January 23, 2012 - 1:30 PM CT, Cherry County Fairgrounds 4-H Building in Valentine

January 24, 2012 - 1:30 pm MT, Merriman Village Hall in Merriman.

April 2, 2012 –  1:30 PM CT, Cherry County Fairgrounds 4-H Building in Valentine

Anyone who wants to apply restricted use pesticides must be licensed. If you need a private pesticide applicators license, or have a license that expires this year, you need to attend one of our classes.

Making Ranches Profitable seminar is January 28 in Valentine

Don’t forget to register for the Making Ranches Profitable seminar that is this Saturday, January 28.  UNL Extension, Sandhills Cattle Association, and Security First Bank are co-sponsoring the seminar.

Dave Pratt is the featured speaker. Dave is a highly sought after speaker on profitable ranching. He is best known as the owner and lead teacher of the Ranching for Profit School held around the United States and Canada.

Some of the topics he will be addressing:

• Working In The Business v. Working On The Business
• Three Secrets for Increasing Profit
• What are the benchmarks for profitability and how do I use them?
• Wealthy on the Balance Sheet but Broke at the Bank
• What Do We Want & How Will We Get It?

Once again, the Making Ranches Profitable seminar is this Saturday, January 28, from 10 am – 5 pm at the Cedar Canyon Steakhouse in Valentine. The seminar costs $50 per person ($75/couple)

Please register by calling the Cherry County Extension Office 402-376-1850.

If Saturday does not work for you, the seminar will also be offered Wednesday in North Platte, Thursday in Thedford and Friday in Broken Bow.

4-H Bull Bash Activities

Bull Bash is coming soon and 4-H will have several activities in addition to the Luck of the Draw 4-H Foundation fundraiser.

Husker Beef Lab

The Husker Beef Lab will be at Bull Bash. The lab is a 19 foot trailer with mobile teaching laboratories including an animal and lab components, such as a microscope, TV and computer. Stop by the lab and learn more about the ruminant animal – its complexities and what makes the ruminant unique in the environment and ecosystem. The lab is not just for youth. Adults are also encouraged to visit.

Ultrasound Demonstration

Jolene Grunhaupt of Sandhills Ultrasound Services will be giving a demonstration on Ravenscroft Red Angus bulls. Come to Ravenscroft’s pen at 1:00 to watch Jolene collect ribeye area, marbling and backfat data. Learn why this information is important and how we can use it.

4-H Scavenger Hunt

The others are for adults also, but this one is just for youth! All youth, whether they are in 4-H or not, are welcome to participate in the fun-filled 4-H Scavenger Hunt. We will be having two separate hunts, one starting at 11:00 A.M and the other starting at 12:00 P.M. See the Cherry P.I.T. 4-H Newsletter for more information.

Market Beef Weigh-ins February 12 or February 25

Market Beef Weigh-in dates are February 12 or February 25. If you are planning to show market beef this year, they need to be weighed in. I.D. sheets, bills of sale, and ear tags can to be picked up at the Extension Office. Calves need to be 4-H tagged and your paperwork completed prior to weigh-in.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850 for more information.

2 Private Pesticide Safety Education Programs next week

If you need a private pesticide applicators license, or have a license that expires this year, you need to attend one of our Private Pesticide Safety Education Programs. I’ll have two Private Pesticide Certification classes next week. Next Monday, January 23, we’ll be in the Cherry County Fairgrounds 4-H Building in Valentine at 1:30 pm Central Time. Then on Tuesday, the 24^th we’ll be in the Merriman Village Hall at 1:30 pm Mountain Time. Anyone who wants to apply restricted use pesticides must be licensed. There will also be a class in April if you can’t make it to one next week.

 Making Ranches Profitable seminar – January 28

Ranchers don’t forget to register for the Making Ranches Profitable seminar on January 28.  Dave Pratt, owner and lead teacher of the Ranching for Profit School, will be the speaker. UNL Extension, Sandhills Cattle Association, and Security First Bank are co-sponsoring the seminar.

