Livestock
How to manage animal mortality
Ranchers are often faced with on-the-farm mortality of farm animals. Regardless of the type of ranch or animals raised, death loss does happen and proper disposal is required by law.
Improper disposal is not acceptable. It certainly shows poor stewardship of the land and resources. There’s a risk of contamination of both ground and surface water as well as health issues for both humans and animals. When improper disposal occurs, it often results in complaints and violations to established regulations.
Proper disposal options include the use of rendering, landfills, burial, incineration and composting. Ranch managers should have a disposal plan in place.
•Composting of large animal carcasses is possible. Proper methods of composting will be discussed later in this article.
•Rendering has been an option used by most but in recent years the rendering option is limited. Finding a rendering company that collects carcasses is often not possible.
•Ranchers may want to check with the local landfill to confirm whether they will accept a large carcass.
•Burial is used on many operations. The following guidelines are recommended and should be followed.
•A mass burial site will need to be pre-approved.
•If an occasional carcass must be buried, a site away from ditches, streams, roads and residences should be used.
•Animals in the burial site should be covered with three feet of soil.
•Incineration is a valid option but large carcasses will require lots of fuel to completely dispose of the carcass. Fuel used is normally of a wood source. In Kansas there is no law that limits open incineration of a carcass.
The composting process is caused by anaerobic and aerobic activity. It requires heat, carbon, nitrogen, air and moisture. Many homeowners have a composting pile to discard leaves, twigs, table scraps and other debris. The same principles apply to animal composting but on a larger scale. Carbon can be supplied by wood chips or hay. Mixing in litter (manure) will provide the nitrogen source and additional carbon. A 50/50 mixture is recommended. Wood chips contain more carbon and are preferred. Moisture can be added by using pond water. Air will be present within the mixture of the other products. Temperature is extremely important for the composting to occur. Recommended temperatures are from 130 to 140 degrees F. Gauges can be purchased for precise measurement of heat. The composting area should be confined by a fence or other materials to limit access of other farm animals.
Information on animal disposal and composting procedures can be obtained at the Cherokee County Extension office.
- Livestock
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Select forages present potential risk for livestock
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Fescue management discussed at field day
Missouri beef producers lose $160 million a year from poor-gaining calves and from the number of open cows caused by grazing fescue.
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Feed hay if pastures are limiting performance
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Scales a valuable tool for cattle producers
Besides using a set of scales to arrive at the market value for cattle, scales also help determine genetic merit.
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Mineral purchases based on tradition rather than nutrition
Mineral supplements being fed and most mineral purchases are based on tradition rather than nutritional need.
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Take steps to reduce heat stress in cattle
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Weather serving threat to livestock
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Pinkeye popping up in Ark. cattle
Pinkeye, or Moraxella bovis, is usually acute and spreads rapidly in a herd. Left untreated, it can result in blindness in one or both eyes.
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Maximizing multi-species grazing benefits
Multi-species grazing is the practice of using two or more species of livestock together or separately on the same land in a specific growing season.
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Hair sheep interest on the rise in Mo.
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Select forages present potential risk for livestock
