I am writing this piece as somewhat of an introduction for myself. My name is Adam Ross and I am the newest member of Randolph County Cooperative Extension, serving as the Livestock and Field Crops agent. I came to Randolph County via a few different places throughout North Carolina.

Originally, I was born and raised in Wilkes County on a small cattle farm, and just as you would expect, I was introduced to chickens somewhere along the way.

In 2005 I completed a degree in Livestock and Poultry Management from N.C. State and moved down east to Sampson County for a short while as a herdsman on a large cattle operation.

After my tour of the eastern part of the state, I returned to Wilkes and continued my education at NC A&T;, graduating in 2008 with a degree in agricultural education.

Most recently, I was the farm manager at The Children’s Home in Winston Salem where I oversaw a herd of cattle, an acre and a half of black plastic vegetable garden and just before I took this job I had put in the ground an acre of strawberries.

These experiences have taught me many things, and I hope to be able to share them with you throughout my time here.

I look forward to meeting you and if you ever need my assistance, please don’t hesitate to call. 

Spring pastures

n Considering the amount of precipitation we’ve had this fall and winter season, we have a wet outlook for over seeding and planting new pasture plots.

However, we still need to remember some general points:



Soil Samples

n If you haven’t taken soil samples in the past two years, don’t worry about heading out to pick up fertilizer. Without knowing the makeup of your soil, you will be throwing money away.

Every soil will change its nutrient levels yearly, and with the amount of change in our water levels over the past two years, we can’t know for sure what’s waiting on us.



New pasture

n If you’re thinking of starting a new pasture for grazing, we may not be out of the trouble zone yet as far as dry conditions go.

Just because the rain and snow have thoroughly saturated our fields doesn’t mean that summer isn’t going to be dry.

We may need to revisit past experiences and hold off on seeding cool season grasses on new ground.

n Look at some options such as putting in some ryegrass until the heat hits.

After that, a warm season annual like pearl millet will fit the bill perfectly, then, in the fall, we can go back and establish our cool season pasture with a fescue if so desired.

These things can be done with a sod drill, but with the current wetness, we can also look at a broadcast seeding.



Established pastures

n Make sure to keep some High Mag minerals on hand to combat the possibility of grass tetany. I would go so far as to recommend High Mag minerals year round.

 

NC Beef Quality Assurance

n Beef Quality Assurance is a national program that provides guidelines for beef cattle production.

The program raises consumer confidence through offering proper management techniques and a commitment to quality within every segment of the beef industry.

Producers have embraced BQA because it is the right thing to do, but they have also gained through increased profitability.

As an educating program, BQA helps producers identify management processes that can be improved. (From the National Beef Quality Assurance Web site www.bqa.org)

There will be more information within the next month available at the Extension Office about a BQA certification class being held in March jointly with Chatham County.

Please contact me if you are interested.

This program can give you some new management information and put more money in your pocket for the animals you market.

Not only that, but these may be some things you are already doing, but without being certified, you may not be receiving the premiums you deserve.

Feel free to contact me at the Extension Office (318-6000) if you have any questions about soil samples, pastures or other livestock questions.



Adam Ross is a livestock and field crops agent for the Randolph County Center of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service in Asheboro.