MSU BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH UPDATE AVAILABLE

MSU BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH UPDATE AVAILABLE

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AI Appointment

AI Appointment

Story by Micky Wilson
Angus Beef Bulletin

Appointments are made for cattle every day — semen-testing bulls, vaccinating calves and pregnancy-checking cows. David Patterson, University of Missouri- Columbia (MU) professor of beef cattle reproduction, urged producers to make an appointment to breed their cow herds with artificial insemination (AI).

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Selecting Genetics to Match Today’s Markets

Selecting Genetics to Match Today’s Markets

American Chianina Journal

Perhaps the most enduring questions asked by seedstock breeders and commercial cattlemen is, “Which traits should I select for?” and “How much emphasis should I put on each?” There are no easy answers to these questions because of the great diversity in production environments, management practices and market targets that exist across the U.S. beef industry. However, careful consideration of available resources, costs of production and market economics can help a breeder develop a selection plan based on a balance of reproduction, production and product traits that will deliver a more consistent and profitable result than chasing the “current fad” trait.

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Japan’s beef ban is not about safety

Japan’s beef ban is not about safety

Bill Jackson, (Bio) bjackson@greeleytribune.com
Greeley Tribune
May 6, 2006

This is about as welcome as a skunk at a picnic.

It stinks.

And the longer it continues, the smellier it gets.

The Japanese government continues to barricade its borders to shipments of U.S. beef, positioning its ban as a consumer safety issue, which, in fact, has no basis. And whatever the U.S. government is doing to resolve the conflict isn’t working.

In December 2003, the U.S. confirmed its first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy — mad cow disease. It involved a Canadian-born cow on a Washington state dairy. Exports of U.S. beef ceased immediately around the world, with Japan taking the lead.

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VIEWPOINT-Data in the information age must be created, managed and used wisely

VIEWPOINT-Data in the information age must be created, managed and used wisely

By Don Copenhaver
Today’s Farmer

Animal identification has been cussed and discussed for five years in this country. It’s a contentious issue. Producers line up on both sides. But worldwide forces are driving the process. Look no further than bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease and BSE. We’re going to have animal ID whether we approve or not. That’s because the issue is driven by consumers, by public health officials, by the Department of Homeland Security, by international trading partners.

It won’t be driven by agriculture—unless we take the initiative. If we don’t take that initiative, we risk the process becoming overly intrusive and overwhelming. The questions facing us are: How do we implement it? How do we pay for it?

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More than gain, look to beef production efficiency

More than gain, look to beef production efficiency
By Dr. Jim White
Today’s Farmer

Beef feed efficiency is important; feed cost is usually reported to be 65 to 70 percent of the total cost of beef gain. Given that the principal cost of producing beef is feed, there is tremendous interest in having the most profitable feeding strategies. In the past, we would feed animals, weigh the feed and the animals, then determine how many pounds of feed were offered per pound of gain. This gave us feed-to-gain ratio, and it is a pretty good number when looked at from the perspective of Jim hauling out buckets of feed to the calves.

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‘Biomaterial’ farm mystery solved

‘Biomaterial’ farm mystery solved

By AMY REININK, Gainesville Sun, Florida
Sun staff writer
May 07. 2006 6:01AM

The farm just southwest of Archer on State Road 24 sits amid rolling hills, with cattle grazing in its fields and silos rising in the distance.

Phoebe Papadi calls it “the picture of a successful farm.”

Papadi, 56, drives by the farm every day on her commute from Gainesville to Bronson Middle/High School, where she’s a teacher.

“The farm provides a changing landmark as the crops go through their cycles,” Papadi wrote to Since You Asked. “It is the bright spot in an otherwise drab daily commute.”

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Making environmentally friendly farming economical

Making environmentally friendly farming economical

Baltimore Sun — Ted Shelsby
Originally published May 7, 2006

About 20 years ago, Lawrason Sayre made a key change in the way he runs his 300-acre beef cattle farm near Churchville.

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On a visit to New Zealand, Sayre observed how farmers there get most of their feed from pastures planted with clover, alfalfa and orchard grass. At the time Sayre raised his own grain – primarily corn – to feed his cows, a practice that requires significantly more fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides than grass.

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Large animals need veterinary care, too

Large animals need veterinary care, too

South Bend Tribune

Equine dentistry one of many new services available for today’s pets. Using a modified power drill with a grinder attached, Dr. Martin “Marty” Langhofer braced himself while smoothing out the sharp edges on a horse’s teeth at his office one recent Friday morning. Langhofer is less typical of veterinarians these days, as most animal doctors go for small animal veterinary specialties. Speaking with Tribune staff writer Robin Toepp, Langhofer said most people with large animals also tend to have small animals, thus combining specialties was a natural fit.

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