Workshop and Field Days

Upcoming Workshop and Field Days

Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension Program is conducting following field day and training workshop in the next month.

1. Year-round forage production and grazing management field day, Selma, AL - June 8, 2013 (9 am to 12 pm) - at Mr. Gregory Scott's farm

Ruminant livestock production in Alabama is based on pasture. Highly productive and quality pasture persisting throughout a year or most of the year is important for profitable livestock enterprises. Most of the livestock producers in Alabama have warm-season perennial pastures that produce from May to October and have negligible or no production from November to April, when farmers need to invest considerably on supplementary feedstuffs such as hay, agricultural byproducts, and commercially prepared feeds to sustain their livestock. Feeding supplement for 5-6 months each year is not cost-effective. The purpose of this field day is to educate and demonstrate Extension professionals and livestock producers on developing and managing year-round pasture system. This field day will be conducted on a goat producer’s farm, which has been involved in developing year-round pasture and managing the pasture with rotational grazing system. Participants will be able to see and experience how their livestock production system can be improved, and apply the similar system on their farms. For more information, read the program flyer and agenda. To participate in the program, please fill the registration form, and send back to us as suggested in the registration form immediately.  

2. Sustainable livestock production workshop, Union Springs, AL - June 27, 2013 (8:30 am to 4:30 pm) - Hands on portion will take place at Ms. Rosia Jernigan's farm

Ruminant livestock, especially beef cattle, production has been a major enterprise for many farmers in Alabama. Alabama has 1.23 million cattle and calves, which accounts for the second topmost farm commodity with cash receipts of $395.8 million. The 2007 Agriculture Census data shows that 76 percent of the cattle producers are small scale producers with a herd size of less than 50. There are many avenues that need improvement (such as pasture and grazing system, supplementary feeding, routine health care and management, and breeding) in the existing livestock production system for the producers to be able to get benefit from their operations. The purpose of this workshop is to educate and train field-level Extension professionals and livestock producers on different aspects of sustainable livestock production system, especially focusing on a cow-calf operation. Please read the program flyer and agenda for more information. To participate in the program, fill and return the registration form along with the registration fee to the address given in the registration form on time.

 

Sustainable Year-Round Forage Production and Grazing/Browsing Management Training

Training For Sustainable Year-Round Forage Production and Grazing/Browsing Management in the Southern Region

 

 

Tuskegee University Cooperative Extension Program in collaboration with other land grant universities (Auburn, Langston, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M), Alabama Natural Resources Conservation Service, and PadmaDal Memorial Foundation conducted a 3-day training program (March 26-28, 2013) – Sustainable Year-Round Forage Production and Grazing/Browsing Management for field agricultural professionals, who are working with goat producers in the Southern Region. This training was funded by Southern SARE. Training was conducted from March 26-28, 2013; March 25 and 29 were the travel dates for those who were coming a long way to Tuskegee.  More information is available in the Program Flyer

















 

Kidding Season - Tips to Minimize Kid Mortality

Introduction

A high survival of newborns is very crucial to be successful in goat business and other livestock enterprises. As goats are seasonal breeders, most goats are bred in fall with the beginning of shorter day length unless the natural breeding is hormonally manipulated. In most part of the country, September and October are the months for natural goat breeding. This breeding season results in winter kidding - mostly in January and February, when cold weather and poor nutrition pose challenges to majority of goat farmers.  Newborn kids are most vulnerable to the adverse climatic conditions. As a result, a high mortality can occur if proper care is not taken. Following are few tips to minimize kid mortality and increase profits.





Figure 1. Newborn kids suckling colostrum.

