The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 52, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 25, 1997 Page: 4 of 36
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PAGE FOUR A
THE TULIA (Swisher County) HERALD
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, J997
Extension News
by Sarah Sponsel
Broodmares in a body condition score below Five are easy to pick out of
a herd. These thin mares do not have a crease down their back, the tailhead
appears to stick up noticeably and the ribs can be seen. If allowed to stay in
thin condition, such mares will typically be more reproduclively inefficient
than mares in fleshy to fat condition.
Thin mares typically start cycling later in the season, require more cycles
per conception and have a lower foaling rate than mare in better shape. In fact,
research has shown that a thin mare with foal at side will ofteh skip a breeding
season. This delay can be extremely costly for.mares owners. However, if a
thin mare can actually start improving in body condition, then the chances of
achieving maximum reproductive performance are enhanced.
Unfortunately, some thin mares that are nursing a foal have to eat very
large amounts of feed to actually gain weight. This puts the owner in a high
cost situation, requires feeding to take place three, four, of even Five times a
day and increases worry about digestive disorders such as colic and founder.
Fat-supplemented feeds can be quite helpful in supplying larger amounts
of energy in a reasonable amount of feed. Therefore, they can play a major role
in efforts to improve a mare's body condition. Because they are more energy
dense, fat-supplemented feeds have the potential to be extremely beneficial
lor old mares that are thin or in marginally acceptable body condition. For
example, an 8% crude fiber feed with 3-3 1/2% fat (no added fat) might
provide approximately 1350 kilocalories of digestible energy in every pound
of feed. However, if this feed also contains 5% added fat, the energy density
goes up to approximately 1450 kilocalories per pound. This fat-supplemented
feed provides 7 1/2% more total energy in the same total amount of feed.
For lactating mares, supplemental dietary fat also results in an increased
concentration of fat in the milk. Research conducted at Texas A&M has
shown that foals nursing mares being fed a fat-supplemented diet tend to gain
more weight during the First week after birth.
Mare owners can purchase commercial feeds that contain supplemental
fat. These feeds usually have added vegetable oil, animal fat or a blend of the
two. The feed tag will list total crude, which accounts for the fat that naturally
exists in grains, as well as any supplemental fat that was added. Although
feeds can vary, a commercial feed with a tag that show 8-8 1/2% fat very often
has been supplemented with 4-6% fat.
Texas A&M University is also offering a Horse Breeders' School Jan. 7-
10, 1998,; an Ultrasound Short Course Jan. 22-24, and a Mare/Foal Man-
agement Clinic March 3. These are hands-on workshops that attract stallion
owners/ managers from across the United States. For the serious horse owner
who stands stallions and handles mares, the workshops have a good reputation
for skill development. They will contain demonstration on broodmare nutrition,
body condition scoring and reproductive function of the marc. Also, a focus
on foals, with demos on early feeding handling restraints, hoof care and
immunization. These workshops have a fee and require pre-registration.
The Texas Agricultural Extension Service has additional information on
feeding broodmares, use of supplemental fat, body condition scoring, and
feeding young growing horses. Contact your county Extension officer for
access to video tapes and printed brochures. If you have any questions
regarding this information please contact the Swisher County Extension
Service at 995-3726.
Merry Christmas
Cotton
IX <j
s‘U\ i\
4*
News
II
lilfl
Telcot Rep
Tutia Livestock
A u c t i o n
Monday, Dec. 22, Receipts 1811 hd. Compared to last week's sale
good stocker calves sold mostly steady. Feeder hfrs sold steady in a
light test. Feeder sirs sold fully steady. Not enough packer cows and
bulls for a price test.
from Plains Cotton Growers, Inc.
It appears some confusion has cropped up concerning the 1996 Upland
Cotton Loan Program. Contrary to recent speculation the loan program for
upland cotton is still non-recourse, good news for cotton produers.
Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. in an attempt to clarify exactly how the 1996
loan program differs from years past, has contacted a variety of sources and
confirmed how the two main changes to the program will impact producers
putting their cotton into the Loan.
The first significant change was the removal of the 8 month loan
extension after the initial 10-month loan period has ended. This change,
implemented by the 1996 Farm Bill, means producers with cotton in the Loan
will have to either forfeit the cotton held in collateral by the Commodity
Credit Corporation or repay the loan at the end of the 10-month period.
The second change is the FS A County offices are no longer deducting the
warehouse receiving charge, and accrued storage up to loan inception, from
the gross loan amount prior to issuing a check to a producer. This change will
most likely manifest itself as a reduction in the amount of equity a producer
has when selling the crop.
