BeefTalk: Husbandry and Science Overlap, But Not Completely

BeefTalk: Husbandry and Science Overlap, But Not Completely

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

One Last Check of the Gate! One Last Check of the Gate!

When the end of the day arrives, the facts and figures that sounded good in the morning may not have held, but a good crew is what will bring the day to a close.

The report from the human side of the chute was not very good. We had 32 open heifers that were pastured together and exposed to one bull.

The bull had passed the breeding soundness exam. He was at least interested in the heifers at the time of turnout.

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Evaluating winter feed needs

Evaluating winter feed needs

Ken Olson

Tri State Livestock News

As summer winds down, the production of hay and other ranch/farm-raised feeds is in its final days. Now that most of you know how much home-grown feed you have, you can think about what other feeds might need to be purchased. If you have taken care of this already, that’s good. If you haven’t, it is time to take care of it. The central question is, will the existing feed supply meet my livestock’s nutrient requirements? If not, then additional feeds need to be found to cover those needs.

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Producers can increase marketing opportunities by participating in QSAs and PVPs.

Producers can increase marketing opportunities by participating in QSAs and PVPs.

Angie Stump Denton

Hereford World

As cattle producers struggle with rising input costs and shrinking profits, many are looking for opportunities to add value to their stock. With the increasing demands of export markets, several programs have been developed to help producers qualify for premiums.

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Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Steve Suther

Angus Journal

A boy and a girl grew up in the 1960s on eastern Kansas farms that had registered Angus cattle. While he honed judging skills at Northeast (Miami) Oklahoma A&M from 1969 to 1971, she was crashing gender barriers as the first female FFA president at her high school and a National 4-H Beef Award winner in 1971.

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Draft brucellosis plan…MT DOL extends comment period

Draft brucellosis plan…MT DOL extends comment period

Western Livestock Reporter

The Montana Department of Livestock is extending the public comment period on its draft Brucellosis Action Plan by three weeks through November 1. State veterinarian Dr. Martin Zaluski said the public has expressed “significant interest” in the plan and is asking for more time to comment. “This has been a consistent message I’ve been hearing,” Zaluski said. “People want more time to evaluate the plan, ask questions, and comment.”

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Q&A: Was wondering if you can add magnesium to the drinking water to prevent grass tetany in beef cattle.

Q&A:   Was wondering if you can add magnesium to the drinking water to prevent grass tetany in beef cattle.

Dr. Rick Rasby, Professor of Animal Science, Animal Science, University of Nebraska

I am not aware of a prevention of grass tetany that can be delivered through the drinking water.

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What Causes Bloat?

What Causes Bloat?

cattlenetwork.com

Bloat is a common digestive disorder in beef cattle. It occurs most often in feedlot cattle but affects cattle in all production phases. Bloat results when cattle are prevented from eructating (belching) and releasing of gases produced normally from microbial fermentation. Gas production may then exceed gas elimination. Rumen expansion from gases puts pressure on the diaphragm and lungs. This compression reduces or cuts off the animal’s oxygen supply and can result in death by suffocation.

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A different kind of marketing

A different kind of marketing

Kindra Gordon

Cattle Business Weekly

Marketing calves is the top concern for farmers and ranchers this time of year. But, what else does your operation have to market? Can you diversify?

Landowners in northwest Nebraska have teamed together to market more than just livestock from their land. They are also tapping rural tourism to create additional year-round revenue for their operations.

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New MSU AG Economist Wants to Help Producers

New MSU AG Economist Wants to Help Producers

Cattle Today

Quitman native John Michael Riley became an agricultural economist because he wanted to help solve problems producers face.

Through his involvement as a youth with 4-H, the National FFA Organization and the Mississippi Junior Cattlemen’s Association, Riley interacted with individuals dependent upon agriculture, and that interaction led to his desire to pursue his current profession.

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‘Little things’ that take bulls out of a sale

‘Little things’ that take bulls out of a sale

Bill Beal

Angus Journal

It is devastating enough when one of your best bulls fails a semen test or has a scrotal circumference that won’t pass the breeding soundness exam. At least those are “real” reproductive problems that you don’t want to hand off to a bull customer. However, the frustration level is higher when a top bull is out of the sale because he has a corn between his toes or warts on his penis. Those are annoying problems that can be avoided.

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Organic farming: benefits v pitfalls

Organic farming: benefits v pitfalls

Kim Honan

ABC Rural (AU)

Organic food and farming is really taking off. But is it just a fad or is it the future? As part of National Organic Week we find out about the benefits of farming using organic methods and the pitfalls and challenges associated with it.

Meet three farmers from the New South Wales mid-north coast who produce chemical free, organic or biodynamic produce from pecans and pumpkins to garlic and beef.

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‘Meaningless’ B.S.E. testing hinders U.S. beef industry

‘Meaningless’ B.S.E. testing hinders U.S. beef industry

Bryan Salvage

MEATPOULTRY.com

What is hindering a hungry world’s access to protein, driving up food costs and harming local economies, as well as the U.S. beef industry, are the combination of an overreliance on meaningless testing and a lack of focus on documenting the effectiveness of steps that are making significant inroads against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. So claimed Dr. Ulrich Kihm, a leading global expert on B.S.E., at a conference on Oct. 15 in Tokyo for Japan’s opinion leaders hosted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

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WTO reaffirms beef row ruling

WTO reaffirms beef row ruling

The Straits Times

The United States said on Thursday a WTO ruling backs US sanctions against the European Union in a long-running dispute over the bloc’s ban on beef from hormone-treated animals.

US Trade Representative (USTR) Susan Schwab said the World Trade Organisation had concluded that the US did not violate its WTO obligations by maintaining additional duties on certain EU products.

The EU claimed it had come into WTO compliance by amending its ban on beef from animals treated with growth-promoting hormones.

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USDA allows ‘split status’ for bovine TB in Minnesota

USDA allows ‘split status’ for bovine TB in Minnesota

Western Livestock Reporter

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on October 9 announced “split state status” for bovine tuberculosis in Minnesota, a move that’s expected to help most of the state’s cattle producers by lessening costly testing requirements. Minnesota’s bovine TB status was downgraded earlier this year after a new case of the highly contagious pulmonary disease surfaced in northwestern Minnesota.

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‘Cow Whisperer’ links cow behavior to prey instincts

‘Cow Whisperer’ links cow behavior to prey instincts

Adelia Ladson

The Moultrie Observer

Just how valid are those commercials about California and its “happy” cows? Is that something the average dairy farmer should be worried out?

Dr. Jan Shearer, a veterinarian with the University of Florida, thinks so.

“Animal welfare has become a major issue for us in the livestock industry,” he said.

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