Tires can make great containers to hold feed and water for cattle, but those tires also can pose health risks. If the tires have wire in the walls, the wire can break off and cattle can swallow it. Cattle ingesting wire can develop hardware disease, a condition that could result in their death. Performing regular maintenance on the tires is the best way to avoid hardware disease. (Photo by Carl Dahlen, NDSU)

Shearing sheep before lambing begins can have a tremendous inpact on flock productivity. Research shows shearing prior to lambing may improve blood flow to unborn lambs, resulting in healthier and more productive lambs. Shearing before lambing also can result in a cleaner environment for newborn lambs, help the lambs nurse sooner and improve the value of the wool clip.

The 2012 Field Crop Insect Management Guide has information and pesticide recommendations for most crops grown in North Dakota. The guide also has information on managing pests on rangeland and noncrop areas. The recommendations conform to the current federal and state laws and regulations relating to pesticide chemicals.

The 2012 Weed Control Guide has an easy-to-follow format that will help producers with sometimes difficult herbicide application decisions. The guide also lists other publications that are available to provide even more specific information.

The guide is based on federal and state herbicide labels, research at North Dakota Research Extension Centers and other information from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.

The flavor quality of milk starts at the farm. Make it a practice to check the flavor of your milk regularly because milk flavor can change in quality suddenly if production conditions are altered. For most effective flavor evaluation, milk samples should be warmed to the 55 to 70 degree range. Temperatures below 50 tend to mask potential off-flavors.

An unusually fortunate combination of events occurred in 2010 for North Dakota producers, according to “Financial Characteristics of North Dakota Farms, 2001-2010” by Andy Swenson, farm management specialist. Yields were very strong, with records set for corn and sugar beets, while wheat, barley and canola had the second highest in history. Grain prices improved during the small-grain harvest and continued upward the rest of the year. This provided additional profit opportunities for those who had inventories of 2009 crop year grain to sell.

Successful crop production depends on a number of factors, including selecting the right variety for a particular area. NDSU variety trials evaluate a number of crop characteristics to help producers find a high-quality, good-yielding variety to grow. The annual variety trials provide information on factors such as yield potential, test weight, plant height, maturity, quality and resistance to diseases.

Hay loss and feed waste are inevitable components of most beef production systems. However, producers can reduce the losses. For example, place uncovered hay bales stored outside on a hard surface in single rows, with bales stacked face to face, to eliminate moisture accumulation. Other options include storing hay in a building, feeding bales in a hay ring or feed bunk instead of on the ground, and reducing the amount of time cows have access to the hay, althouth limiting feed can have drawbacks.

At a time when the beef cattle industry is experiencing record cattle and corn prices, volatility and uncertainty, backgrounding calves may be a viable option. Producers have many more in-state feed options than they once did. One of those options is distillers grain, a coproduct of ethanol production. Backgrounding carries some risks, but producers have ways to minimize them. 

This year's early frost could make drying corn a challenge. About 17 percent of North Dakota's corn crop didn't reach the dent stage before frost ended the growing season. The corn's moisture content likely will vary greatly. Field drying normally is more economical until mid to late October, and mechanical high-temperature drying usually is more economical after that. To reduce energy use when high-temperature drying, use the maximum temperature that will not damage the corn.