If a producer decides to surrender the cotton to the CCC at the end of the
10-month loan period the producer will be responsible for the receiving
charges and any storage accrued prior to the cotton's entry into the CCC loan.
Producers who forfeit their cotton to CCC will be billed by CCC for these
charges.
All other loan mechanisms remain the same as they have been in year’s
past For bales sold prior to the maturity date of the loan, storage and
warehouse charges will still "follow the cotton". Growers may, as mentioned
earlier, see the reduction in the amount of their equity because the receiving
charges, not paid at the time the loan was made.
The upside of all this is that producers who do put their cotton in the Loan
will receive a greater share of the gross loan proceeds than in previous years.
Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. is encouraging Texas Department of Agri-
culture to prepare well in advance for some potential crises and emergencies
that may arise in 1998.
The organization is asking TDA officials to do everything within their
power to ensure that three specific products are available for use on the 1998
cotton crop throughout the state and throughout the growing season.
Federal law requires that all pesticides used in agriculture must have full
registration labeling but delegates authority to the states for emergency
labeling in specific circumstances. To avoid crippling losses in 1998 in the
event of aphid infestation outbreaks, PCG is asking TDA to prepare for
emergency labeling of the product Furadan.
If a crisis arises, Furadan would be needed as early as April by our
neighbors in the southern part of the state and August through October on the
High Plains
Similarly, PCG is asking that other products, Confirm and Pirate, be
available with emergency use labeling for control of beet armyworms in
cotton. These compounds need to be available to combat secondary pest
problems that could possibly occur during widespread boll weevil eradication
activities elsewhere in the state.
Without organized boll weevil control in the High Plains, producer
applications against boll weevil could cause secondary outbreaks of beet
army worm which might not be controlled with other pesticides. Availability
of both Confirm and Pirate should safeguard the 1998 crop.
Decisions for emergency use labeling are not made lightly. TDA,
ultimately authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency, plays an
essential role in making these tools available to cotton producers. The
Department is also responsible for implementing rules and regulations
governing their appropriate and safe use.
After cotton prices this week
reached their lowest levels in several
years. New York cotton futures ral-
lied on a larger-than-expected weekly
export sales report.
USDA surprised market observers
when it reported net export sales in-
creased 263,700 bales for the week
ended December 11. The number was
up an impressive 35 percent from the
previous week's well-received figure
of 195,900 bales. Mexico, despite its
Financial problems, continued to be
the largest buyer of U.S. cotton with
total purchases of 84,300 bales.
Turkey and China followed with
purchases of58,500and 33,800 bales,
respectively.
With the 1997 harvest coming to a
close, export sales of 1998-99 crop
cotton now are on the rise. Net export
sales of 1998-99 U.S. cotton were
20,700 bales in USDA's weekly ex-
port sales report, up notably from last
week's 1300 bale figure.
Traders said the export report was
considered bullish, not only because
of the sheer size of the sales Figures,
but because there were so few can-
cellations. Observers also expect
export sales to be stronger next week
as a bottom in the market apparently
was found this week and buyers were
quick to react.
Some in the market believe cotton
prices will not see a dramatic rise
before the end of the calendar year.
Traders cautioned that large U.S.
cotton supplies will continue to
pressure the market and enough
technical damage may have been done
this month to hinder a strong climb in
prices. Also, Financial instability in
Asia continues to hang over the
market and will remain a bearish
factor until confidence is restored.
The deteriorating economic health
of Asia, a region where several major
buyers of U.S. cotton reside, has
spurred the decline in New York
cotton futures prices since late Oc-
tober. Most analysts believe Asia's
currency problems will haunt the
cotton market well into 1998. Indus-
try observers will be watching keenly
for difficulties opening letters of
credit, cancelled U.S. cotton sales
and possibly lower export sales. To
heighten the concern over the issue,
currencies in Indonesia, South Korea
and Thailand have been devalued
substantially, and some worry these
countries may not be able to pay for
all the U.S. growths they have al-
ready purchased or plan to buy.
Cotton's future in the U.S. andworld
market also will be influenced by
competition from synthetic fibers.
Use of synthetics has expanded in
recent years, while cotton has had a
hard time expanding. Polyester, par-
ticularly, may be a big threat to cot-
ton. Analysts noted that polyester is
priced at much less than cotton despite
the fact that current cotton prices are
unusually low.
Lower prices this year could result
in fewer cotton area next year. Pro-
ducers are trustrated with current and
new crop cotton prices which could
stress production Financing and re-
duce profits from the crop. A five to
six percent reduction from the 13.91
million U.S. acres planted to cotton
in 1997 may be seen next year, though
a few analysts believe a much larger
reduction could be possible. The Mid-
South could see the largest acreage
loss in the entire Cotton Belt as some
analysts expect a 10 to 15 percent
acreage reduction in the area.
