This is a reminder that the Florida Cattlemen's Institute & Allied Trade Show is coming up on the
22nd of this month. Remember that it opens with the Trade Show at 8:00 a.m. and the program
begins at 8:45. If you plan to attend please call your reservation to the Extension Office so that
we can ensure we have plenty of lunches for everyone.
Although calf prices have taken a dip the last few weeks, this is a seasonal dip and prices are
expected to generally go up for the next few months and stay strong for the next couple of years.
In regards to how corn prices affect cattle prices, some new information has come to light that
should continue to show positive price results for cattle. Southeast Asia is now not going to be
buying near the amount of corn originally anticipated. Futures corn prices have already dropped,
and corn prices are expected to drop by thirty cents a bushel before summer.
The South Florida Beef Forage Program is compiling a list of companies and individuals providing pasture renovation, forage seed and planting material, fertilizer and spreading services, hay for sale, custom hay production, large animal veterinarians, breeding services, and other services and products. This list is for a non-classified ad for the South Florida Beef Forage Program Internet Website.
If you are interested in being part of this list, please contact the DeSoto County Extension Office
at (941) 993-4846 and provide them with the following information: Name, Address and Phone
Number for the advertisement.
I wanted to give you some results of some results of some research/demonstration work that has been done in our area. Two methods were used to apply chemicals used in control plots in fields with heavy infestation. One was broadcast spraying and the other was using the Burch Wet Blade application. The Burch Wet blade is- a bushhog mower that has a chemical tank on top of it that supplies chemicals to wipers attached to the cutting blades. As the blade cuts the TSA the wiper, wipes chemicals on the remaining stuble. Although several chemicals were used in these trails, I am only going to report results of those that are readily available and can be used in pastures, and that show promising results. You can take from this that if I am not reporting chemical results that it either is not registered for use in pastures at this time and/or does not show promising enough results to even be considered over one of the ones I am reporting.
In the first table you will see the results of broadcast spraying Weedmaster, Remedy. Banvel and
Velpar. You will see the rate per acre used, the percent control 60 day after treatment, the percent
control 150 days after treatment, the percent control 150 days after treatment, and the cost per
acre for the application.
| Table 1 | ||||
| Spray Treatment | Rate per Acre | % Control 60 DAT | % Control 150 DAT | Chemical Cost $/acre |
| Weedmaster | 2 qt./30 gal. | 100 | 100 | 13.00 |
| Remedy | 1 qt./40 gal. | 100 | 100 | 20.00 |
| Banvel | 2 qt./30 gal. | 100 | 100 | 39.00 |
| Velpar | 1 qt./30 gal. | 100 | 100 | 17.00 |
From these results you can see that these four chemicals all gave the same control, but there was a
significant difference in application cost.
The next table shows the results from the same four chemicals plus Roundup applied with the Burch
Wet Blade mower. One benefit you really need to remember about this application method is that not
only are you getting chemical application, but you are also getting immediate removal of the above
ground, TSA tissue.
| Table 2 | ||||
| Wet Blade Treatment | Rate per Acre | % Control 60 DAT | % Control 150 DAT | Chemical Cost $/acre |
| Weedmaster | 2 qt./30 gal. | 95 | 95 | 13.00 |
| Remedy | 1 qt./40 gal. | 52 | 50 | 20.00 |
| Banvel | 2 qt./30 gal. | 94 | 94 | 39.00 |
| Velpar | 1 qt./30 gal. | 88 | 95 | 17.00 |
| Roundup | 10% | 49 | 45 | -- |
You can see from these results that Weedmaster, Banvel and Velpar show a lot more promising
results than the old stand bys, Remedy and Round up when used in the Burch Wet Blade. One side
note on Velpar is that in both studies, it produced a significant burn of the grass and other plants in
the treated areas. From these results so far, there seems to be an indication that Weedmaster may
be our chemical of choice, bearing in mind, that this is only one years worth of data.
Hope this year is a prosperous one for you. Don't forget to call in your reservations for the
Cattlemen's Institute, and I hope to see you there.
If you have any comments or need additional information, please contact the DeSoto County
Extension Office at (941) 993-4846.
Sincerely,
James F. Selph,
County Extension Director, DeSoto
James F. Selph
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