Thou Shalt Not Kill … Animals?

Kevin Murphy

Angus Journal

Before the speaker sat down and rested his case that eating animals for food was morally objectionable, he threw out one last barb, one last argument to bolster his case, one last haymaker, that if it landed would surely do some damage, a kind of final assault on the audience’s moral conscience that would have them fleeing the Egypt of food-animal production for the vegan promised land.

Full Story

Baxter Black, DVM:  INTERNATIONAL GOAT SENSATION

There is a parable of the International Goat Sensation. A story about a boy and his goat. Tim was a kind-hearted graduate student who raised Longhorn cattle.

Full Story

Congresswoman DeLauro Takes on Beef Inspection

DTN

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., carries a great deal of clout within USDA because of her position as chair of the Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee. So, her question last week to USDA with regard to beef testing likely will get close attention.

Her approach of sending a request directly to USDA’s inspector general rather than to the secretary of Agriculture who is responsible for the program can be expected to raise a few eyebrows at USDA, but her questions appear reasonable. She wants to know about the scientific merits and possible shortcomings of USDA’s N-60 testing system for beef.

Full Story

How to Buy Cattle at a Livestock Auction: A Guide for New Buyers

C. Jeanne Heida 

Associated Content

Buying cattle at a livestock auction is tons of fun, whether you are an experienced veteran or attending a cattle auction for the first time. Livestock auctions is where most dairy farmers and cattle ranchers buy replacement cattle for their herd, and often tend to be a very loud, very social event. It’s at the livestock auctions where you see your neighbors, catch up on the local gossip, and discover who is expanding their herd or going out of business. For most of us, buying cattle at the auction is pure entertainment.

Full Story

Cattlemen bristle at EPA, USDA rules

Jerry Lackey

San Angelo Standard Times

An unbelievable number of issues confront not only the cattle business but agriculture as a whole, says Colin Woodall, vice president of government affairs for National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in Washington, D.C. But one of the biggest concerns is the Environmental Protection Agency’s dust rule.

Full Story

Retaining ownership, feeding in state makes sense for cow-calf operators

Nebraska Corn Board

A free webinar on December 16 will provide details for ranchers and cattle producers in several states to finish cattle in Nebraska.

Current cattle markets provide an incentive for cow-calf operators to retain ownership of this fall’s calf crop, and Nebraska has several advantages cattle producers should consider when making cattle feeding decisions, according to researchers at the University of Nebraska.

Full Story

Distillers’ Grains & Ca To P Ratio

cattlenetwork.com

Urinary calculi or "water belly" can occur in feedlot steers fed a high-concentrate diet without the proper calcium to phosphorus ratio. This can be a problem in diets containing distillers’ grains because they are relatively high in phosphorus and practically devoid of calcium, therefore supplemental calcium is needed.

Full Story

Wow! They Don’t Sell Cattle Like They Once Did

Tom Bechman

Missouri Ruralist

More than 20 years ago my new bride, Carla, and I bought a Simmental heifer at the National Simmental Heifer Sale at the North American Livestock Exposition in Louisville Kentucky. It concluded last week after two weeks of intense competition in nearly all species of livestock imaginable both in the show ring and in the sale ring.

Full Story

Pre-vet students get reality-based training at UMC

Matt Bewley

Agweek

Some college students just aren’t cut out for the life of a large animal veterinarian. They have no interest in spending long, late hours tending clients’ livestock in barns and pastures, often in nasty weather and hours away from their clinic. But the pre-vet students at the University of Minnesota-Crookston are enthusiastically preparing themselves for this life through regular hands-on work with the various livestock in the campus barns and pastures.

Full Story

Final Tune-Up Underway for Hoosier Beef Congress

Tom Bechman

Indiana Prairie Farmer

The 23rd annual Hoosier Beef Congress opens in Indianapolis a week from Friday, on Friday, Dec. 4. If you haven’t made plans to attend yet, circle that date on your calendar. The show runs from Dec 4 through Sunday, Dec 6 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Find the show in the West Pavilion, also known as the cattle barn.

Full Story

Longevity and Fertility are Profit Drivers for Cattle Operations

Clifford Mitchell

Cattle Today

Producers in the 21st century beef industry come better prepared than ever before. Continued education programs and an abundance of online resources help cattlemen stay well informed. Record keeping practices have improved and cattlemen have a good handle on the costs associated with their operation.

Full Story

Don Curlee: Buckeye state blocks intrusion

Visalia Times-Delta

While Californians were focused on water issues, voters in Ohio decided in November to resist meddling by outsiders in regard to farm-animal care.

The statewide vote established a board of Ohioans that will develop and oversee standards and procedures for the confinement and care of farm animals — hogs, poultry and dairy and beef cattle.

Full Story

Penning takes skill on horseback

Tom Hintgen

The Daily Journal

Team penning is a western equestrian sport that evolved from the common ranch work of separating cattle into pens for branding, doctoring, or transport. On Sunday team penning competition took place at the Red Horse Ranch Arena (RHRA) in rural Fergus Falls.

Full Story

Study finds windrow grazing suitable way of feeding livestock

Gayle Smith

A University of Nebraska study has found windrow grazing as a suitable alternative to feeding bales of forage to livestock. The study, performed in the Nebraska Sandhills, compared the two separate methods of harvesting forage.

Full Story

Beef workshop set for Jan. 5-7 in Brookings

Argus Leader

An educational workshop for beef producers and others in the cattle industry will take place Jan. 5-7 in Brookings.

BEEF 2020 starts at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 5 and ends at noon Jan. 7. The deadline to register is Dec. 11, and the cost is $50.

Full Story

Back up Your Stocker Calves with Good Cow Herd Management

Kristen Odom

The Cattle Man

Let buyers know what to expect from your calves by letting them know how you manage your cows.

Having a management program in place is key for the calf crop going into a feedyard, but it is equally important to have an efficient management program for the cow herd and to let buyers know about it.

Full Story

Guilty plea in high-tech cattle rustling

Joy Powell

Minneapolis Star Tribune

 The former manager of a South St. Paul cooperative has pleaded guilty to a long-running scheme in which he embezzled more than $1.4 million by faking cattle sales – then gambled the loot at casinos.

 Barry J. May, 45, of Randolph, Minn., pleaded guilty Wednesday in Dakota County District Court to four felonies that account for $700,000 to $800,000 in losses for his former employer, Central Livestock Association (CLA).

Full Story

$17 Million to train beginning farmers and ranchers

The Cattle Business Weekly

More than $17 million in grants will be awarded to 29 institutions to address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers and enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture.

Full Story

Listeriosis

Bob Larson

Angus Journal

There are a few diseases that are more common in colder months. As we move into winter, it is a good time to review one of the important cold-weather diseases — listeriosis. Although listeriosis can occur in grazing animals, it occurs most commonly in animals fed improperly fermented silage or baleage. The two most common problems that listeria causes in cattle are a nervous system problem (often called circling disease) and late-term abortions.

Full Story

Animal ethics professor offers advice to beef industry

Amanda Nolz

Tri State Livestock News

If ever there was an opportunity to learn about beef production from a different point of view, it was when Dr. Bernie Rollin, an animal ethics professor and philosopher from Colorado State University, pulled into Brookings, SD on Nov. 16, 2009 to speak on the South Dakota State University campus.

Full Story