In Texas, where the harvest is al-
most over and ginning has reached
80 percent completion, early planting
ideas for 1998 suggest only a modest
reduction across the state. Wet fields
at planting time heid 1997 Rio Grande
Valley cotton plantings to just
160,000 acres, and an acreage in-
crease of 25 to 50 percent next year is
not an unreasonable estimate. Along
the Coastal Bend, the usual crop ro-
tation could bring a reduction of five
percent from the 270,000 acres
planted this year. Fortunately, no
significant change in acres is expected
in West Texas. In fact, only a three
percent decrease from the 4.4 million
acres planted on the High and Roll-
ing Plains in 1997 is foreseen.
Meanwhile, spot cotton sales have
remained strong on TELCOT as more
Texas/Oklahoma cotton is becoming
available. In the five trading days
ended December 18, sales of cotton
on the electronic marketing system
totaled 103, 219 bales, an increase
from the previous week when 67,322
bales were sold. Average daily prices
received by producers on TELCOT
ranged from 56.03 to 58.09 cents per
pound during the week.
‘Everyone ttfavefLtMerryJZncCSafe Christmas
HEIFER CALVES
21 mx 402# - 81.50
21 mx 467#-76.00
26 mx 532#- 71.50
6 xbrd 375# - 77.00
11 mx 423# - 82.00
16 mx 472#- 74.00
FEEDER HEIFERS
11 mx 598# - 68.75
10 mx 642# - 70.25
4 mx 749# - 68.75
33 mx 667# - 70.00
22 Char 619#-70.50
31 mx 821 - 65.75
STEER CALVES
3 mx 510# - 85.50
8 mx 361# -97.00
14 mx 439# - 92.50
20 xbrd 516# -86.00
53 mx 568# - 80.00
34 mx 560# - 80.00
FEEDER STEER
55 mx 658# - 77.00
19 mx 786# -75.00
58 xbrd 746# - 77.25
56 mx 806# - 76.50
112 mx 765# - 77.75
38 xbrd 763# - 77.00
41 mx 716# - 77.50
20 mx 659# - 78.75
35 Char 851#-75.75
Our Next Sale Will
He Monday, Jan. 5, 1998
Merry Christmas And
A Prosperous New Year!!
Kor information or for consignment
Call 995-4184 or
Joe Bell at 806-293-9193
CUSTOM FEED RATIONS
Cattle, Dairy or Swine
Attebury Grain Can Supply You Feed With:
•Custom Mix -15 Different Feed Ingredients.
•Delivery To Your Location Of Any Bulk Mix.
•Prompt And Courteous Service.
Attebury Grain Provides The Only Full Service Feedmill Within A
50 Mile Radius.
Call Us And We Will Design Or Custom Mix A Ration For Your Needs.
ATTEBURY GRAIN
806-558-5511
800-558-5520
FARM & RAD
ICH BUSINESS i
DIRECTORY
(PHIUIPS)
m
Barbour Bros., Inc.
301 North Hwy 87 995-3366
Tulia, Texas
—^ BRISCOE IMPLEMENT
1*9 tulia silverton Rtf9
*fUHP 995-4065 823-2486
Conservation
Protects Our Good Earth
a
\ Tulia Feedlot, Inc. /jijS'X
ii Phone 668-4731 (JgJg j
y Tulia, Texas xjjpll/
T & S Automotive & Diesel
All 7ypes of Diesel and Automotive Repair
We Also Do Irrigation Repair
Phone 995-3506
Home 558-2000 329 N. Hwy. 87 Mobil 995-5076
This Land is Our Land - Protect It Through
CONSERVATION
Swisher Electric Cooperative
401 S.W. 2nd St. 995-3567
i/im
Tulia, Texas
Conservation
PROTECTS OUR QOOD EARTH
P O BOX 47
TULIA. TEXAS
To The Nth Degree'
PHONE 995-2301 MEMBER FDlC
TIME & TEMPERATURE 995-2351
R & R Fertilizer & Spraying
* North Hlway 8 995-2708
TULIA, TEXAS
411 North Hale
995-3572
HSJ Tulia, Texas
Manufacturing and Dist. Co.
Rt. 2 Box 25
Tulia, Texas 79088
668-4722
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The Tulia Herald (Tulia, Tex.), Vol. 89, No. 52, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 25, 1997, newspaper, December 25, 1997; Tulia, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth507381/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Swisher County Library.