in a group with your first calf heifers as both have higher energy requirements in the winter, which can allow for strategic supplementation of extra feed.

It is also important to understand that a wet hair coat is a completely different ball game. A wet coat increases the lower critical temperature of a cow in good condition to 53°F. Thus, anytime a cow’s coat is wet in the winter they will be using more energy to maintain body temperature. Therefore, in winters with more precipitation, especially freezing rain, we often see much greater decreases in body condition score.

By providing wind protection, you can decrease energy needs by removing wind as a negative factor. If cows have protection from wind, the ambient temperature can be used to determine energy needs. Providing wind protection in the winter can be huge for reducing supplementation needs due to cold wind chills.

It is not advisable to change rations daily, but for extended cold or wet periods, consider feeding more of the same ration, if cattle can eat more of the typical ration. If not, then providing an energy supplement is a good idea. When feeding lower quality hay, dormant range or corn stalks, additional feed will be needed. One option is to change to feeding a higher quality hay source, if available. Free choice really high-quality hay can work down to temperatures of -15°F for cows in good body condition with dry hair or 19°F with good body condition and wet hair. Only by forage testing can you determine actual nutritional value, see your extension office for more information about forage testing.

If cows are grazing, then supplementation with a high energy feed may be desirable. While corn can be used to provide more energy, it comes with risk. Feeding more than 2 to 3 pounds per animal per day can decrease forage digestion, and upset stomachs, especially if the forage is lower in protein. This means that one could make up the difference of about 15°F between the lower critical temperature of the cow and the wind chill index temperature. For a cow in body condition score of 5 with a dry coat, corn supplementation would cover the increased energy requirement down to 5°F, or for a cow with a wet hair coat only to about 38°F. If using corn, it should be fed daily, starting with a low amount, and slowly increased over time.

Distillers grains are another option. Distillers is a good source of energy, it has more energy than corn, and because it is high in protein, it does not cause as much of a substitution effect (will not decrease intake of the forage much) Limitations on the amount of distillers that could be fed would be more based on budgetary concerns than digestive effects.

When wind chill temperatures are extremely cold or the cow has a wet hair coat, a lot of supplement would be needed to make up the greater energy needs and maintain body condition. For instance, if the wind chill was -10°F and the cows had a wet hair coat, 8.6 pounds of dry distillers would be needed to account for the increased energy requirement. However, feeding these levels is likely impractical. A better approach would be to provide a smaller amount of supplemental feed and to continue to feed the extra feed after the weather has moderated to allow cows to regain energy lost during the storm.

It is also important to remember that milking cows have a much greater energy requirement than pregnant cows, not yet milking. Given this, the combination of cold stress and lactation can pull down body condition score very quickly. Thus, if lactating (milking) cows are also subjected to cold stress, increasing their energy intake prior to observing noticeable loss of body condition is advisable. For questions on body condition scoring, lower critical temperature, or supplemental feeding, contact your local extension office.

Program to be Offered to Support Family Caregivers

A couple of months ago I wrote an article on supporting family caregivers. You might remember that I mentioned family caregivers, often referred to as informal caregivers, provide 90% of the long-term care offered in America. The value of the unpaid care they provide runs into the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Caregivers frequently experience the need to ‘do it all’. ‘Doing it all,’ from the caregiver’s perspective, may not include caring for themselves so they can thrive, and not just survive during their caregiving experience.

The Southwind Extension District is joining the Wildcat Extension District and also Sedgwick County Extension in offering Powerful Tools for Caregivers. This educational program is designed to support family caregivers in taking better care of themselves while caring for a relative or a friend. The program can benefit participants who are helping a parent, spouse, child, friend or someone who lives at home, in a nursing home, or across the country.

The 6-session course will be offered virtually on Thursdays, January 14 – February 18, 2021, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. A $5.00 registration fee covers the postage for sending out the Caregiver Helpbook. The helpbook includes topics on: Hiring in-home help, helping memory impaired elders, making legal, financial, and care decisions, understanding depression, and making decisions about driving.

Caregiver tools provided as part of the sessions include: Helping the caregiver reduce stress; communicating effectively; encouraging ways for the caregiver to take care of themselves; reducing caregiver guilt, anger and depression; helping the caregiver to relax; making tough decisions; setting goals and problem solving.

Register online by going to https://bit.ly/tools4care or call the Yates Center Southwind office at 620-625-8620. Class size will be limited. Registering early will allow staff to help participants be able to participate virtually and to receive the Caregiver Helpbook prior to sessions beginning.

The program is being offered at a reduced cost thanks to partial funding by the K-State Research and Extension Adult Development and Aging Program Focus Team and the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas.

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.