Farm Safety - Practice it ALWAYS!

Practicing safety around the home and farm is a MUST, not just this morning, or this afternoon or tomorrow, but something you must practice ALWAYS!

One of the major hazards around the farm is the farm machinery and improper use of it. Don't think it can't happen to you. It takes one second to undo a perfect safety record and maim or kill someone.

Another hazard around the farm is exposure to the sun. Again, don't think it can't happen to you...exposure to the sun can cause heat strokes, cancer and death.

A third hazard is improper care of animals and a fourth hazard is dehydration.

Using common-sense rules and paying attention is the first rule.

Begin with training sessions for employees explaining how the equipment is to be used safely and be sure they understand how to operate it safely. Check to see that they are wearing proper safety clothing and equipment, no loose clothing, hat rather than a cap, sun screen rated SPF-15 or higher, goggles, ear plugs, dust masks, gloves. Fit the safety equipment to the work being done.

Take breaks, but when you do, stop the engine and don't use the equipment as your shade. You could fall asleep and someone else start the equipment up and before you can move you have been rolled over. Be sure to install blocks behind the wheels. Put shield guards in place so that limbs and clothing don't catch in equipment.

Drink plenty of water, not beer or sodas as they dehydrate rather than hydrate.

Wearing a dust mask or respirator may be very helpful if a person has allergies or is highly susceptible to respiratory inflammations. They are being exposed to animal dander, dust from the earth, the hay, the grasses, sprays, etc.

Watch for toxic fumes and oxygen deficiencies. A dust mask does not protect against these two hazards, so check ventilation and prepare for the hazard by having appropriate masks on hand. Don't wait until someone is overcome by fumes.

Use safety goggles or glasses with side shields at all times to protect the eyes, even if you are mowing the lawn rather than in the field. Wear ear plugs or ear muffs while operating machinery, but pay attention, because you might not hear a horn or other machinery. Don't use cotton plugs as they don't obstruct noise properly. Disposable ear plugs are best.

Instruct in the proper procedures to picking a crop by hand, provide gloves, minimize spoilage, be careful.

If you are being treated by a doctor and have been exposed to something that might cause a respiratory inflammation, tell him/her. It could help in an easy diagnosis and quick treatment.

Staying out of the sun from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. reduced the risk of developing skin cancers, sun-burn, or heat stroke/fatigue.

Don't think it can't happen to you. It can! It does happen every year. Pay Attention, stay hydrated, wear sun screen, wear protective equipment and

HAVE A SAFE,
ENJOYABLE SUMMER!

A*L*O*T Dates --- 2006-Early 2007 Dates --- Annual Membership Meeting - Oct 13, 2006: 5 PM, Titus County Fair Facility, Mt Pleasant, TX. Fall Female Sale - Oct 14, 2006: Consignments postmarked from Jul 28 to Aug 11, 2006, Auctioneer will be Lakin Oakley, DeKalb, TX. Fall Bull Sale - Nov 25, 2006: Consignments postmarked from Sep 8 to Sep 22, 2006, Auctioneer will be Lakin Oakley, DeKalb, TX. Winter Bull Sale - February 24, 2007: Consignments postmarked from Dec. 1 to 15 Dec. 2006. Auctioneer will be Lakin Oakley, DeKalb, TX. www.alotangus.org is the A*L*O*T website. Please verify your member name, address, and email information online at that site. Notify info@alotangus.org with any corrections or updates. Newsletter Publication Schedule Fall 2006 – Ad copy deadline August 19, 2006 for September 2006 publication. Winter 2007 – Ad copy deadline December 14, 2006 for January 2007 publication. Spring 2007 – Ad copy deadline February 16, 2007 for March 2007 publication. Send all ad copy Darrin Marical All news items should be sent to Meg Shelton Advertising Rates: Full Page: $110 for one issue; $400 for four issues. 1/2 Page: $65 for one issue; $240 for four issues. 1/3 Page: $45 for one issue; $160 for four issues. 1/4 Page: $35 for one issue; $120 for four issues. Card Ads: $50 for four issues. Email tdment@direcway.com for more information or for payment of advertisement

Spring Sale Results

Annual Spring Registered Black Angus Female Sale
May 13, 2006 - Mt. Pleasant, TX
Auctioneer: Jerry Lehmann
Gross Sale: $154,450
70 Lots Sold Averaging: $2,204

10 Straws Semen by "MM Futures Right 704" (Reg # 14174960) Donated by Martin Metzner, Tyler, TX and Purchased by Roden Angus Farm, Grandview, TX: $200

TOPPING THE SALE
Fall Bred Heifer Lot 9 "B R R Twisters Eline 0415" Reg # 14876396, Safe in Calf 5 months to "Connealy Lead On", Reg # 13447282, for a September 11, 2006 calf. Consigned by B R R Angus Farm, Red Rock, OK, and purchased by KB Cattle Company, Forney, TX, for $4500.

