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14 On the Farm Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Lil’s Diner Open Monday ~ Saturday 5:00 a.m. ~ 2:00 p.m. Homemade Baked Goods Homemade Specials and Soups Sack Lunches Order Homemade Pies Sheldon Welding & Steel, INC. Northwest North Dakota’s only complete Steel service center!! .Metal Buildings .Steel for Fabrication .Metal Shearing .Shop & Portable Welding .Press Brake Work .Sheet Rolling Work 701-664-2516 Roger Baker. Hwy 40 S., Tioga, ND More coverage. Your One Stop Agricultural Less spendage. Glass Shop We do window replacement on farm machinery ~ Mobile Service Tri-County Glass The Area’s Most Complete Glass Dealer Michael E Braun Ins Agcy INC Michael E Braun, Agent Tioga, ND 58852 Bus: 701-664-2008 Toll Free: 800-452-8968 www.michaelbraunagency.com 1204 2 nd Ave. W.•Williston, ND 58801 (701) 572-2188 • 1-800-835-4481 Discounts up to Get more. Spend less. It's that simple when you get car insurance from us. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. ® CALL FOR A QUOTE 24/7. 40% statefarm.com ® 0901129 State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL Farmers Union Elevator Ray, ND ~ 568-3343 • See us for all of your seed needs -- We carry Dyna-Grow Dekalb, Interstate, Brett Young, Cropland, InVigor, Asgrow, Mycogen • Custom spray applications are available. • Fertilizer spreading available. • For more information give Rick a call at 568-3343 Grain Cleaning Schedule Monday ~ Saturday.....Spring Wheat & Durum Barley and Oats by Appointment Prior to in Season Wheat and Durum Fertilizer Plant Call Rick or John at 568-3344 for your spring farming needs 568-3344 5 miles west of Ray • Bulk Dry Fertilizer • Blending • Anhydrous • Soil Testing • Dry Delivery • Application • Seed • Inoculant Level V Trauma Center Internal Medicine & General Practice Vijay Premnath, MD; Dr. Peterson, MD; Steven Barlow, FNT; Ram Paneru, MD Physician Assistants Corrine Coughlin, PA-C; Gail Joyce, PA-C Tioga, 710 N. Welo...............................................................664-3368 Ray Clinic, Mini Mall...........................................................568-3624 Powers Lake Clinic, Main Street...........................................464-5668 www.tiogahealth.org
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 On the Farm 15 Beeftalk: try hard for less than 3 percent calf death loss By Kris Ringwall The death of a calf never is uneventful. Calves are tough, so most survive in good or bad weather. However, some don’t survive. The North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement Association (NDB- CIA) benchmark for calf death loss is 3.14 percent based on the number of cows calving. Simply put, 3.14 percent of the cows do not get the opportunity to nurse the calves they bore. The frustration is real, but sometimes there is very little a producer can do. Years spent calving and lambing would suggest that those babies intent on living will survive birth. Vigor is critical, but there are real differences in baby calves. Some calves have not even hit the ground and they already are shaking off the placenta and all other prepackaged birth membranes and fluids. Newborn calves with their heads up and eyes open are a joy to see because these calves don’t wait for mama to give them a nudge; they just go. And then there are those who don’t seem to ever get with the program. Some expire, having never cleared their nose or broken free of the birth membrane. Mom delayed a bit and the calf simply never breathes. Some lay around long enough for the coyotes, while others simply slip away under the passage of the herd. Those first hours are critical, but occasionally calves die for a variety of reasons, such as clostridia, ulcers, starvation or accidents. The list goes on and on. Even in good weather, a mix of several problems during the first couple of weeks of life often implies stress, overcrowding, problems in cow-calf pair management or lot conditions. Excuses abound and blame is cast for not being there. Perhaps, as beef producers, we really do not need to carry all the blame. The calf died. Economically, this is not a good thing because every calf carries a significant price tag and tremendous opportunity to make some money. However, there is reality. Not unlike counting one’s chicks before the eggs hatch, not all will survive. The point is the question: At what level of death loss does an individual producer become concerned? Is there a fundamental problem that can be corrected? In the bigger picture, as we try to get a handle on what is normal, some reflection is needed. To start with, we can try to find a deer in the hayfield, an antelope across the pasture or a wildebeest on the Africa plains that is having birthing difficulty. These are very difficult to find, as is the wild newborn that lies listlessly after birth. Looking back at NDBCIA producers, average calf death losses from 1991 to 1995, they were 3.58 percent. From 1996 to 2000, the losses were 4.37 percent. From 2001 to 2005, the losses were 3.21 percent, and from 2006 to 2010 were 3.14 percent. This gives us a 20-year average calf death loss of 3.57 percent based on cows having calves. Interestingly, the year with the greatest calf death loss was 5.64 percent in 1997. The spring blizzard of 1997 resulted in a very difficult calving season. The year with the least calf loss was 2.68 percent in 1991. The next best year was a 2.9 percent loss in 1998. So, develop a list of your dead calves. You should be under 3 percent death loss. Your calving notebook should have the dead calves checked off and a brief notation about what happened. Until all the calves are listed, the shock of lost opportunities has not had its full impact. Again, try hard for less than 3 percent calf death loss. If your operation has more than a 3 percent loss, start looking for problems so you can fix them. May you find all your ear tags. 629-0591 KEVIN KVAMME Papineau Insurance Farm, Home, Auto, ATV, Commercial, Life and Health Now offering Crop Insurance! Fast, Friendly, Reliable Service David, Regan, Traci, Russ, and Ethyl 701-664-3400 101 N. Main, Tioga, ND info@papineauinsurance.com Let us answer all your questions... about all the parts you need for your vehicle. Now is the time to get your vehicles ready for spring!! Tioga Parts Supply Tioga, ND • 664-3394 • 1-800-303-3394 No sale is too big, too small, too near, or too far! ■ Butch Haugland, #211 Auctioneer ■ Drew Haugland, #730 Auctioneer ■Amber Haugland Phelan, #693 Auctioneer ■ Diane Haugland, #236 Clerk 965-6891 117 N. Main -- Crosby, ND 12520 104th St. NW -- Ambrose, ND 58833 Phone 701-965-6234 -- FAX: 701-965-5234 www.hauglandauctions.com
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