The Making Ranches Profitable seminar will be 10 am – 5 pm January 28 at the Cedar Canyon Steakhouse in Valentine. The seminar costs $50 per person ($75/couple)

Please pre-register by calling the Cherry County Extension Office 402-376-1850.

If January 28 does not work for you, the seminar will also be offered January 25 in North Platte, January 26 in Thedford and January 27 in Broken Bow.

Annual Cattlemen’s Day at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory – Wednesday, February 8

I also want to let you know that the annual Cattlemen’s Day at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory is Wednesday, February 8 at the ranch north of Whitman. The topics are Grazing and Haying Strategies for Sandhills Meadows, Reproductive Management, Building Beef Business Success in Times of Change, Bull Selection Considerations, and a producer panel discussing Grazing Strategies on the Ranch.

The days starts at 8:30 am Mountain Time and will end by 4 pm. It is important that we get a good count for lunch so please call the Central Sandhills Extension Office to register 1-800-657-2113.

Water evergreens now to avoid winter desiccation injury

It is time to water your evergreen trees. The weather this winter, believe it or not may be hard on evergreen trees. It has been dry and windy. Dry and windy in the winter means the same thing it does in the summer. Your evergreens need water. Winter desiccation is one of the main sources of injury to evergreens in our area. The next day it’s not freezing, drag out the hose and let it run a while on the trees. You can go online to byf.unl.edu/winterinjury to learn more.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850 for more information.

The Cherry County 4-H Council asked that I convey their thanks for all of the donations they have received so far for their Luck of the Draw fundraiser. If you have something to donate, the 4-H council needs to receive those by February 1^st. If you have items for the raffle, you can either drop them off at the Cherry County Extension office, or call Angel Davis and an 4-H Council member will pick them up. Angel is coordinating this year’s event. Her phone number is 402-823-4056. If you are dropping them by the Extension office, don’t forget our office now in the old courthouse.

Making Ranches Profitable seminar January 28

I want to remind you to register for the Making Ranches Profitable seminar on January 28.  Dave Pratt, owner and lead teacher of the Ranching for Profit School, will be the speaker. UNL Extension, Sandhills Cattle Association, and Security First Bank are co-sponsoring the seminar.

The Making Ranches Profitable seminar will be 10 am – 5 pm January 28 at the Cedar Canyon Steakhouse in Valentine. The seminar costs $50 per person ($75/couple)

Please pre-register by calling the Cherry County Extension Office 402-376-1850.

If January 28 does not work for you, the seminar will also be offered January 25 in North Platte, January 26 in Thedford and January 27 in Broken Bow.

Supplement or Replacer – What’s the Difference?

With calving season just around the corner you are probably stocking the vet cabinet in preparation. Colostrum is probably on your list of supplies to have on hand. As you all know, colostrum transfers immunity directly from the mother to the calf through what is called passive transfer of immunity. Calves that fail to transfer immunity are more likely to become sick or die in the first two months of life than calves with adequate immunity.

Ranchers occasionally need to provide colostrum to calves. There are two categories of commercial colostrum products on the market, supplements and replacers. Knowing which to use in different situations can be very helpful.  Colostrum supplements are less expensive than colostrum replacers, but they may not be the best choice.

An article from Pennsylvania State University that is published on the E-Extension website helps to sort out the differences. “Colostrum products that contain Immunoglobulin G  are regulated by the USDA. Immunoglobulin G (often simply called IgG) is the indicator of immunity. Products are classified as supplement or replacer based on their ability to raise the blood concentration of IgG above a certain standards. Supplement products are unable to raise the blood concentration above 10 mg/ml standard. Any product that is able to raise serum IgG concentration above 10 mg/ml may be called a colostrum replacer.