Fall Pair
Lot 32 "J K Miss Blockbuster 205" Reg # 14062271 sold with heifer calf Lot 32A "J K Miss Onward 508" Reg # 15279728, born August 15, 2005 sired by "Connealy Onward" Reg # 14216491, and bred back the same way for an October 18, 2006 calf, consigned by J K Angus, Mt. Pleasant, TX, and purchased by H & S Ranch, Mt. Vernon, TX, for $4400.

Fall Bred Cow
Lot 56 "SHF Forever Lady M97" Reg # +14932126, Safe in Calf 4 months to "S A V 8180 Traveler 004" Reg # 13512009, for an October 8, 2006 calf. Consigned by Roden Angus Farm, Grandview, TX, and purchased by Twin Lakes Ranch, Fairfield, TX, for $3850.

Spring Pair
Lot 38 "Allisons Miss Lucy J93" Reg # +14728864, sold with heifer calf Lot 38A "Allisons Miss Midland 93" Reg # 15316304, born March 11, 2006 sired by "BR Midland" Reg # 13898124. Consigned by JK H2O Fowl Angus Farms, Ada, OK, and purchased by D H Angus, Ravenna, TX, for $2800.

Embryo Transplant Heifer with Recip
Lot 71 "W R Integrity Pride 602" Reg # +15305888, born January 21, 2006, out of Donor Cow, "Hyline Pride 572" Reg # 12394509 and sired by "G A R Integrity" Reg # +14222612. Sold with registered Angus recip cow. Consigned by Wallace Angus Ranch, Cherokee, TX, and purchased by West Brothers Cattle Company, Greenville, TX for $2650.

Embryo Transplant Heifer
Lot 40 "Allison's Miss Lucy's Boy" Reg # +15316302, born September 10, 2005, out of Donor Cow, "J K Touch of Class 9-10" Reg # 12783238 and sired by "V D A R Lucy’s Boy" Reg # #+15316302. Consigned by JK H2O Fowl Angus Farms, Ada, OK, and purchased by Maple Leaf Farms, Kilgore, TX for $2500.

Spring Bred Heifer
Lot 65 "S A F Prime Time 7114" Reg # 14801219, sired by "G A R Grid Maker" Reg # +13254554. Safe in Calf to "C R A Bextor" Reg # 13009379 for a November 25, 2006 calf. Consigned by Steen Angus Farm, Greenville, TX and purchased by Tim Ervin, Clarksville, TX for $2300.

Open Heifers
Lot 74 "West Traveler Prime Cut B175" Reg # 14935147, born February 17, 2005, sired by "G A R Prime Cut 5322" Reg # 14222546. Consigned by West Brothers Cattle Company, Greenville, TX and purchased by Norman C. Smith, Austin, TX for $1600.

Lot 75 "West Prime Precision C165" Reg # 14964894, born March 16, 2005, sired by "G A R Prime Cut 5322" Reg # 14222546. Consigned by West Brothers Cattle Company, Greenville, TX and purchased by Norman C. Smith, Austin, TX for $1600.

President’s Corner By Bo Rogers

The following are excerpts from an article by Temple Grandin discussing Livestock Trucking Guidelines. Temple Grandin is internationally recognized as an independent livestock handling consultant. In addition to serving as chair of NIAA’s Animal Care Committee, Grandin is Assistant Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Her address is 2918 Silver Plume Drive, Suite C3, Fort Collins, CO 80526. NIAA is the National Institute for Animal Agriculture. This article appeared in NIAA’s website: animalagriculture.org.

It Pays to Reduce Stress: Cattle losses during transit are not as great, but more care could reduce shrinkage and help reduce stress related losses. Stresses during handling and transport reduce an animal’s ability to fight disease, damage rumen function, and affect reproductive performance. Cattle that are handled quietly have better weight gains and meat quality. They will go back on feed more quickly and have lower shrink losses during transport.

Cattle: Studies have confirmed that overloading of trucks is a major cause of bruises in horned or tipped cattle. Downed cattle are also more likely to occur on overloaded trucks. Research has shown that the NIAA space guidelines for cattle are the optimal loading density. The following tables show the number of cattle which can be loaded per running foot of truck floor in a truck with a standard 92-inch width. If all the cattle are hornless, 5% more can be loaded. If the load has a few horned or tipped animals, load according to the guidelines. One or two extra horned or tipped animals can cause a great deal of damage if cattle are loaded too tightly.

