Guillermo Scaglia, LSU AgCenter beef researcher, far left, tells cattle owners about his work comparing two herds with different levels of input expenses. The multiyear test is in its first year. Photo by Bruce Schultz

Ed Twidwell, LSU AgCenter forage specialist, tells cattle producers about the results of a demonstration using 35 varieties of ryegrass. Photo by Bruce Schultz

Stan Dutile, LSU AgCenter county agent, demonstrates how to use a four-wheeler effectively to move cattle by driving in a sweeping motion, much like the technique used by a predator. Photo by Bruce Schultz

News Release Distributed 03/11/15

JEANERETTE, La. – Cattle producers attending the Acadiana Beef Cattle Producers Field Day at the LSU AgCenter Iberia Research Station on March 7 heard about practices that could result in healthier and more profitable herds.

Jacques Fuselier, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine professor, said administering certain vaccines to a calf can be done too soon. He said the minimum age is 4 months, and boosters will be needed after at least 21 days. The producer’s herd veterinarian will be able to design a protocol that best fits a specific herd, he said.

Fuselier also said needles should be changed for each animal.

Parasites are becoming resistant to dewormers, he said, and giving cattle dewormers too often or at the wrong time of the year will only increase resistance.

Guillermo Scaglia, LSU AgCenter beef cattle researcher, said overfeeding bulls can decrease their semen production.

Scaglia said bulls can gain 1-1.5 pounds per day on good hay and 2-2.5 pounds per day on winter annual grass. However, 700- to 900-pound bulls will need to be supplemented if grazing summer perennial grasses.

Mineral needs should not be overlooked, he said.

“You can’t be cheap when feeding minerals to bulls. There are too many things that can go wrong if they have any mineral deficiency,” he said.

He said that the 60-day period before breeding season is the most important time. Bulls at this time should get well adapted to the environment. “If they were on a high concentrate diet – gaining 3-4 pounds per day – make sure you switch their diet gradually, tapering their corn-based feed by 20 percent each week, so they ‘harden up’ for breeding,” he said.

Scaglia also discussed the use of EPD (Expected Progeny Difference), which is the expected difference in the performance of the calves from a bull compared to another bull's calves. It is a tool to aid in bull selection.

“It is OK to visually select your bulls, but EPDs will help you make an even better decision,” he said.

Scaglia is conducting a research project comparing two purebred Brangus herds – one with a low input cost with a stocking rate at 0.5 cows per acre (breeding season of 90 days) and another with a higher input expense at a greater stocking rate of 0.75 cows per acre (breeding season of 60 days). However, all of the animals are under the same health protocol receiving the same vaccines and deworming treatments, he said.

The expense of the high-input group is $346 per cow, compared to $307 for the low-input group, he said. But so far, the high-input group is providing an increased return on the investment. He said the study, in its first year, will be continued for several years.

LSU AgCenter county agents Stan Dutile and Andrew Granger demonstrated cattle handling techniques that emphasize a calm, gentle manner. An electric cattle prod should be avoided as much as possible, Dutile said. “We should always avoid handling cattle when we are in a rush.”

Moving cattle into a pen is easier if a gate is located in a corner, he said.

Pushing cattle from behind is more difficult because the animals want to turn and see what is approaching them. “You need to stay out to the side where they can see you,” he said.

Dutile demonstrated using a four-wheeler to move cattle by driving the vehicle side to side in sweeping passes to push a herd.

Granger said the four-wheeler mimics the action of a predator, and moving to the outside of the herd allows the animals to get a view of what is approaching them.

Ed Twidwell, LSU AgCenter forage specialist, showed the results of a test of 35 ryegrass varieties. He said varieties with twice the amount of chromosomes, called tetraploids, are being advertised as having potentially higher yields than normal diploid varieties. But research results from several states have shown only minor yield differences between the two types. Producers should evaluate ryegrass varieties on yield performance, disease resistance and maturity.

Blair Hebert, LSU AgCenter county agent, demonstrated calibrating small spray rigs for herbicide applications. He said calibration can save money, and it should be done regularly. "It's a good idea throughout the year.”

He also said spray tips should be cleaned or changed regularly.

Phil Elzer, LSU AgCenter associate vice chancellor for animal programs, said this year’s state budget problems facing the LSU AgCenter are daunting.

“This is the scariest I’ve seen,” he said, adding that legislators should be informed of the potential effects the proposed cuts could have. “This is your AgCenter. Do not let the budget take it away.”

Elzer said the LSU AgCenter Master Cattleman Program has been updated, expanded and strengthened and will be offered in places across the state where the classes have not been held previously.

Granger said a new Master Cattleman course will be held this summer for the Acadiana area at a cost of $120 per person.

Donna Morgan of the Louisiana Master Farmer Program said a new Master Farmer class will be offered in southwest Louisiana in late June. She also said a Master Farmer University for the first two phases of the program will be offered in July in conjunction with the Sugarcane Field Day on July 15 at the LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station near St. Gabriel.

Bruce Schultz