Colostrum supplements can be used to increase the amount of IgG fed to calves when only low or medium quality colostrum is available. However, supplements cannot replace high quality colostrum. Even when a supplement is added to low quality colostrum, the IgG is often absorbed poorly, and antibody absorption is reduced compared to high quality maternal colostrum.

Colostrum replacer contains more immunoglobulin than supplement products and provides more antibodies than poor or moderate quality colostrum. In research trials, calves fed colostrum replacer have performed as well as calves fed maternal colostrum with no differences in IgG levels, efficiency of IgG absorption, incidence of scours, or growth rates.” 

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850, or visit us at cherry.unl.edu for more information.

Our office is closed today for the New Year Holiday but we’ll be back in full swing tomorrow.

4-H Foundation Luck of the Draw fundraiser donation collection January 3

The Cherry County 4-H Council is getting ready for the annual 4-H Foundation “Luck of the Draw” fundraiser held during Bull Bash. Cherry County 4-Hers will be stopping by Valentine businesses tomorrow afternoon requesting donations for this years Luck of the Draw fundraiser. If you have something ready, but the kids miss you somehow, please don’t be offended. Just give us a call at the extension office and the 4-H Council will see to it that someone comes and picks it up.

The Cherry County 4-H council wanted me to thank local businesses for all the support given to their “Luck of the Draw” fundraiser in the past. I would like to personally add my thanks to that of the 4-H Council. It’s wonderful the way the community supports the 4-H program.

Workshops coming in January

Private Pesticide Safety Education Programs

If you need a private pesticide applicators license, or have a license that expires this year, you need to attend one of our Private Pesticide Safety Education Programs.

January 23 – Valentine, 1:30 PM CT, Cherry County Fairgrounds 4-H Building

January 24 – Merriman, 1:30 PM MT, Merriman Village Hall

April 2 – Valentine, 1:30 PM CT, Cherry County Fairgoundas 4-H Building

Making Ranches Profitable

January 28 - 10 am – 5 pm, Cedar Canyon Steakhouse, Valentine NE

Cost: $50 per person ($75/couple) 

Sponsored by: UNL Extension, Sandhills Cattle Association, and Security First Bank

Making Ranches Profitable features Ranching for Profit’s Dave Pratt. Dave is a highly sought after speaker on sustainable agriculture and profitable ranching. He is best known as the owner and lead teacher of the Ranching for Profit School held around the United States and Canada.

Some of the topics he will be addressing:

• Working In The Business v. Working On The Business – How knowing how to raise livestock is completely different than knowing how to build and run a business that raises livestock.
• Three Secrets for Increasing Profit
• What are the benchmarks for profitability and how do I use them?
• Wealthy on the Balance Sheet but Broke at the Bank
• What Do We Want & How Will We Get It?

Please pre-register by calling the Cherry County Extension Office 402-376-1850.

The seminar will also be offered January 25 in North Platte, January 26 in Thedford and January 27 in Broken Bow.

The full-blown Ranching for Profit school is a week long and costs $2500, so this is a great opportunity. I hope to see many local ranchers take advantage of the opportunity.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850, or visit cherry.unl.edu for more information.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Our office is closed this week because of the University of Nebraska’s holiday shutdown, but we’ll be back in full swing on January 3^rd.

I want to let you know that the 4-H council and 4-H members will be out and about next Tuesday January 3, collecting donations for the luck of the draw raffle fundraiser they hold every year during bull bash. This is Cherry County 4-H’s main fundraiser. The proceeds are used for trophies, awards, scholarships and trainings. In other words, the council uses the money to support the Cherry County 4-H program.

Last week when I thanked Kami Ormesher and Patty Jo Higgins for their six years of service on the 4-H Council, I failed to mention the new council members Dana Kramer and Kris Krolikowski. Thanks Dana and Kris for agreeing to serve on the 4-H Council.

