NETFC NOW GENERAL MANAGER’S VIEWPOINT by Brad Johnson

NETFC NOW
NORTHEAST TEXAS FARMERS COOP
November 2014
Volume 14, Issue 11
GENERAL MANAGER’S VIEWPOINT
by Brad Johnson
Inside this issue:
The feed season is now upon us after a wildly successful forage year in
Northeast Texas. For Beef and Dairy operations, some pleasant price surprises relative to the
previous 5 years exist…. especially when we get the Midwest crop in. Our Feed Mills welcome
the opportunity to serve your bulk and bagged needs. We are pleasantly surprised with our
Seed sales this Fall. They are tracking higher than last year. As good as our forage crops were
this Summer, we are seeing cattlemen/women doing all they can to sustain their herds in a first
class manner. And why not? As a geographical area, our producers are truly maximizing the
opportunity current Milk & Beef markets are offering.
We hope your candidates for political office won their elections. We really hope the winners of
this election are encouraged to support our rural and agricultural values.
Have a great November.
QUALITY
2
Sulphur
Springs 3
Farm & Ranch Center
Canton
Farm
Ranch Center
& 3
A Wink & A Glance 3
at Sabine Valley
World Famous Stew 4
Contest Winnders
“Owned by Those We Serve”
FRESH FEED
Retail Farm Supply
VALUE
Feed Mill Representative/Micro Ingredient Buyer
By Steve Freeman
Feeding calves and cows, beef or dairy is within our interest here at the Coop. We have folks on staff that can help you with
needed advice, from weight gain calculations, milk production calculations, trouble shooting feeding problems, and other
problem solving scenarios. Since we are seeing the highest prices paid in history for beef and milk, it is a good time to consider the profitability of feeding for production rather than survival. If you need help call 903–885-7221 or 800-962-9485.
WE WILL BE CLOSED ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH IN HONOR OF THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY SO THAT OUR EMPLOYEES MAY SPEND THIS TIME WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. WE WILL RE-OPEN ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH FOR REGULAR
HOURS. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOUR FAMILY FROM ALL OF US AT NORTHEAST
TEXAS FARMERS COOP!
RETAIL FARM SUPPLY & SULPHUR SPRINGS FERTILIZER
by Jim Ratzlaff
903 885 3143 Store 903 885 5036 Fertilizer
800 722 0174 Fertilizer
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Nitrogen cost are right at $.50 per pound. Texas A&M research says that it takes 50 lbs of nitrogen to produce 2000 lbs
of hay or dry matter forage. So the nitrogen cost to produce 2000 lbs of dry forage would be $25. Their research goes a
on to say that it takes over 17 inches of rainfall to produce a ton of hay or dry forage if the nitrogen levels are lacking.
However if there is ample nitrogen only 4 inches of rainfall is required for 2000 lbs of hay or forage. Most clovers will
provide 100 lbs of nitrogen per acre and the seed cost per acre is around $20 depending upon the clover. So the potential of getting 100 lbs of nitrogen for only $20 that is worth $50 is a two for one return. Plus you will get earlier high
protein grazing in the spring in your pastures. If bloat is a concern then add about 15 to 20 lbs of ryegrass when you
plant the clovers. Crimson and arrow leaf type clovers like Blackhawk and Apache need to be planted before Thanksgiving, but most all other clovers can be planted up to February 1. The other benefit of planting clovers in your pasture
is that as the cattle graze next summer they will recycle a lot of the nitrogen back during the summer growing season
allowing you to get even more benefit from clovers. Get with the Store Managers to help figure out which clover may
work the best for your conditions.
We got lots of hay this year, which according to risk statistics the cow/calf producer seldom go broke with lots of hay on
hands. So while we are ahead on our hay needs we need to insure that we stay that way. Ryegrass is a pretty sure crop
to raise for hay as its growing season is during the spring when we get most of our rains. Even in the drought years
those who planted ryegrass for hay got hay and did not have to buy high priced hay. We have a new variety of ryegrass
called Fria. At Overton it was the top producer for late harvesting, which means it is a little later in maturity, which
will allow us to harvest the hay before it gets too mature and it starts to lose its protein and energy. If planting soon one
may add crimson or Apache to add a little more protein to it. If planning later one may want to add A U Don Ball clover.
To help save hay this winter we have the Hay Minder hay feeder. It is a round bale feeder that is galvanized for an expected life of over 5 years unless you run over it with your tractor. And the expected savings is at least 15% more of the
hay fed goes into the cow rather then on to the ground. Which means that you only need to feed 5 bales as compared to
feeding 6 bales in the cheap hay ring feeders. We have them available at all three Farm and Ranch Centers. These
feeders are sturdy by design and weigh about 150 lbs which allows them to be movable by hand if need be.
We are receiving a new load of liquid feeders, which we expect that the liquid feed business will be good with all the hay
we have on hands. For more information, see Dave Davison or Wayne Spears at the Scale house in Sulphur Springs.
