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Show F4 Soil Fertility Recocd Juan Utah San The in- dication that too much phosphorus can depress yields and induce zinc deficiency. You should use the soil test at least once in each rotation. A soil test will indicate whether or not you are using too much phosphate. 6. Phosphate needs of grass-legu- Contd. from Page F3 Farm There is some nough. meaning, unless they can be related to crop response in the field. 3. If you follow a regular program of soil testing you can apply phosphate as guided by the soil tests. If you dont make regular use of soil tests, you should apply phosphate according to your crop rotation. Phosphate the crop with the most critical need. For example, in an rotation me 4. pastures and alfalfa are similar. Spring is a good time to apply nitrogen (when needed) to corn, grain, cash crops, and 7. grass pastures. In a 8. alfalfa-corn-gra- in apply phosphate to the alfalfa once or twice. The other crops will usually grow well without additional phosphate. If the rotation involves cash crops (beets, potatoes, or vegetables), grain and alfalfa, take care of the phosphorus needs of the cash crops. You then wont have to add phosphate to the other crops. 5. Avoid excessive phosphate. Where needed, an application of 50 to 100 pounds of available phosphate (P2O5) is e- - grass-legu- ne pas- ture, if the legume makes up percent or more of the stand, there may be little need 50 to apply nitrogen. 9. Field plot results suggest no reason to add nitrogen to alfalfa. When a crop follows alfalfa, you can reduce or eliminate the nitrogen ferti10. lizer. Heavy applications of manure may largely eliminate the need to apply commercial 11. Crossbreeding Beef Becoming Common By CLEON M. HOTTER Agricultural Information Specialist Utah state University Extension Services A few years ago, when driving through cattle ranching country, you would see mainly herds of straightbred Here-ford- s, red animals with white faces; Angus, pure black; or Shorthorns, red, white or roan. Those you may have recognized were the chief British beef breeds common in this country. Now, crossbreeding of beef cattle is becoming a common practice in the United States. We see many color combinations from crossing among the British breeds and crosses between these breeds and others such as the humpbacked Brahman from the Far East and its American combinations and a number of exotic breeds recently introduced from Europe. The exotic breeds include Charol-ai- s, white or cream; Limousine, red gold; Simmental, red to reddish tan with white spots; D 30 D yonor ir Maine-Anjo- u, red with white spots or roan; and the Murray Grey, Welch Black, and Lincoln Red, colored as their names imply. Indeed, we are producing cattle of many colors. Some folks hate to see this crossing and mixing of colors. To them it ruins the aesthetics of pure color strains. Also, some cattle buyers use real or imaginary color prejudice as a wedge to buy cattle for a reduced price. Why, then, you may ask, is there such a big movement toward crossbreeding? Dr. James A. Bennett, head, Department of Animal Science, Utah State University, says the answer is mainly It has little or nothing to do with color. Producers aim in crossbreeding to: (1) add one or a few genes to their animals genetic makeup, (2) blend the desirable characteristics of two or more breeds of cattle, (3) capitalize on hybrid vigor that results in an increased production potential for the animals, or achieve a com ff ffaunnrD bination of all three objectives. At a recent beef cattle short course Dr. Bennett cited research results indicating several small gains from among the crossbreeding British breeds. When these are combined they can have a big influence on profits: calving rate 1.3 percent, survival 3 percent and gain in weaning wreight 4.9 percent. He said, Sometimes when the returns and costs of production are nearly equal, increases such as the above can easily double or triple profits or pull an outfit out of the red. The biggest economic boost, however, comes from using the crossbred females as mother cows. It amounts to some 14 percent increase in pounds of calf weaned per cow bred. This, combined with other advantages gained by producing crossbred calves from these crossbred mothers, may give nearly a 20 percent advantage over the straightbred animals. He said crossing the British breeds with the Brahman derived breeds has been much m ire popular in the southern states than it has here. AniBrahman mals containing blood can withstand the intense heat well and are resistant to some of the troublesome insects. However, since they usually have some decreased tenderness of beef, our markets tend to discriminate against animals that carry more than Brahman blood. one-eigh- th A whole new exciting area for crossing has now been opened by introduction of the new exoctic" breeds. Under irainidh) -- wirlkDinig ffoir yu changed but carefully regulated requirements to prevent transmission of foot and mouth disease, semen and sires of these breeds hasrecenth been ? premitted to enter the United States. Most of these breeds are large, well muscled and crow fast. We can expect that calves produced from crossing to British breeds will also be growthy and produce lots of lean meat. These qualities benefit both the producers and the consumers. A great many farmers and ranchers have found they can make extra profits through major improvements such as land leveling, a better irrigation system, or investments in new equipment or additional acreage. How about your operation? The First Security Agricultural Specialist in this area can help you plan such an improvement or major purchase. Hes experienced, knowledgeable, and understands local problems. Stop in at your nearest First Security office and ask the manager to arrange for a meeting at your convenience. This service is available without cost or obligation. But all is not benefit. There are some problems associated with crossbreeding. Research results from Nebraska indicate increased calving difficulty from crossing the large exotic breeds with the British breeds. Likewise, increased problems of low fertility may be introduced from some of these breeds. Also, if larger crossbred cows are kept for mothers, they will require more feed. Where feed is plentiful they may do very well, but if feed is scarce as it is on much of Utahs these animals rangeland may run into real difficulty. cant overlook the buyer discrimination mentioned earlier; market demand and must be considered. But perhaps even more important, unless the cattlemen We per-feren- going i ASK FOR THESE HELPFUL SERVICES, TOO. Theyre also free! Planning Forms that can make estimating farm or ranch income and expenses more businesslike. Thousands are now using this practical plan. First Security News Letter, published quarterly. Prepared by our economist. Dr. ElRoy Nelson. Contains valuable economic information and predictions that concern your business. Ask for free copies at any First Security Bank. Or write: Dr. ElRoy Nelson, First Security Bank, P.O. Box 390, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110. FIRST SECURITY BANK First Security Bank of Utah, N.A. Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation into a ce crossbreeding program will carefully plan and rigidly follow the plan, they may lose much more than they gain from it. Dr. Bennett stresses that successful crossbreeding must be based on the use of good purebreds that are backed by adequate production records. Also, he says that some of the advantages from crossbreeding may be obtained from crossing unrelated lines within a particular breed. So, for those who simply prefer pure cattle colors, all is not lost. |
