Ideas, News, Information, Stories & Opinions

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Upcoming Dates: 2016   January 11-16 National Western Stock Show, Denver, CO January 23  VAA Annual Meeting, Natural Bridge Hotel March 11-13 Mid-Atlantic Junior Angus Classic “MAJAC” Show, Harrisonburg, VA March 19 Headquarters for Hindquarters Bull Sale, Harrisonburg, VA March 26 G & E Farms Premium Assured Bred Heifer Sale, Gretna, VA March 26 BCIA Southwest Performance Tested Bull Sale, Wytheville, VA March 26 Whitestone Bull Sale, Aldie, VA April 2 MC Livestock Sale Greenville, VA April 9 Knoll Crest Bull Sale, Red House, VA April 14-16 VA Beef Expo, Harrisonburg, VA April 15 Quest for Quality Bull & Female Sale VA Beef Expo Harrisonburg, VA April 16 Southwest Angus “Double Header” Sale Abingdon, VA April 30 Quaker Hill Bull & Female Sale, Louisa, VA

The Lebanon County Grazing Network will present a grazing conference 9:45 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, at the Lebanon County Extension Office, 2120 Cornwall Road, Lebanon, Pa.

Presentations will include “Grazing Brassicas” by Leanne Dillard of USDA-ARS; “Organic Dairy Farming” by Myron Martin, a Maryland farmer; and “Making Quality Hay and Baleage” by Dwane Miller from Penn State Extension.

The conference is free but pre-registration is requested. To register, call Susan Richards, Capital Area RC&D, at 717-241-4361.

 

We support the folks that purchase electric fence products from our business. Here is a good one: OregonGrassFed. http://www.oregongrassfed.com/ Please visit there website.

All our cattle are born and raised in Oregon. Owned and managed by Oregon farmers. Processed and packaged by Oregon owned USDA facilities. Labels and boxing from an Oregon company. Distributed by OregonGrassFed. Sold in Oregon stores employing Oregon workers. We Sell our USDA beef frozen by the lb in pre-cut vacuum sealed bags.  We don't sell beef by the halves or wholes, but can put together a package to your specifications.

Please share your website with us when your operation/business makes a purchase.

Posted By: Matthew J. Grassi | December 30, 2015

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is reaching out to beekeepers and farmers across the nation in December 2015 and January 2016 to gather information on the number and health of honey bee colonies, honey production and stocks, and the cost to farmers of pollination services, according to a recent news release from the agency.

The surveys will be used to develop baseline data and additional goal metrics for winter, summer, and total annual colony loss in support of the. Among its goals, the Strategy aims to reduce honey bee colony losses during winter to no more than 15% within 10 years.

“These new data will be crucial to measuring and understanding the current state of the pollinator industry in the United States,” said NASS Administrator Joseph Reilly. “Honey beekeepers are encouraged to participate in the surveys so that policy makers have a robust data source to make informed decisions and protect our struggling pollinators.”

Pollinators are critical to the nation’s economy, food security, and environmental health. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year, and helps ensure that our diets include ample fruits, nuts, and vegetables. This tremendously valuable service is provided to society by honey bees, native bees and other insect pollinators, birds, and bats. But pollinators are struggling. Last year, beekeepers reported losing about 40% of honey bee colonies, threatening the viability of their livelihoods and the essential pollination services their bees provide to agriculture.

Beekeepers should expect to receive two surveys from NASS. They will receive the existing Bee and Honey Inquiry, which surveys beekeepers about honey production, price, and stocks, but not colony health. NASS will continue to conduct that survey, the results of which are slated for release in March 2016, and which are archived at www.nass.usda.gov. Beekeepers will also receive a new survey from NASS, which the agency will use to publish state-level estimates on key topics, including number of colonies, colonies lost, colonies added, and colonies affected by certain stressors. The first results of these surveys will be published in May 2016.

In addition to surveys being sent to beekeepers, NASS will survey farmers about crops pollinated, number of colonies needed for pollination, and the cost for those colonies. NASS plans to publish results of those surveys in December 2016.

These surveys and corresponding data are part of the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators, prepared by the Pollinator Health Task Force, which USDA co-chairs. The Strategy is a comprehensive plan to work across the Federal government and with partners to address the research, education and management challenges we must overcome to sustain healthy pollinator populations. One of the three overarching goals of the National Strategy is to reduce honey bee colony loss and to develop additional baseline data using the NASS data.

As is the case with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is confidential by law. NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified, as required by federal law.

The NASS surveys are one part of a larger effort USDA is undertaking to promote the health of pollinators, including honeybees.