Don’t consume raw eggs

I saw a recipe for eggnog the other day that still called for raw eggs. I want to remind you that you should beware of drinking eggnog made with raw eggs! Many older classic holiday recipes call for raw eggs. This cooking practice is not considered safe because of possible Salmonella infection. If you want to learn more, just go to food.unl.edu and type eggnog into the search bar. December is eggnog month, so there is lots of information in the Food Days Weeks and Months section.

4 Day Throw Away App

You’ve all see the commercial where the say there’s an app for that. It seems like there’s an app for everything now days. UNL Extension has an app for iphone, ipad and ipod touch called leftovers. It is part of the 4 Day Throw Away food safety campaign.

If you have one of the supported devices, you can get it in the Apple App Store. You choose what kind of food your have a question about, and it will tell you how long it will keep. It will also tell you what the specific food safety issues are with each food.

Winter Survival Kit App

North Dakota State University Extension has an app called winter survival kit available in the Apple App Store, and I think as an Android app also. It has safety tips and helps you call for help. Just seeing the app reminded me that I needed to get my winter driving kit put in my trunk. If you’ve not done that yet, I’m reminding you to do that now.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850 for more information.

Cherry County 4-H would like to thank the shooting sports leaders (Greg Davis, Neil Kreutner, Tom Lancaster, Mark Ormesher, and Kevin Reece) for putting on the recent Shooting Sports Clinic. We would also like to thank Randy Mercure for his bow making demonstration at the clinic.

I also want to say thanks to Kami Ormesher and Patty Jo Higgins for their service to 4-H. Their Cherry County 4-H Council terms are ending. They have both served as officers on the council and have provided leadership to the Luck of the Draw fundraiser.

Cherry County 4-H Foundation Luck of the Draw fundraiser

We want to thank local businesses and individuals for their past support of the annual Luck of the Draw fundraiser. Area businesses should have received a letter from the Cherry County 4-H Foundation about this fundraiser that is held during the Heart City Bull Bash. Area businesses are asked to prepare for a visit from 4-Hers on the afternoon of January 3^rd. 4-H youth will personally visit as many businesses as they can.

Once again, thank you for your continuing support of the Cherry County 4-H program.

Call to order a copy of the Range Beef Cow Symposium proceedings

I am going to be ordering proceedings from the recent Range Beef Cow Symposium for a couple of people. Please let me know if you would like me to order one for you also. They cost $20, and contain the write ups for nearly all of the more than 25 presentations make at the Symposium.

You can also see the powerpoint slides and session synopsis in the online newsroom at rangebeefcow.com. Eventually the symposium proceedings will be available on the beef.unl.edu website.

UNL Beef Short Course

The UNL 2011 Beef Short Course is being aired on NET2 Television. The programs are also being streamed live over the internet.

The programs are from 7-8 pm Central Time, December 22, January 12 and January 19. Just go to beef.unl.edu to watch the program or to find more information. The first session Beef Cattle Numbers and Outlook with Derrell Peel from Oklahoma State University aired live last week. You can watch it any time.

Finally, I want to remind you that, due to UNL’s annual Holiday Shut down, the Extension Office will close December 26 and reopen January 3^rd.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850 for more information.

My colleague Alice Henneman, Food and Nutrition Extension Educator in Lancaster County, had some interesting information in her December Cook-It-Quick newsletter that I want to share. Apparently “food mixes in a jar” are popular gifts this year. I remember they were popular several years ago, and it’s trendy again.

Alice has put together a couple of papers that you might find interesting. The first is “Tips for Making Master Mixes and Mixes in a Jar.” It has tips and reminders for everything from, don’t forget to check the expiration date, to substitution rates for whole-wheat flour, and how to prevent beans from giving people gas.

Alice also has a list of places to find recipes for food mixes in a jar. There is one from North Dakota called “Mix it Up” that has recipes for a chili mix, a corn bread mix, a cranberry oatmeal cookie mix, and one for friendship soup. There are several more recipes on her website. You can find everything online at food.unl.edu. You can also call or stop by our office if you would like copies of Alice’s tips or recipes.

