A weekly report prepared by the staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). If you require further information, regarding this report, call the Elora Resource Centre at 519-846-0941. Office hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm
For technical information, call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or visit the OMAFRA website: www.ontario.ca/omafra.
ONLINE TUTORIALS TO HELP YOU USE THE AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION ATLAS
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) developed a series of tutorials to help you use the Agricultural Information Atlas (AIA). The tutorials provide step-by-step instructions on a range of topics – from the basics of navigating through the application to creating specific maps for submissions to OMAFRA.
With the AIA, you can:
– create custom maps for your farm;
– create farm sketches for nutrient management and tile drainage planning; and
– find agricultural information for Ontario
You can find the tutorials on the OMAFRA website. To access the AIA, go to the AgMaps Geographic Information Portal at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/landuse/gis/portal.htm
For more information, contact the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300 or ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.
BEEF CATTLE’S ADJUSTMENT TO COLD WEATHER
Dealing with winter is an unpleasant fact of life in the temperate region of North America. For most beef cattle, winter brings a very significant change to their environment.
Similar to farmers who don insulated coveralls and thick gloves, cattle also prepare for colder weather. As temperatures decline during fall, cattle grow a longer hair coat, which provides a much higher level of insulation by trapping more pockets of air within the hair. Still (non-moving) air is a poor conductor of heat, so a thick layer of micro air bubbles within the coat provide the animal with a heat retaining blanket. In contrast, cattle which are housed in a warm barn are not stimulated to grow a thick winter coat. If these cattle are suddenly moved out into cold temperatures, they will quickly get chilled and show signs of discomfort by bawling and roaming restlessly instead of bedding down. If left in the cold environment, these cattle will respond by growing a winter coat in a few weeks. But letting cattle adapt naturally to cooling temperatures is a good strategy which reduces overall stress on the animals.
Animals have a certain environmental temperature range in which they can function without expending extra energy to maintain their core body temperature. This range is called the thermo neutral zone. The temperature at the lower end of this zone is called the lower critical temperature. Below this temperature, the animal has to expend extra energy to keep warm, by shivering (initial stage) or producing heat in muscle tissue without shivering (later stages).
Moisture also plays a role in heat loss. In contrast to air, water is a very good conductor of heat, and if the air spaces in the hair coat are filled with moisture, heat loss increases dramatically. So if an animal’s hair coat is wetted by rain outdoors, or condensation drip in the barn, its insulative value plummets, and heat loss is rapid. Similarly, mud or manure glued onto the hair coat compresses it, squeezing out most air pockets and filling the rest with conductive material.
The key is to keep cattle clean prior to freeze up. Fresh paddocks, concrete yards and bedded packs go a long way to maintaining clean hides. After freeze up, mud becomes much less of a problem, and rain turns to snow, which has much less wetting power. As air temperatures drop, snow becomes drier and a better insulator. If cattle have a relatively large area with good snow cover, they can lay down comfortably without bedding. If the weather goes through freeze and thaw cycles, some bedding may still be required.
The effects of air temperature, wind speed and moisture all work together in negative synergy to increase heat loss. Making sure cattle are acclimatized to winter, providing protection from wind, and minimizing the impact of wet conditions will dramatically improve cattle comfort and feed utilization.
See the full article at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/beef/News/vbn1006a4.htm
COMING EVENTS
Nov. 24 – Advanced Farm Management Program, Stone Crock, St. Jacobs. For more information, please e-mail: info@advancedfarmmanagement.ca or phone 519-822-6618.