Training livestock to respect an electric fence is the key to keeping them in. Wires that are consistently hot teach cattle to stay away from the fence.
While efficient design of an electric fencing system is essential, getting dependable performance from energizers is equally critical.
“An electric fence is a psychological barrier. When cattle come up to it, they’ll turn away if they respect it,” says Ken Miller. The Fort Rice, North Dakota, rancher is a mentor for and a member of the North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition. He also works as a technician for the Burleigh County Soil Conservation District.
Besides grazing his own beef herd of 100 cow-calf pairs, he also custom-grazes 125 pairs annually. His managed grazing system involves rotationally grazing cattle on 1,400 acres of native grass pastures as well as on 128 acres of irrigated grassland. The rangeland comprises 38 paddocks, and crossfencing on the irrigated pasture permits grazing in parcels as small as 3 acres when grass is growing rapidly.
Miller’s energizer of choice for delivering consistent power to paddocks that are 4 and 5 miles from home is a 10- to 12-joule 110-volt plug-in version.
“A high-joule plug-in energizer can power 15 to 20 miles of electric fence,” he explains. “It can generate 6,500 to 8,000 volts. The newer models of plug-in energizers won’t start fires and won’t short out like the older models tended to do.”
Miller’s plug-in energizer is located at the ranch headquarters, and it pushes the power up to 5 miles to the most distant paddocks. A continuous wire offset from the boundary fences of the paddocks delivers the power to whatever paddock the cattle are grazing.
Effective grounding helps ensure that the energizer can perform to its fullest capacity in electrifying a fence. Near the energizer, Miller installed three ground rods in a series. The rods are driven into the ground at a depth of 6 to 7 feet.
“I use galvanized ground rods,” he says. “I then use galvanized wire to connect the series of rods to the energizer. If I were using copper ground rods, I would use copper wire to connect to the energizer.”
Miller’s energizer costs about $800, but he says the cost of energizers can cover a wide range. “Prices can vary anywhere from $50 to $2,000 for an energizer that puts out as much as 25 joules,” he notes.
However, he says he has had some plug-in energizers work effectively for as long as 15 years.
“You can also get battery-powered energizers that you hook up to a 12-volt battery,” he says. “If you happen to let the battery go dead and the fence is cold, you can end up spoiling the cattle.”
Once cattle discover that a fence is cold, some may learn to keep testing the fence. Eventually, they learn that they can crawl through the wires when the fence is not electrified.
Solar-powered energizers are also options, but Miller prefers these for smaller fencing systems.
Border fences in Miller’s system are of three-wire construction. The height of the top wire is 40 inches. The spacing between the wires is 12 to 16 inches, with the bottom wire at least 12 to 18 inches above the ground.
“Both the top and bottom wires are hot. The middle wire is cold and provides additional grounding for the fence,” he says.
Wooden or steel posts spaced about 75 feet apart support the wires in the three-wire border fences.
Crossfences within paddocks are constructed of a single wire supported by step-in posts. Polywire provides additional splitting of paddocks when needed.
The beauty of electric fencing is the unlimited flexibility it offers for managing grazing livestock. The potential sum effect is more efficient use of grass.
“Since I’ve gone to rotational grazing and high-density stocking of paddocks, I’ve been able to double my stocking rate,” says Miller. “I’m presently managing 40-acre paddocks. This will let me get even more grass growth.”
Match The System To Your Needs
Electric fence energizers are available in multiple makes and sizes. Selecting an energizer to meet your needs is not unlike buying a tractor to fit your acreage, says David Lautt of Lautt’s Feed & Supply in Harvey, North Dakota. A long-time provider of electric fencing supplies, Lautt also uses electric fencing for his own cattle and buffalo herds.
The 110-volt plug-in energizers are a common choice among his customers, along with energizers powered by either a solar panel or a 12-volt battery.
“If you’re using a battery, it’s important to use a deep-cell battery,” he says. “A deep-cell battery is designed to be drawn down and then charged back up. Whereas, a regular automotive battery is designed to be continuously charged by a vehicle’s alternator.”
A properly sized solar panel can be used to continuously charge the battery powering an energizer.
Large solar-panel energizers are also available. “These can provide significant power, and we have a few that have continued working for 20 to 25 years,” he says.
Smaller solar units are available for under $200 and can power relatively shorter spans of electric fence. These units operate on a small internal battery, and after two years these batteries typically need replacing.
The length of fence an energizer can power depends upon the degree of resistance built into the fence and its environment.
“If you’ve got wires running through a cattail slough, for instance, you’ll reduce the power that’s potentially available from the energizer,” says Lautt. “It’s all about the drawdown load on the fence itself.”
He likens an electric current on a fence to a water pipe. The greater the resistance encountered by the electric current, the more the capacity for flow is reduced. This is not unlike the downsizing of the diameter of a water pipe, which reduces the flow of water as a result.
Thus, wire size plays a role. The 14-gauge wire, which is larger than 17-gauge wire, conducts electricity more effectively. The 12.5-gauge, high-tensile wire carries current even more effectively than the 14-gauge. By comparison, polywire conducts electricity less effectively than regular wire.

Save the Date!

 The date for the SIGC is - March 2, 2016.   8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Eastern time)
We are pleased to present our outstanding speakers: Allan Nation, Doug Peterson, and Wesley Tucker

 The 2016 SIGC will be held at WestGate Academy near Odon IN.  If you are using Mapquest or Yahoo Maps to plan your route to the conference, please use this address: IN-558 & E County Road 1650 N, Odon IN 47562.