Eat healthy this holiday season

As long as I’m talking about food, I want to share a couple reminders with you from Dr. Lisa Franzen-Castle, our Extension Nutrition Specialist from Scottsbluff. She pointed out in her December Healthy Bites newsletter that a popular way to celebrate holidays is to invite friends and family to a buffet. However, foods left out for long periods leave the door open for uninvited guests bacteria that cause foodborne illness. Remember the two-hour rule; foods sitting out for two hours or more should be discarded.

Want to take some easy steps to a healthier holiday? Don’t go to holiday meals or parties on an empty stomach; eat a meal or have a light snack beforehand. Reduce your portion sizes and take smaller amounts of your favorite foods. Skipping meals makes it harder to keep your consumption level in control and arriving hungry may increase your chances of overeating.

Another way to fight the bulge is to slow down, slow down your eating that is. Did you know it takes about 20 minutes after food enters our mouths before the brain starts to perceive we’re getting full? Slow down at the dinner table this holiday season to slim down. Take time to sit and savor the holiday food flavors. Listen to your stomach and stop eating when you’re full.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850, or visit us online at cherry.unl.edu for more information.

For those of you who still need to choose a Medicare Part D plan by December 7, Sue Pearman, Central Sandhills Area Extension Educator, will be at the Cherry County Extension Office tomorrow, December 6, to meet with anyone wanting assistance comparing and choosing your plan. If you would like to make an appointment to meet with Sue, please call 1-800-657-2113.

Range Beef Cow Symposium Highlights

Over the next couple weeks or so I want to share some of the highlights of last week’s Range Beef Cow Symposium with you. A little over 600 ranchers and others involved in the cow/calf industry gathered at the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds in Mitchell NE to hear industry experts speak on a wide variety of topics.

The general consensus of the economics related speakers was that in spite of high cost of feed, fuel, and other inputs now is a great time to own cows. The fundamentals keeping calf prices up are strong and should support strong prices for at least the next couple of years.

Jim Robb, Director of the Livestock Marketing Information Center, shared that high corn prices have hurt pork and poultry producers much worse than they have cattle producers. Cattle’s ability to use distillers grains as well as their ability to convert roughages and other low quality feeds into gain is a distinct competitive advantage for cattle relative to pork and poultry.

He also shared his opinion that when Texas and especially Oklahoma producers begin to restock their herds, the price of pairs and replacement cattle will reach levels that we’ve never seen before. I don’t think that any of the economists will be surprised if heifer calves trade at a premium to steers at times once the drought breaks.

Tom Brink, from JBS Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, talked about how the high cost of gain in the feedlot is driving demand for yearlings. He expects stocker operations to continue to be profitable. He thinks that calf-feds will decline to 20% or less of feedlot placements, and as much as ½ of the cattle entering feedlots could be yearlings 750 lbs and over. He said that if consumer demand holds and retail beef prices move up a little, that we could see five weight calves reach $2/pound.

Mike Miller from Cattle Fax shared the other’s optimism.

The speakers also cautioned producers to watch costs carefully. Even though we’ve seen record prices, we’ve also seen record input costs. Prices of cattle and inputs are both extremely variable and producers need to be at the top of their managerial game.

Making Ranches Profitable workshop, January 28, Valentine NE

That brings me to a workshop we have coming up January 28 with Dave Pratt called “Making Ranches Profitable.” Perhaps I should have called the workshop “Keeping Ranches Profitable.” Since hopefully everyone has had a good year. Now is the time to take a good look at your operation, and think about it’s future. If you need to invest in changes, then now is the time to do it, not later on when times are much tougher.

The workshop will give you the tools to do just that. I’ll be getting you more information as we get closer to the workshop, but right now I want you to put it on your calendar and in your budget. That’s from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, January 28 at Cedar Canyon Steakhouse here in Valentine. There will be a cost of $50 per individual/ $75/couple to attend.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850 for more information.

