Soaring Temperatures, Humidity Take Toll On Cattle

Soaring Temperatures, Humidity Take Toll On Cattle

Bovine Veterinarian

Compared to people, cattle have a distinct disadvantage when it comes to handling some kinds of heat. Soaring temperatures and high humidity are taking a deadly toll, a Kansas State University veterinarian said.

Full Story

Summer bunk management tips

Summer bunk management tips

Amanda Nolz

Tri State Livestock News

Summer brings an interesting challenge for feedlot operators, and that challenge is heat. Hot and humid conditions can make cattle less enthusiastic and slow to come to the bunk, and Ben Holland, assistant professor and extension feedlot specialist at South Dakota State University (SDSU) offered four feedbunk management considerations for summer feeding.

Full Story

Has USDA Lost Its Way?

Has USDA Lost Its Way?

Gary Truitt

Hoosier AG TOday

Growing up one of my favorite television shows was “Lost In Space.” It was the story of a futuristic space family that had set out from earth for Alpha Centauri. But due to a malfunction, caused by the show’s nemesis Dr. Smith, the ship went off course and for the next 83 episodes wandered from planet to planet trying to get back to Earth.

Full Story

K-State Summer Beef Conference will focus on value optimization

K-State Summer Beef Conference will focus on value optimization

Richard C. Snell

High Plains Journal

Several of you out there rely on beef cattle to grow the size of your operation. You may not have the opportunity to rent more land to farm, so increasing the value of your product is hopefully where you can increase your net income.

Full Story

Cattlemen pay heavy price for heat’s effects

Cattlemen pay heavy price for heat’s effects

The Tennessean

Tennessee cattle and the heat wave don’t mix. While there’s been enough rainfall to help crops in the field withstand 100-degree temperatures, cattle have lost weight.

“They usually gain 2 pounds a day, and if they’re only gaining half of that … it’ll mean a lot less money,” said George Lamb, a College Grove, Tenn., beef cattle farmer.

Full Story

Cattle Expert Models Low-Stress Handling

Cattle Expert Models Low-Stress Handling

Lancaster Farming

Has this ever happened to you? You have 10 head of beef cattle that need to be moved, it’s 90 degrees, the herd isn’t cooperating, and your fuse is growing short.

Full Story

Cattle producers at drought’s door need a plan

Cattle producers at drought’s door need a plan

High Plains Journal

Arkansas’ cattle producers need to be ready with a drought management plan in the face of a forecast that’s promising less rain and higher temperatures, said Tom Troxel, Ph.D., associate department head for animal science for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

Full Story

Nutrient management plans crucial for runoff control

Nutrient management plans crucial for runoff control

Steve Bennish

Dayton Daily News

Along the highways and roads of the 59,000-acre watershed south of Grand Lake St. Marys are the agricultural industries that keep the towns around here prosperous.

Full Story

Should There Be Warning Labels On Packaged Meats?

Should There Be Warning Labels On Packaged Meats?

 Theodora Filis

Examiner.com

Editor’s note: Stories of this ilk are included in the blog to inform those in our industry how agriculture is being presented to and perceived by the public.

Mad Cow Disease first surfaced in Britain in 1986. The bizarre illness swept through cattle herds, and then, researchers say, started killing people who ate infected meat. Europe imposes strict laws to stop the spread of the disease.

Full Story

More than just beef

More than just beef

Andy Hamilton

Iowa City Press-Citizen

It’s a few minutes past 9 a.m. on a Monday in mid-July, and most of the morning chores are finished for Mary Kate and Tim Mardesen.

The nine show cattle they’re prepping for this week’s Johnson County Fair, which gets under way Monday and runs through Friday, already have been fed, watered, washed and dried, and the humming of a dozen livestock fans reverberates through the barn as the teenagers who attend Clear Creek Amana stop for a break.

Full Story

The war on antibiotics

The war on antibiotics

Ben Lilliston

Asheville Citizen Times

Would you like some antibiotic-resistant bacteria with your grilled chicken at your backyard barbeque? Of course not. But that likelihood continues to grow unless the government makes industry change the way most American farm animals are raised.

Full Story

U.S. beef-cow numbers fall as producers leery of losses

U.S. beef-cow numbers fall as producers leery of losses

The Denver Post

The U.S. beef-cow herd on July 1 was the smallest in at least 37 years as farmers remained wary of beef demand during the economic recovery after losing money in the past two years.

Full Story

Cattle in pastures: A good sign for Maine agriculture

Cattle in pastures: A good sign for Maine agriculture

Journal Tribune

A small group of farmers strolled the pastures of Harris Farm in Dayton last weekend, comparing notes on cattle and grazing.

Such bucolic seminars have advanced the understanding of farmers for generations. But most livestock today no longer follow the old fashioned path to market, and lately large-scale agriculture has had little use for pastures.

Full Story

Managing heat stress in cattle

Managing heat stress in cattle

Amanda Nolz

Tri State Livestock News

Summer is in full swing, and scorching temperatures combined with high humidity can have a negative impact on cattle, both out to pasture and in the feedlot. Heat stress can quickly set back a group of calves and it’s important to know the symptoms, the animals with greatest risk and how to relieve cattle suffering from the heat.

Full Story

Temple Grandin movie up for Emmy Awards

Temple Grandin movie up for Emmy Awards

The Cattle Business Weekly

Temple Grandin, the HBO movie which paints a picture of Grandin’s perseverance and determination while struggling with the isolating challenges of autism, has been nominated for 15 Primetime Emmy Awards.

Full Story