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July 2013 Articles

Louisiana dairy farmers hang on despite high feed, fuel, fertilizer costs
Scientists study potential value of switchgrass in Louisiana
Swine Influenza
Vaccinate Horses!
Spiritual Corner: A Sense of Direction
Cutting Corners: Pumpkin Roll
A New Normal For Personal Finance
ATV safety vital during work or play
Nuttall oak - one of the best oaks for Louisiana
Insect Management - Red Imported Fire Ants - Environmental and Economic Impacts
Slaughter Weights Above Year Ago, but U.S. Beef Production Lower
Health Care and Nutritional Management of Beef Bulls
Watch out for extra holiday calories
Historical Facts:
Buying your Horse
Strain Urges Corps Not to Lower River Levels
AFBF Urges Presidential Declaration for Mississippi River
Preparation & Reforestation
Forage Quality, Basics and Beef Cattle Requirements Neutral detergent fiber - ce
Interesting Facts About Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy
Did You Know?
Louisiana farmers produce record soybean crop
Statement to Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau, Regarding House Pass
Improving the Profitablity of Contract Boiler Operations
Just Tirty Minutes a Day
Cutting Corners: Peanut Butter Secrets
In Memory of Mr. Ray Ashby, Downsville, La
Moving Notice
Cap Gains Tax Precludes Farmers from Passing Torch
Replacement Heifer Decisions
Disappointing Year for Cow-calf and Feeding Profits
Brucellosis researcher works in national, international arenas
Leadership
Historical Facts:
Create bird habitats in your yard
LSU AgCenter offers video on in-house pasteurization of broiler litter
New Cooking Show Promotes Buying Local, Cooking with Louisiana Produce
Considerations for an Effective Teeth Floating Program
Replacement Bull Purchases
Crops for Wildlife Plantings, Recommendations, Establishment & Management
Hunting and Fishing Around Bears in Louisiana
Spiritual Corner: God's Creation
Cutting Corners: Owl Cookies: Perfect for Halloween
LDAF Commissioner Promotes Clean Cities Effort
Protecting Consumers with Structural Pest Control Online Reporting
Beware of These Common Scams
Exercise Caution with Credit; Don't Overextend During Holidays
'Crape murder' coming early this year
Fall is for planting shrubs
Historical Facts:
Insect Management - Red Imported Fire Ants - U.S. History
Insect Management - Red Imported Fire Ants - General Biology
Pickens Plan
Did You Know?
Historical Facts:
Cow/Calf Expansion Considerations
Per Capita U.S. Supplies of Red Meat and Poultry Declining
• Scientists give advice at AgCenter field day on increasing profits
Be On Guard When Shopping For Holiday Gifts Online
Just Rambling, July 2013

(60 articles found)

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Scientists give advice at AgCenter field day on increasing profits

Scientists give advice at AgCenter field day on increasing profits Source: LSU AgCenter, Writers: Linda Foster Benedict at 225-578-2937 lbenedict@agcenter.lsu.edu and Bruce Schultz at 337-788-8821 bschultz@agcenter.lsu.edu
HOMER, La. – LSU AgCenter scientists gave advice on how to make more money to forest land owners, cattle producers and poultry producers gathered for the Hill Farm Research Station field day Oct. 9.
Michael Blazier, LSU AgCenter forestry researcher, walked participants through a timber plot with pine, sweet gum and red oak trees. He said timberland owners tend to wait until prices are good before they start thinning their stands, and that’s a mistake. He said thinning earlier is more effective and promotes better growth.
As a rule, he said, thinning to a density of 150-200 trees should be done 10-12 years after planting. Blazier showed oak and gum trees that had shed lower limbs naturally, adding to the value of the saw timber.
Ryon Walker, LSU AgCenter animal scientist, told beef producers they may benefit from incorporating dry distillers grain (DDG), a byproduct of ethanol production, into cows’ diets as a winter supplement. This is especially true now during the droughty conditions that have caused some hay to be lower quality.
“Distillers grain is high in energy, protein and has some fat,” Walker said. “And the cows love it.”
In his study two years ago, he found that pregnancy rates in thin mature cows increased when supplemented with DDG compared to a liquid protein supplement for 90 days before calving.
He also found that heifers fed the dried distillers grain before their first calf were heavier at breeding time, and a greater percentage became pregnant within the first 15 days of the breeding season compared with heifers fed the DDG after their first calf.
The cost of dry distillers grain may be higher than some alternatives, but producers may be able to use less to get the benefits of greater weight gain and fertility, Walker said.
Buddy Pitman, LSU AgCenter forage specialist, said some cattle producers may want to seed pastures with legumes instead of grasses as a way to get more protein into cows’ diets and improve weight gain.
One of the least expensive legumes is the iron and clay cowpea, Pitman said. “It’s been around since the 1940s.”
Legume-seeded pastures require more management than bermudagrass or bahiagrass pastures. But in the long run, they may be worth it, Pitman said.
Bill Owens, LSU AgCenter animal scientist, discussed a project to test a new bedding product for broiler chickens made of extruded cardboard wastes. He said the company claims the material keeps ammonia levels lower than sawdust and results in better bird health with less foot pad dermatitis.
The company, ATS, plans to buy back the material and use it for a fire retardant.
Owens said the project, being conducted at Hill Farm and at the LSU AgCenter Baton Rouge campus, also will analyze the material for land application on soil to compare it with conventional poultry litter.
A study just completed at the Hill Farm’s two poultry demonstration houses comparing tube heaters with traditional brooder heaters showed that the newer tube heaters used less propane and were a little cheaper to operate, Owens said.
“The tube heaters cost a little more initially. But in only a few years, producers will recover these costs,” Owens said

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