Click here for location map

 

Meet Our 2016 Speakers

  The SIGC is sponsored in part through an ISDA Livestock Grant

 

WestGate Academy

2016 SIGC Agenda

7:30 a.m. – Registration – Rolls, juice, coffee & milk

8:30 a.m. – Welcome & Introductions

8:45 – 9:45 a.m. – Allan Nation “Creating, Managing, and Profiting from Quality Pasture”                             

9:45 – 10:15 a.m. – BREAK

10:15 – 11:45 a.m. – Doug Peterson “High Density Grazing and Soil Health”

 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – LUNCH

 12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Wesley Tucker “Expanding the Beef Operation”

2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. – BREAK

2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Doug Peterson “Making Money with Contract Grazing”

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. - Allan Nation “Lowering the Risk of Stocker Cattle”

 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. – Last questions for speakers

Want more power AND smarts from your electric fence? Problem solved with Gallagher. Providing much more power to the back of the farm when and where it matters, the powerful new M5800i Fence Energizer includes a separate display that enables you to check your fence in the time it takes to read this sentence.

Here at our gallagher electric fence store, we are still busy selling electric fence items into november... Thanks to all our customers who are still upgrading or installing new fence with high quality gallagher electric fence products!!

Electric fence energizer is a device converting power to high voltage pulse shock, moderrn electric fence energizer uses a capacitor to store energy, which decides the distance the electric fence energizer can power. Engineer uses controlled circuit to charge the capacitor, then uses a thyristor to to discharge the stored energy through an isolated transformer , which transform voltage of the capacitor to very high output voltage. One of the output terminal conducts the ground rod , another conducts the fence. the power can be mains or battery, the pulse high voltage is thousands of volts, the period of the pulse is less than 1Hz for safety consideration

Source powered electric fence

The source to power the electric fence energizer depends on the condition it applies. Dry battery, acid-sealed battery, mains, solar and wind source, all is OK.
when the mains is available, people usually use mains to power the fence energizer, it is more cost efficient. The voltage of the mains can be 100volts in Japan, or 120 volts in America or 230volts in European. When use mains, for safety consideration, it is very strictly constructed, use isolated transformer to insulate the fence circuit from the mains. So the fence pulse voltage is insulated from the mains, it is safe for touch. International standards have very strict requirement on how to construct the mains fence energizer, so just use the CE marked or UL marked mains energizers, or you will have potential risks. Just buy from reliable and experienced company for your mains fencer.
When there is no utility available, battery is a normal choice. Lots of electric fence energizer company provide battery energizer. Depends on the size and location your perimeter is. Dry battery or big capacitance acid-sealed battery electric fence energizer you can choose. For pet or small animal control, portable fence normally used, the size of the fence is short, and the location often moved, so use a dry battery electric fence energizer will help a lot. The dry battery energizer can not power too long time, normally less than one month, it is OK for lots of pet , temporary electric fencing often help host a lot, and dry battery is available in lots of store, so it is a convenience choice. Lots of customer use big size acid-sealed battery also, The acid-sealed battery is chargeable, and the size can be up to 100AH, it is portable, and can power big storage energy energizer, so it is for professional customer, who has big farm or perimeter to fence. for lots of place, there is no utility, so charging is a big problem for lots of installer. People now use solar panel to charge the battery instead of utility, it is flexible, more and more people use it to charge their battery. If the power of the fence energizer is small, people use solar panel to charge the battery directly, but for big fencer, the solar panel need a controller to control the charge voltage, because the solar panel have it own characteristic, it have own MPP (Maximum Power Point) output, if it don’t work at its MPP, it will loss lots of energy , and it can not output all energy it can convert, cause energy loss and money loss, so we need a MPPT controller to help the solar panel output its full energy, the acid-sealed battery lifetime is sensitive for temperature, if charge voltage is wrong, it will decrease the lifetime of the battery, so when charge the battery, we need a temperature compensation.

Charge circuit

The charge circuit convert the source into a stable voltage on the storage capacitor, the charge method use art PWM method, the PWM is a commonly used technique for controlling power to inertial electrical devices, made practical by modern electronic power switches. The main advantage of PWM is that power loss in the switching devices is very low, so will help to save lots of energy, especially for battery electric fence energizer. The power consumption is a key issue to evaluation the electric fence energizer.

Isolated transformer

Isolated transformer transfer the voltage on the storage capacitor to high output voltage, the isolated transformer is a very key component for a energizer, lots of article and standards talk a lot about the construction, carefully design can make low impedance electric fence energizer. Low impedance means you can power longer distance, and can save more invest on electric fencing, lots of company mark their energizer as low impedance, it make people confused, you’d better ask the data of energizer under 500 ohms load to evaluate, for a low impedance fence energizer, the isolated transformer can transfer more energy to the output, have less self loss, so the output under 500 ohms have stronger power, normally the voltage is also higher, lots of manufacturer have data on web, so right now, it is easy to judge which is low impedance and which is not, it is a fast way to choose a good electric fence energizer.