K-State Research and Extension

The Midway District Extension team proudly writes for the local papers.  The article below was featured in early June.

The days are longer, hotter, and the wheat is turning; for many of the producers in the Midway District we are gearing up for harvest but let’s not forget some simple tips that we can use to help us better utilize our pastures and allow our cattle to get the most from the grass we have.

• Distribution of salt and mineral from your water source.

By encouraging or attracting your cattle to other areas of the pasture you are more likely to have uniformed grazing patterns. Rotating the salt and mineral placement throughout the grazing season will increase cattle distribution in larger pastures and decrease trampling of one area.

• Adequate water available for the stocking rate.

As a rule of thumb, consumption will range from 2 gallons per 100 pounds of body during the hottest weather. Lactating cows require nearly twice as much water compared to dry cows. Additionally, clean fresh water free of manure, dirt, and other debris will be more appealing.

• Fences

It is easy to drive by on a “date night” and check fences. You never know when the neighbor’s bull may have jumped over or if a calf or two was playing and I’m sure the list is endless. It is important to check our fences whenever we have an opportunity, and be that friendly neighbor.

 These may seem like non-essential items now, but keep in mind the basics are the foundation for every successful business, and it would make for a long harvest if your cows were out of water or in the wrong pasture. Best of luck to everyone this harvest!

More articles can be found at http://www.midway.k-state.edu/in-the-news/index.html

For more information about livestock and pasture management tips contact the Midway District Extension office or call (785)483-3157 or (785)472-4442. Dusti Lynne Betts serves as the Midway Extension District Livestock Production Agent. All Kansas Extension education programs and materials are available to all individuals without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or handicap.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway-it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all of his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

As members of a rural community we can so many times feel like the farmer who thought his donkey wasn’t worth saving, or the well worth fixing. But as I read the statistics from the Ag Censes Data, the Midway District is home to 410 Cow/Calf Producers, 10 Swine Operations, 23 Sheep and Goat Facilities! That is a resilient number of people who believed and kept moving forward through drought, fire, hail, floods, and any other secret thrown at you from the Great Plains. Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up!

Shake it off, and take a step up.

For more information about livestock and forage topics contact the Midway District Extension office or call (785)483-3157 or (785)472-4442. Dusti Lynne Betts serves as the Midway Extension District Livestock Production Agent. All Kansas Extension education programs and materials are available to all individuals without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or handicap.