On behalf of the Cherry County 4-H Council I want to start by extending a big thanks to everyone who supported the Clint Miller fundraiser yesterday. It is great to live in such a great supportive community.

Medicare Part D signup assistance

For those of you who still need to choose a Medicare Part D plan by December 7, Sue Pearman, Central Sandhills Area Extension Educator, will be at the Cherry County Extension Office to meet with anyone wanting assistance comparing and choosing your plan. She is here today, and will be here again next Monday, November 28, and then the following Tuesday, December 6. If you would like to make an appointment to meet with Sue, please call 1-800-657-2113.

4-H Shooting Sports Clinic, December 4

The Cherry County 4-H Shooting Sports Committee is hosting a clinic for all 4-H youth interested in the Shooting Sports program.  The clinic will be Sunday, December 4, at the Cherry County Fairgrounds, starting at 2:00 P.M.

Youth will learn safety and responsibility with firearms and archery equipment.  Leaders will cover firearm cleaning and maintenance as well as bow care.   If participants have access to cleaning kits they are encouraged to bring them along with their firearms and bows.  No ammunition will be used at this clinic.

4-Hers will also be treated to a presentation on bow making.  Youth and parents will learn about competition class requirements for the different firearm categories.  Participants will make and take home b.b. boards.

Range Beef Cow Symposium, Nov. 29-Dec.1, Mitchell, NE

Finally, don’t forget the Range Beef Cow Symposium coming up next week November 29 – December 1 in Mitchell, NE. You can register at rangebeefcow.com or you can always register at the door. Even if you are planning to register at the door, it is a good idea to give some though to your motel arrangements. The first two motels I checked were already full when I made my reservation last week.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850 for more information.

We have a workshop on Managing Winter Feed Costs for Cows and Calves coming in two locations next week. Next Monday, November 14, we’ll be at the Peppermill in Valentine from 4 – 8 pm Central Time. The next day, Tuesday November 15, we’ll be at the Sandhills RC&D bulding in Mullen from 10 am – 2 pm Mountain Time.

Given the high feed costs, there’s no such thing as cheap gain. It is more important than ever to create the most economical ration possible.

Karla Jenkins, UNL Extension Cow-Calf and Range Management Specialist out of Scottsbluff, will be on hand to discuss feeding the cowherd. Given that many ranches have experienced lower than normal pregnancy rates in years with higher than normal precipitation. Karla will discuss the importance of a balanced ration throughout the year and how to figure the most economical supplement.

In spite of high feed costs, there may be opportunities for profitably backgrounding calves due to the high value of the gain.

Matt Luebbe, UNL Extension Feedlot Nutrition and Management Specialist also from Scottsbluff, will talk about backgrounding calves. He’ll cover building economical rations when feed prices are high. As well as, balancing the level and type of supplement against the performance you can expect. Matt will weigh in on whether various incentives such as age & source, and preconditioning programs really pay out for the rancher.

We’re arranging for Dillon Feuz, former UNL and current Utah State Livestock Market Economist, to join us via distance education technology. Dillon will try to make sense of the current cattle market environment and talk about the dollars and cents of backgrounding calves.

So, whether you are trying to figure out how to stretch your cow supplement dollar as far as possible, or you are trying to decide if this wild and wacky cattle and corn price environment holds a profit opportunity, this workshop has something for you. Please pre-register for the workshops so we can have a count for meals. There is a $15 registration fee, payable at the door.

Call our Cherry County Extension Office at 402.376.1850 to register for Valentine, or the Central Sandhills Extension Office at 1.800.657.2113 to register for the Mullen location.

Range Beef Cow Symposium, November 29 – December 1

Also, don’t forget the Range Beef Cow Symposium coming up the end of the month in Mitchell, NE. You can register for that online at rangebeefcow.com.

As always, you can call the extension office at 402-376-1850