Tips to Minimize Kid Mortality

• Minimize the chance of injury and infection – Keep the pregnant does in a separate clean shed or new pasture around the kidding date so that the chance of injury and infection is minimized.
• Make sure does with newborn kids have access to a good shelter to get protection from inclement weather conditions.
• Be prepared with necessary materials and supplies, and also to help kids at kidding     


• Necessary materials and supplies – Feeding bottle, supplementary colostrum, heating lamp, towel or rag, soap, water, lubricants, gloves
• Be prepared to help kids – Trim nails and clean hands with soap and water; use gloves before touching kids or does. 
• Make sure newborns are breathing – Remove any material from around the mouth and nose to clear the airways, and clean and dry newborn with clean towel or rag.
• Keep the newborns warm and dry - Provide clean, dry, and soft bedding. When the bedding gets wet, change it or add more bedding. If it is very cold, wrap kids with warm towel or rag. If kids are in a pen, heating lamp can be used to increase the temperature.
• Spray tincture of iodine (7%) on and around the navel - It will minimize the chance of naval infection and related complications.
• Do not take the kids away from does - While cleaning, drying, and performing other activities with the newborns, keep the newborns close to their mothers – it is extremely important to develop maternal bonding.
• Help the weak newborns stand up and suckle - It is crucial that newborns suckle and ingest enough colostrum soon after birth (Fig. 1). If the newborn is weak and/or the mother is not very much interested in her newborn(s), which may be a sign that help is needed for subsequent suckling as well. Feeding enough colostrum soon after birth is very important for kid survival and growth.
• Bottle feed colostrum to kids if does are not producing enough or suckling is hindered - If kids are not able to stand up and suckle, the does should be milked and fed to the kids. Give only a small amount at a time based on kids’ appetite. Colostrum feeding must start soon after kids are born (within half an hour or so) and feeding should be repeated 4 to 5 times a day. Kids will get enough immunoglobulins if 140 – 175 g colostrum per kg of live weight is fed within 24 hours of birth. Overfeeding should be avoided because it may upset kids’ digestive system. For more information, click this link - colostrum feeding.
• Keep the premises clean, dry, well-lighted, and ventilated - This will minimize the chance of infections (such as pneumonia, coccidiosis, and colibacillosis – these are very common in the newborns) because clean, ventilated, and well lit environment is detrimental to disease causing organisms. Also, animals will be comfortable and less stressed under such conditions.
• Provide enough nutrients to does – Nutrient and water requirements of does dramatically increase with the initiation of lactation. Supplementary feeding during last two to three weeks of pregnancy and first four weeks of lactation may be beneficial if they are being raised on poor pastures or low quality feed. 

  

  Figure 2. A doe with mastitis that
  developed after her kids were dead.

•  Keep close eye on teats and udder of does for mastitis – Mastitis (Fig. 2) may easily develop if the does are kept in filthy environment. The chance of mastitis development is very high if a doe loses her kid(s) and she is left without being milked. Any mastitis case should be treated immediately by consulting a veterinarian. For more information about care of newborn kids and does, click this link Newborn Care.
• Make sure premises are safe from predators – Make sure the facility is well fenced to prevent the access of any predators. Also, provision of guard dogs along with a close supervision of the herd will be very useful. 
• Winter Pastures - Development of winter pastures (Fig. 3) can be very useful to provide enough quality feed to does in late pregnancy and early lactation so that she can produce adequate colostrum and milk for healthy newborns.

Figure 3. Marshal ryegrass-crimson clover pastures ready for grazing, Jan. 2013, Phenix City, Alabama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Goat and Sheep Markets in Alabama

 Alabama Goat Auction

15128 AL HIGHWAY 168
Boaz, Alabama 35957

(256) 878-0739

Animal sale: Goat, sheep, poultry

Sale day: First and third Saturdays

 

Clay County Goat and Poutry Acution

748 County Road 91
Goodwater, AL

(256) 839-6824 

 

1st Sat. Horse sale 5:00 pm
2nd &4th sat. goats sheep,pigs &cows @12:00 noon
3rd Sat. @12:00 noon misc. whatever they bring.
Small animal &chicken sale every Fri.@7:00 Pm. 