It is a good idea to get your hay tested by cutting and by field. After getting the analysis back, choose to feed the higher
energy and the higher protein hay from mid December through January which are the toughest months for wintering
cattle. This could make a pretty big difference on the cows settling back sooner after calving and get a little heavier
weaning weight next fall.
They are predicting a colder winter then normal with a little additional moisture, which will add more stress to our cattle this winter, but that will be good for those of us who have ryegrass and clover to graze. To help off set the higher
stress levels, be sure to be feeding a good mineral such as Beef Cow Plus, or Beef Cow Mineral with Radex. When we
say feeding mineral it means that we monitor what the consumption is on the mineral and then either add salt to slow
the mineral consumption down, or add something like cottonseed meal to pick up the mineral consumption. Normal
mineral consumption should be a quarter of pound of mineral per 1000 lbs of cattle. A herd of 25 cows weighing 1200
lbs with a 1800 bull would have at total weight of 31,800 divide that by 1000 times .25 lbs = 7.395 lbs per day or just
about 55 lbs per week. Once one gets the formula for the herd figured our, one can make the proper mineral mix to last
a week. A lot of herd health problem during the winter time can be solved by just making sure the cattle are eating
what they are suppose to consume on a daily bases.
By testing your hay for energy and protein you can select the best hay to feed the back grounding cattle. The higher
energy hay will add more pounds of gain per day. In all the years I have been working with forages, I have learned one
thing, a good lab analysis will tell you more about the hay then smell, color or texture. I have seen some pretty sorry
looking forage test really good and just the opposite good looking forage test pretty sorry. Now if you see seed heads on
it, you can bet money that the energy and protein will be lower. I am sure that must of us have some of both types of
hay in our stack yard.
“Owned by Those We Serve”
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NETFC NOW
FARM & RANCH CENTER
By Donnie Peters
903 885 3143
It’s Not Too Late to Plant Clovers
Many producers may have decided to go with the seed that have emerged in pastures but it isn’t too late to plant some clover that will provide a good shot of nitrogen back to your soil for the summer crop. Clovers can provide 80-100 units of
nitrogen back into the soil that can be utilized next year. Now many people look for “lead pipe cinches” in which to make
investments and clover into your pastures is one of them. Research from Texas A & M University found that the addition of
clovers in pastures provided an additional 50 pounds per calf from increased weight gains for calves and increased milk
production from the cows. We still have a good supply of clovers available. Let us help in deciding which ones will best fit
your program. Apache arrow leaf or Crimson clover can be added to ryegrass or small grains. AU Don Ball clover can be
added to any pasture at 2 pounds per acre. The ball clover is a good re-seeder and will continue to increase from a single
planting. If you are looking for more “Bang for the Buck”, consider using Ocoee or Durana clover. These are perennial and
continue to provide lots of forage throughout the year. These clovers should be planted after a killing freeze to slow-up the
competition during establishment. These clovers will really start being available in March –May time period and as moisture conditions allow, provide grazing. Let us know how we can assist you in your operation. We appreciate your business.
CANTON FARM & RANCH CENTER
By Ruth Freeman
903 567 5223
903-567-6636
Chilly weather is here and with it comes the winter feeding programs for our livestock. For deer and hog hunting whole
corn has really been a great bargain this season at $6.40 for a 50#. Ranch Hand cubes are at $8.05 #50 bag, 3/8 Medicated
Creep #50 $7.00, and Multipurpose is $7.60 #50. For even more savings come in and purchase Ranch Hand Cubes @ $15.40
cwt. and Multipurpose pellets @ $14.40 cwt. from our bulk overhead bin. We have 1 ton totes available for $15.00 for easy
carry home and storage for feeding. Come in and check out our many different lines of equine, sheep, and goat feeds as
well. Don’t forget to put out extra bedding material such as pine shavings or pelleted bedding and heat lamps for your outside pets as the weather gets cooler. We have some really good prices on our dog food lines as well, so come in and check out
our store sales, also drop in at our Tire Center and let Garland and Neil take care of any tire needs you may have. We appreciate your business, see you soon!
A WINK & A GLANCE AT SABINE VALLEY
by Blake Smith
800 962 9485
903 455 2971
The cooler days are really nice, I really do like this time of year better than the heat of summer, and all the holidays coming
up with all the food involved in that, and of course football season is my favorite time. And getting back to the business, this
time of year is also the best time of year for us. Feed production usually starts to pick up around this time, and we enjoy
the challenges of putting out the products that are in demand and staying up with what is being loaded out. We do like
having the feed here for you when you stop by one of our NETFC Stores (Canton, Greenville or Sulphur Springs) or a Sabine Valley Dealer scattered around the area. We strive to make a good product for you at the best price. We thank all of
you out there for your support.
“Owned by Those We Serve”
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Khrista Brown & Gary Friddle
Sponsored by Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op