Cattle Trucking Tips:

• During hot weather, livestock should be hauled at night or early morning.
• Careful, quiet handling that keeps animals calm will reduce shrink.
• Don’t mix strange animals from different pens. Fighting to establish a new social order prior to slaughter can increase the incidence of dark cutting meat in steers. Mixing strange bulls can cause dark cutters within 90 minutes.
• Allow animals which have been dipped to completely dry before loading.
• Shipment of wet animals during cold weather should be avoided to prevent deaths due to wind chill.
• Calves should be vaccinated and pre-weaned before shipment from the ranch of origin. This will reduce sickness and weight loss from transport.
• Don’t ship cattle or sheep which are full of green feed.
• Feeder calves should be fed and watered upon arrival. Both feed and water should be available immediately after unloading.
• Non slip truck flooring and an air ride suspension will help reduce stress and shrink.
• Cattle and sheep should have a rest stop if the trip will last more than 48 hours. On long hauls, feeder calves will be less stressed if the trip can be made within 34 hours.
• Do not allow market weight feedlot cattle to stand for long periods in feedlot shipping pens. Too much time off of feed will increase dark cutters.
• Load cattle quietly and move them at a walk or trot. Eliminate electric prods and yelling.
• Smooth starts and stops will help prevent bruises, stress and shrink losses. Poor driving increases shrink.

Shrink and Stress: Feed and water deprivation does not account for all the stresses placed on an animal during transport. Rumen and immune function (ability to fight disease) are lowered to a greater extent by transport than by feed and water deprivation alone. Cattle traveling on a truck for 8 hours will lose more weight than cattle penned for the same amount of time.

All species of livestock shrink (weight loss) more during hot weather. Two-thirds of shrink is water vapor loss from the lungs. This is why cattle that become excited shrink more. Cattle penned in strange surroundings will shrink more than cattle penned in a familiar pen. Range cattle and sheep not accustomed to people shrink more than animals that are used to people. Habituating livestock to the presence of people may help reduce shrink. Fear during loading and unloading is one of the most stressful parts of the journey. This is especially true for cattle not accustomed to frequent handling. Cattle differentiate between a person on the ground and a person on a horse. On ranches and feedlots, cattle should be exposed to both people on foot and people on horses. They should move quietly among them. This will help prevent problems with "wild" cattle.

Cattle shrink the most during the early stages of a trip. Almost half the shrink of cattle hauled 373 miles was actual carcass shrink (tissue shrink). Providing an animal with water up until the time of transport will help reduce shrink. Be careful not to allow animals to "tank up" shortly before loading. During extremely cold weather, it may be advisable to withhold water for a few hours prior to loading to prevent wind chill caused by animals soiling each other.

Cattle that are not aclimatized to hot temperatures can become severely heat stressed. For example, cattle from a northern area may become heat stressed when they are moved to a warm southern area. Standing in a hot parked truck will be more detrimental to un-aclimatized cattle. When animals are moved to an area with a different climate, several weeks are required for the body to adjust. Cold stress is more likely to occur in southern cattle that are moved to the north. Truckers need to be especially careful to protect un-aclimatized cattle from temperature extremes.

What’s She Worth? By Dr. Mike Dicks, Oklahoma State University

The most common question I get from both buyers and sellers is “what is the cow worth”. The easiest answer is that she is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for her. But the problem comes when buyers want to know what they can expect to pay. If you are buying a cow as income producing inventory you can determine a price for the cow that will provide a reasonable level of income. However, if you have other motives for the purchase such as for the show ring or to decorate the farm, no economic criteria exist to determine her true worth.

The true value of a cow is based upon her ability to generate sales. The simplest method of determining current value is Fair Market Value, the value that could be obtained through a livestock market. However, many commercial and purebred breeders often feel that FMV undervalues their livestock.

The next alternative measure of current value is based on the value of her current calf. In an auction ring the cow and seven month or older calf are often sold as the first buyers choice. The final bid gets the choice of the cow or the calf. Typically, the calf is sold first. The value of the cow can be determined as the value of her calf. What you actually paid for the cow is her Book Value. Everything being equal, in the next year the cow should produce another calf that will bring what the current calf brought and the cow retains its value as an asset.

Consider a pair that has a calf selling for $1400. The current value of the cow would be $1400 based on the discussion above. Next year she should produce a calf that again sells for $1400 and the cow could be marketed with her. Your investment (cow) is returned and you generated $1400 in sales to cover total costs of $500 (as an example). Your profit is $900 on sales of $1400 for a Gross Profit on Cash Revenue (GPOCR) of 64% and a Return on Investment (ROI) of 64%.

