October 6, 2015 • Page 8 Re-Breeding Your Open Cows to Add Value BROOKINGS, S.D. - The time to process fall-weaned calves and determine pregnancy rates among cows will soon be here. Management of open cows is critical to the financial bottom line of a cow/calf operation, said Julie Walker, Associate Professor & SDSU Extension Beef Specialist. “It is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of a cow-calf enterprise revenue comes from cull cows,” she said. “Determining open cow(s) early allows producers to select the best strategies which target the highest potential revenue.” Once open rates are determined, Walker explained that cattle producers are faced with a few decisions. “They can either sell the open cows right away, feed them out or re-breed them.” Rebreeding open cows Another option Walker encourages producers to look at is re-breeding open cows before taking them to the sale barn. “Bred cows typically bring more money than cull cows,” she explained. “These newly bred cows would target fall-calving cowherds - and the number of fall-calving herds appear to be increasing in South Dakota.” If higher than normal open rates occur, Walker said producers need to work with their veterinarian to determine the potential cause. Breeding-long season pregnancy rates are usually in the range of 94 to 98 percent. Pregnancy rate is calculated by total number pregnant during the breeding season/ number of females exposed to breeding (expressed as a percent). Walker explained that “normal” pregnancy rates are influenced by several factors including: 1. Length of breeding season; 2. Body condition score of cows; 3. Bull-to-cow ratios; and 4. Health status of bull(s) as well as other factors. “So remember to compare pregnancy rate only within your own herd,” Walker said. Is re-breeding the right option for my operation? When determining if re-breeding open cows is the right option for your operation, Walker said there are a few questions to consider. Are bulls available for a second breeding season? Using bulls for a second breeding season is often accomplished when producers have both a spring- and fall-calving herd. What is the cost of retaining these open cows through a second breeding season? Using the $1.30 cost per day, should include most expenses such as feed, labor, interest, and utilities. What is the potential income from the bred cow? “Remember not all open cows would fit this program, evaluate each cow to determine if it should remain in any producer’s program,” Walker said. Cull cows often include more than open cows such as those with one or more of the following issues: 1. Poor performance; 2. Bad udder; 3. Temperament; 4. Bad eyes; 5. Age; 6. Structural soundness; and 7. Health concerns. “A simple cost analysis of this system would be bred cow value minus open cow value,” Walker said. “If the difference is higher than the cost of breeding/feeding/ etc., it is a profitable system.” However, if the difference is lower, Walker said this may not be the year to utilize this management system. She shared the following example: Retaining cows for 90 days at $1.30 per day, would require the bred cow value to be $117 higher than the open cow. If a producer retained the open cows for rebreeding for 120 days the difference would need to be $156. This calculation did not include the cost for bull use. “Re-breeding open cows will change the value compared to open cows, however, each producer needs to determine if this change is positive,” Walker said. ?iGrow shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com Beyond Trick-or-Treating: Fun Family Activities for Halloween Season activity to do if you’re on a budget. For tips and tricks on haunting your own house, visit www.hauntedhousesupplies.com. Escape Rooms Escape rooms offer an immersive and interactive experience like none other. These Halloween-themed attractions involve working together to solve puzzles and riddles in order to escape a room in under an hour. (StatePoint) Trick-ortreating may be the standard Halloween tradition for most American families, but the holiday has branched out extensively over the last decade. Today, Americans spend over one billion dollars visiting Halloween-themed attractions. Where are they going, and what are the best activities for your family? The experts at Hauntworld.com are offering some spooky answers in this ultimate fall to-do list. Farm Fun Many farms offer tons of fall activities ideal for families with young children, including picking the perfect carving pumpkin, finding your way out of a corn maze and drinking homemade apple cider. Other fun activities include pony rides, hay mazes, non-spooky hayrides, petting zoos and even shooting pumpkin cannons. Ghost Tours Ghost hunting television shows have really increased the popularity in finding haunts and eerie tours. Learn more about your local area’s spooky history by taking family or out of town guests to haunted mansions, cemeteries, prisons