  

Escambia County Coop., Brewton

325 Ag Science Dr
Brewton, AL 36426
(251) 867-5111 

Animal  sale: Gpat and sheep

Sale day: Saturdays

 

Southern Star Stockyard, Elgin

(256) 247-5189

Animal sale: Goat and sheep

Sale day: Second Friday night

 

Central Alabama Goat and Poultry Auction

1403 Kincheon Rd,

Clanton, AL 35045

(205) 280-4628

Animal sale: Sheep, goat, and poultry

Sale day: Thursday morning

 

Cullman Stockyard

75 County Road 1339

Cullman, AL 35058
(256) 734-4531

Animal sale: Goat, sheep, cattle

Sale day: Thursday

 

East Alabama Goat and Poultry Auction

1006 County Road 474

Woodland, Alabama 36280

(265) 419-8527

Animal sale: Goats

Sale day: First and third Saturday

 

Note: Make sure to call the Auction or Stockyard you are interested in and find necessary information to satisfy yourself before hauling your animals. 

Winter Forage Program Works Well in Alabama

One can have quality, productive pastures in December by developing winter forage program (Fig. 1). December is the time when most pastures (without cool-season forages) appear brown, and there is not much available forages for grazing animals in Alabama and other states of the Southeast USA. This situation continues until warm-season perennial forages grow back in April. Figure 2 depicts the situation of most livestock farms in the winter time. 

 

Figure 1. Marshall ryegrass-winter peas mixed pastures
Dec. 2012, Phenix City, AL, USA



Figure2. Warm-season forages are dormant or dead giving the brown look to
the pasture in Winter, Franklin, AL, USA.
Animals mostly depend on manual feeding at this time.

Winter forages (marshall ryegrass sole crop or mixed with one of the legumes - winter peas, hairy vetch, crimson clover, arrowleaf clover, or berseem clover) planted towards the end of September in one of the producers' farm in Phenix City, AL have grown up to the height of 8 to 12 inches when measured in the third week of December, and ready to be grazed (Fig. 1).  This situation helps producer save money on feeding costs. These winter forages will be producing throughout the spring of next year extending the grazing until the warm-season forages grow back (Fig. 3).

Figure 3. Goats grazing on crimson clover-MaxQ tall fescue mixed pasture
April 2011, Selma, AL, USA.

 

Publication Links

Useful links to pasture, silvopasture, animals, and environment related study findings:


Plant-Community Characteristics of Bahiagrass Pasture During Conversion to Longleaf-Pine Silvopasture. Agroforestry Systems, DOI: 10.1007/s10457-012-9582-9 Online First. http://www.springerlink.com/content/g64088831316612p/

SOUTHERN-PINE SILVOPASTURE SYSTEMS: FORAGE CHARACTERISTICS, SOIL QUALITY, AND LANDSCAPE UTILIZATION BY CATTLE http://etd.auburn.edu/etd/bitstream/handle/10415/1409/Karki_Uma_22.pdf?sequence=..

Nitrogen source influences on forage and soil in young southern-pine silvopasture, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 131: 70-76, doi:10.1016/j.agee.2008.09.007.

Microclimatic differences between young longleaf-pine silvopasture and open pasture. Agroforestry Systems, DOI 10.1007/s10457-012-9551-3 Online First. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10457-012-9551-3

Short-term soil quality response to forage species and pH. Grass and Forage Science 66: 290–299, DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2494.2011.00794.x http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2494.2011.00794.x/abstract

Landscape use by cattle in silvopasture versus open pasture. Agroforestry Systems 78: 159-168, DOI: 10.1007/s10457-009-9250-x  http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10457-009-9250-x

Professional Agricultural Workers Conference 2012

Pre-conference events - December 1, 2012
Conference - December 2-4, 2012

Conference Venue:
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center

Tuskegee University
1 Booker T. Washington Blvd
Tuskegee, AL 36083
(334) 727-3000

For more information about the conference, visit the conference website: http://www.pawc.info/

If scholarship is needed to attend the conference, one must fill the scholarship application form and send to the designated person immediately (or before the application deadline).