Farm & Ranch
THE PERKINS JOURNAL, Thursday, April 8, 2010 - A9
By Payne County Extension Educators
Nathan Anderson, Agriculture Educator
Dea Rash, FCS Educator
Brett Morris, 4-H Youth Development
Stan Fimple, Horticulture Educator
Suzette Ba~a, Rural Development
http://oces.okstate.edu/payne
Ag News
Tree Seedlings
Excellent soil moisture
conditions across the state
and cool weather has extended
tree planting ~ason intoApril.
The Oklahoma Department
of Forestry still has good
supplies of seedlings. Order
forms can be picked up at
the Payne County Extension
Center at 315 W. 6th. Suite
103. Or call 405-747-8320.
Breeding Soundness Exam
Used to Evaluate Fertility
in Bulls
Producers searching for a
cost efficient method to pro-
mote a successful breeding
program may find breeding
soundness examinations for
bulls beneficial. The impor-
tance of the bull in a cattle
breeding program often is
underestimated. A cow is
responsible for half the genetic
material in only one calf each
year. while the bull is respon-
sible for half the genetic mate-
rial in 20 to 50 calves. The
bull's ability to locate cows
in estms and breed them is
clearly vital to a successful
breeding program.
For the breeding soundness
evaluation to be successful,
bulls should be evaluated 30
to 60 days before the start of
breeding, It is important to
allow sufficient time to replace
questionable bulls. Bulls may
also be evaluated at the end
of breeding to determine if
their fertility decreased. A
breeding soundness exam is
administered by a veterinar-
ian and-includes a 1 ) physical
examination (feet, legs, eyes.
teeth, flesh cover, scrotal size
and shape), an 2) internal and
3J external examination of
the reproductive tract and 4)
semen evaluation for sperm
cell motility and normality.
-The physical examination
studies overall appearance.
Flesh cover is one factor to
• conditions, number of cows
the bull is expected to service
and distance required to travel
• during breeding. Ideally, bulls
should have enough fat cover
at the start of breed'mg so their
• ribs appear smooth across
their sides. A body condition•
score 6 (where 1 = emaciated
and 9 = very obese) is the
target body condition prior to
the breeding season.
Sound feet and legs are
very important because if
they are unsound, this can
result in the inability to travel
and mount for mating. The
general health of the bull is
critical since sick, aged and
injured bulls are less likely to
mate and usually have lower
semen quality. The external
examination of the reproduc-
tive tract includes evaluation
of the testes, spermatic cords
and epididymis. Scrotal cir-
cumference is an important
measure since it is directly
related to the total mass of
sperm producing tissue, sperm
cell normality and the onset
of puberty in the bull and his
female offspring. Bulls with
large circumference will pro-
duce more sperm with higher
normality and also reach
sexual maturity sooner.
Examination of the external
underline before and during
semen collection will detect
any inflammation, foreskin.
adhesions, warts, abscesses
and penile deviations. The
internal examination is
conducted to detect any
abnormalities in the internal
reproductive organs.
The semen evaluation is
done by examining a sample
of the semen under a micro-
scope. The veterinarian will
estimate the percentage of
sperm cells that are moving
in a forward" direction. This
estimate is called "motility".
In addition, the sperm cells
will be individually examined
Any bull meeting all mini-
mum standards for the physi-
cal exam, scrotal size and
semen quality will be classed
as a "satisfactory" potential
breeder. Bulls that fail any
minimum standard will be
probably be given a rating
of "classification deferred."
Bulls that fail a minimum
standard but with little or no
chance of improvement, will
receive the "unsatisfactory"
designation.
BecauSe of the increased
incidence of trichomoniasis
(a venereal disease of cattle
commonly called "trich"),
visit with your veterinarian
about the need for testing of
bulls. Currently all of the
By Sean Hubbard
STILLWATER. Okla.
- Spring has sprung, and
Oklahomans are eager
to get a line in the water
and start reeling in some
monsters.
However, if pond owners
had a problem with pond
weeds last year, they can
pretty much expect the
same problem this year.
Now is the time to do
something about it.
There are two main
options for pond owners.
Depending' on the purpose
of the pond, applying her-
bicide or stocking grass
carp have their plusses and
minuses.
"'One of the main risks
in applying herbicides to
aquatic plants is that too
much plant material will
be killed and as it decays it
will use up all the dissolved
oxygen in the pond and suf-
focate the fish," Beem said.
"This risk is much lower in
the spring and is usually
less work and lower cost to
evaluate. Body condition for proper shape or "morphol- treat early because you are
can be affected by length of ogy". Less than 30 percent of treating a smaller area."
the breeding season, grazing the cells should be found to Only herbicides that
and supplemental feeding have an abnormal shape, are labeled for aquatic
states surrounding Oklahoma
have regulations for breeding
bulls moving into those states.
Most states now require test-
ing of bulls transported
across state lines for breeding
purposes.
This rating indicates that the
bull will need another test to
confirm status. Mature bulls
should be retested after six
weeks. Mature bulls will be
classified as unsatisfactory
potential breeders if they fail
subsequent tests. Young bulls
that are just reaching puberty
may be rated as "classification
deferred", and then later meet
all of the minimum standards.
Therefore caution should be
exercised when making cull-
ing decisions based on just one
breeding soundness exam.
Many producers work hard
to manage their cows for high
fertility. They may assume
that the bulls will do their
expected duties. However,
it's important to pay close
attention to bulls to establish
successful breeding.
sites and which are listed
as being effective on the
weed you have should
be used. Caution should
be taken on products not
labeled for aquatic sites, as
they have not been tested to
insure that fish will remain
healthy to eat.
"Grass carp were
imported to the U.S. sev-
eral decades ago because
of their unusual ability to
eat aquatic plants and the
fact that they are excellent
table fare," Beem said.
Ponds that are subject to
overflow into public waters
should not be stocked with
grass carp. If this is the case.
and grass carp are stocked.
spillway barriers should be
constructed. Through this
process, pond owners are
advised to confer with their
county Natural Resource
Conservation Service.
Whatever the choice,
now is the time to act for
pond owners.
P.O. Box 842 Stillwater, OK 74076-0842
405-372-3367
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