and more. Zombie Runs What could be scarier than a 5K run? One with zombies of course! Zombie runs are a good time for the whole family, providing a fun reason to get kids and teens moving, using obstacle courses, contests, prizes and more as incentives. Job Hunting? The Help Wanted section can help. There’s something for everyone in the Shopper! Place your ad now: 605-665-5884 Home Haunts Americans are now decorating their yards and homes into spooky graveyards with high tech lights, animations and more. Some homeowners take it further by also decorating their home’s interiors and creating mazes in the garage or backyard. Finding a spooky home haunt or neighborhood near you can be a great Halloween Americans Spending More for College Out-of-Pocket (StatePoint) The Bank of Mom and Dad is open for business, as parent out-of- pocket spending has become the number one source of college funding. In fact, 62 percent of families did not borrow to pay for college last year, according to a new report. The national study, “How America Pays for College 2015,” from Sallie Mae and Ipsos, now in its eighth year, found that parent income and savings covered the largest share of college costs -- 32 percent -- surpassing scholarships and grants at 30 percent, for the first time since 2010. Families covered the balance of college costs using student borrowing, student income and savings, parent borrowing, and contributions from relatives and friends. Two Counties Win for their Booth Efforts BROOKINGS, S.D. - Brookings and Beadle Counties were recognized for their decorating ability during the 2015 South Dakota State Fair. While construction of the Nordby Exhibit Hall for 4-H is underway, 4-H members static exhibits were housed in the National Guard Armory during the State Fair. Each county celebrated their members’ projects by decorating trade show style booths. In addition to showcasing exhibits, the counties participated in a booth decorating contest which would promote their counties 4-H activities and accomplishments. Brookings County won the category for best 4-H booth representation by showcasing all their events and promoting their 4-H members. Beadle County won the theme category by incorporating in the State Fair theme of “Sew it, Grow it, Show it.” ?iGrow Haunted Hayrides Hayrides can be as sophisticated as a Hollywood movie, complete with fog machines and lights. Some have even adopted new twists. For example, on a zombie paintball hayride, guests go on a high adrenaline adventure, hunting and shooting zombies with paintballs. Haunted hayrides make guests and especially smaller kids feel safe as they ride in groups. While families spent 16 percent more on college in academic year 2014-2015, the report found that fewer families are worried that economic factors would affect their ability to pay for college, fewer eliminated colleges from consideration due to cost, and fewer took costsaving measures to control college costs. “The increase in the amount families are spending appears to be less about the rising cost of college and more about the choices parents and students are making about how they pay for college,” says Michael Gross, vice president and head of the higher educa- ? COLLEGE, Page 9 MV Shopper MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y Book 60 Easy Sudoku Puzzles by KrazyDad Fill the puzzle so that every row, every column, and every section contain the numbers 1-9 without Rrepeating a number. 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City Ordinance requires a 10 foot clearance over sidewalks and a 12 foot clearance over streets and alleys. Maintaining these clearances may take multiple trimmings annually. Low hanging tree branches reduce visibility for drivers, damage vehicles, make it difficult to clear streets, and damage snowplows and school buses. Tree trimmings can be dropped off free of charge at the Transfer Station at 1200 West 23rd Street from 10/12/15 through 10/24/2015, 8:00 am - 3:45 pm, Monday-Saturday (excluding Monday & Thursday evenings). For more information visit www.cityofyankton.org 12 ft or call 605-668-5251. Haunted Houses Haunted houses come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from three-dimensional black light attractions to haunted trails to major scream parks. Haunted houses also change regularly, so it may be very different from visit to visit. Today, most haunted attractions don’t rely as much on blood and guts as they do on interactive special effects, sophisticated costumes, story lines and computer-generated imagery. To celebrate the scary side of Halloween, get the family together for an unforgettable night filled with fun and screams. To find America’s scariest haunted houses, trickiest corn mazes, spookiest zombie runs and every pumpkin patch, ghost tour and escape room near you, you can review a comprehensive directory of these attractions at www.Hauntworld.com. 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