April 2007

The Heat is Coming
 Facts on dehydration and electrolytes
in Horses

 What is Dehydration and Heat Stress

          Summer is upon us and things are heating up.  Those of us who use our and/or haul our horses in the summer months need to be aware of the dangers and danger signs associated with heat stress and dehydration.  Additionally, we need to know the tools for preventing or treating these problems should they occur.
          First of all, we need to realize that horses enter into heat stress any time the temperature plus humidity is equal to or greater than 140.  Thus, we realize, it doesn’t take much to get your horse to the point of heat stress.  Dehydration is defined simply as a deficit of body water.  This deficit negatively impacts virtually every process in the body resulting in premature fatigue and increased risk of heat illness.  Proper hydration is critical then, as even small deficits can negatively impact performance. Click here for more information on dehydration and Heat Stress.

Feed Division Update
By Tom Grote

The grass is turning greener, the birds are starting to sing, and the flies will soon behatching. Now is the time for beef producers to start thinking about fly control for the pasture cattle. Farm Service Cooperative has a complete line of beef minerals toaccommodate those producers wishing to minimize losses from flies attacking their herds. The active ingredient in our mineral is Altosid (IGR) which prevents fly emergence by stopping the growth at the pupal stage of life. For those producers with a history of grass tetany in their herds, we have minerals that are high in magnesium. See Kenny or Dave to set up a spring and summer mineral program that is just right for your beef animals.

Calf Creep season is also on the horizon. It is no secret to any livestock producer that most feed ingredients are much higher than a year ago. Farm Service Cooperative will be offering pelleted creep feed again this year. We are looking at some “best cost” formulas to maximize gain on the calves and still be efficient with the cost per pound of gain. Many of our beef formulas contain distillers dried grains (DDGS) to meet protein and energy needs. There are also minerals designed to balance out other phases of livestock that are utilizing co-products from the local ethanol plants. We are also looking at a new discount program that will reward the producers for bringing their feeders to the road and for those who can take larger loads. There will be more details in the near future on how this program will work for the upcoming creep feed season.

There are still some profits to be made in livestock production, even with high corn prices. I would encourage our employees and customers to work with Kenny or Dave on feeder pig breakevens, feed costs, and profit projections. Many producers have told me “most of the big money in livestock is made when grain is high priced”. Farm Service Cooperative can help livestock producers make wise decisions that will lead to greater returns on their investment.

Finally, don’t forget our local youth who will have livestock projects at this summer’s fairs. Farm Service Cooperative will offer our 4-H incentive program that was mentioned in last month’s newsletter. We have an updated show feed line for most species of livestock. I would ask that you work with the feed locations at Denison, Harlan and Ida Grove for more information on our show feeds.

Please work safely this spring and don’t be afraid to let Farm Service Cooperative help with complete feed delivery to ease some of the workload on the farming operations.

Ag-Chem/AgProfessional
Custom Applicator and
Operator of the Year Awards

In recent years, Ag Professional Magazine awards Custom Applicator of the year awards to some applicators that are nominated for this award. Ag Professional Magazine is one of the agronomy retail magazines that is widely read by the industry. This summer FSC Irwin Custom Applicators Bryce Bruck, Ryan Kasperbauer, Rick Lohrmann, Jay Schechinger and Nick Woebke were nominated for the award by their Manager Mark Klein. Each of these five FSC Custom Applicators was recognized for Honorable Mention for the award by Ag Professional Magazine.  Each of the Irwin Applicators received a plaque from Ag Professional Magazine to recognize them for the award. Each of the FSC employees was also recognized in one of the summer issues of Ag Professional Magazine.