An excellent GPOCR for the industry is 20% and an excellent ROI is 8%. Of course, the example above omitted many details for simplification. The true value of the cow is based on her ability to generate sales over her lifetime plus her salvage value less the annual cost to keep her and the costs of marketing her offspring. For example, assume that annual maintenance costs are $500 and average sales are $1500 per 18 month old offspring. Sale costs are $200 per head and maintenance costs for the 18 month calf is $500. The cow is purchased as a 4 year old and is expected to produce into her 10th year. Her first calf will be sold when she is 5 and a half years of age and she will produce five more calves. Her total sales will be $9000 (6 calves @ $1500) plus $600 salvage. Her maintenance costs will be $3000 (6 years @ $500) and the calves will be $3000 (6 calves @$500) plus $1200 sale expenses. Total revenue is $9600 and total costs are $7200 for a net of $2400. If you paid $2400 for the cow you would break even at the end of the sixth year of ownership. That is, your total profit would just cover your initial investment.

Each year the cow generates $1500 of sales with $1200 in expenses for a $300 profit that yields 20% GPOCR. If you purchased the cow for $1500 you would net $850 over the six year period for an annualized ROI of 9.4%.

Using the simple method of determining the current value of the cow as the value of the calf she just sold generates the same value as determined by estimating the profit she generates over her lifetime. Each producer needs to know the annual maintenance costs of the cow and the costs of getting her calf to market. Using the 20% GPOCR and 8% ROI guidelines and the annual costs the value of the cow can easily be determined.

New Members (0-2 years) of the American Angus Association will be meeting with area Angus organizations and the American Angus Association representatives to acquaint you with the American Angus Association and what they have to offer you the Angus breeder and or commercial breeder. The meetings are expected to last approximately 4 to 5 hours with a meal being served during this time frame. Invitations to these newest members are being sent out with full details, but anyone wanting to find out more about the American Angus Association is welcome to attend.

The meeting will cover such topics as "What do I want my program to accomplish?", the paperwork necessities, AHIR, contemporary groups, utilizing data, nutrition, body condition scoring, routine maintenance, marketing, grouping member cattle for ultrasound and AI. Plus there will be a time set aside "To Meet Your Peers and Mentors". Sponsors for the meetings and dates are listed below. Times and locations will be announced later.

• Friday Aug 18th  -  A *L*O*T
• Titus County Civic Center, Mt. Pleasant, Texas, Business US Highway 271, just south of I-30.
• Saturday Aug 19th  - East Texas
• Friday Oct 6th  - Luling Foundation
• Saturday Oct 7th  -  Mid-Tex
• Saturday Nov 4th  -  Red River
• Tuesday Nov 28th  - West Texas (during Farm Show)

The meeting is also for the Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas area newest members of the American Angus Association.

Contact Robbie D. Bean, Director, Texas Angus Association, elmcreekangus@yahoo.com for more information.

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CABTM
Certified Angus Beef
Reserve July 19, 2006 to meet with NETBIO, CAB, Angus breeders and commercial breeders in Sulphur Springs, TX. Reservations will be required. Please contact Robbie D. Bean, elmcreekangus@yahoo.com.

CAB will provide the program and meal. Program and meal will begin immediately after the NETBIO sale. All activities will be held at the Sulphur Springs Civic Center.

A*L*O*T would like to thank Martin Metzner of METZNER ANGUS, Tyler, TX for the donation of 10 straws of semen by
MM Futures Right 704
Reg # 14174960 DOB 10/18/01

And, Thanks to Randy and Kirk Roden of RODEN ANGUS, Grandview, TX for being the highest bidder for the donated semen.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

The Texas Junior Angus Association held their annual state show in Fredericksburg, Texas on June 2-4, 2006. A*L*O*T congratulates all the Juniors on their outstanding efforts in raising, breeding, and showing Angus cattle These young people not only showed cattle, but excelled in speech, photography, and knowledge of beef cattle and the Texas and American Angus Associations. A large group will be going to the National Junior Angus Association show in Indianapolis, Indiana July 9-15, 2006. Texas Junior Angus has many members who actively participate in the state and national shows by showing cattle as well as participating in numerous contests. President, Kevin Gleason and Kyle Kemp will be representing Texas in national showmanship contest. The Ettredges, Lastovicas and Ahearn families, as well as many other involved parents and volunteers, provide excellent leadership for these juniors. Thanks to the Lastovicas for hosting the Texas Junior Angus show this year. We all had a GREAT time!

If you have “Youth” news, please call or send in to us. We would love to include this as a regular news item.

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