Hay wastage has always been a problem in beef operations. The problem has gotten much worse since large round bales have been utilized.

Baxter Black, DVM:  HOW’D YA HURT YER NOSE?

I was wounded. I got cracked across the bridge of my nose. Not that my nose needs to do anything to attract attention. As one friend put it, “Bax, if you’d lie flat on your back in the sun, we could tell time!”

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Observe bulls closely as breeding season begins.

Dr. Glenn Selk, Extension Cattle Specialist, Oklahoma State University

A good manager keeps an eye on his bulls during the breeding season to make sure that they are getting the cows bred.  Occasionally a bull that has passed a breeding soundness exam may have difficulty serving cows in heat, especially after heavy service.  Inability to complete normal service and low fertility are more detrimental than failure to detect cows in heat to calf crop percent.

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Animal Welfare Groups Want To Change Your Production Practices

The Farm Gate

A year ago Proposition 2 in California was approved by voters and spelled the end to the California egg industry because it caused the abolition of common production practices. Voters in other states have spoken out, and in some caused significant changes in the way livestock are raised. Last week Ohio voters approved Issue 2 on the ballot, which was a pro-active move by the Ohio livestock industry to pre-empt an effort by the Humane Society of the US to change livestock production practices in that state. The public debate over what livestock producers should and should not do to raise their animals has barely begun.

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The High Cost Of Low Calving Rates

cattlenetwork.com

Preg-check season brings at least a mild level of anxiety for most cow/calf producers. From an economic standpoint, the difference between confirmed pregnancies and open cows could hardly be wider. While a pregnant cow or heifer is an asset that represents money in the bank, the open cow is a liability that represents a blank check you’re about to write.

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Dystocia—Difficult Calving, What It Costs and How to Avoid It

Dr. R.A. Cady, University of New Hampshire

Dystocia, more commonly known as difficult calving, is a problem most dairy producers encounter. Consequences range from the need for increased producer attention to the loss of the cow and calf. Dystocia is a leading cause of calf death at or shortly after birth and leads to uterine infections, more retained placentas, and longer calving intervals.

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Hold the beef, pass the tests

The Times Union

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.

If you find it surprising that beef processors don’t have to test their product for a common and potentially deadly organism, welcome to the club.

The fact is, beef is not required to be tested for the presence of E. coli, bacteria typically found in the intestines of cows and pigs, or in their feces.

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Grass-Fed Beef Emissions

New York Times

Nicolette Hahn Niman (“The Carnivore’s Dilemma,” Op-Ed, Oct. 31) is simply wrong in suggesting that grass-fed beef produces less methane than feed-lot meat. It is the other way around, with grass-fed animals producing up to three times more methane.

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The Carnivore’s Dilemma

NICOLETTE HAHN NIMAN

New York Times

IS eating a hamburger the global warming equivalent of driving a Hummer? This week an article in The Times of London carried a headline that blared: “Give Up Meat to Save the Planet.” Former Vice President Al Gore, who has made climate change his signature issue, has even been assailed for omnivorous eating by animal rights activists.

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Taiwan officially relaxes restrictions against U.S. beef imports

Taiwan News

Taiwan’s Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH) formally posted notification Monday of its amended regulations on U.S. beef imports, officially lifting a ban on U.S. bone-in beef, ground beef and beef offal outside of "specific risk materials," but excluding ground beef.

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Firm plans meatpacking plant in Bismarck

KFYR

A company is looking for a site in the Bismarck-Mandan area for a meatpacking plant that could slaughter up to 800 cattle a day and export 60 percent of the beef to South Korea.

    Hank Imm is the executive vice president of FK Corp. USA Inc., He said the company has been working with state officials on a site and a business plan. He said a site has not yet been chosen.

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As cows eat, so grow the calves

High Plains Journal

Your cowherd checklist might look pretty sparse after the calves are weaned and rebreeding is confirmed. Maybe the cows regained some condition and they’re coasting now on crop residue. Next item would be, what, calving?

More properly, the next item would be nutrition during late gestation. New results from the University of Nebraska’s West Central Research and Extension Center say cow nutrition in the months before calving can determine their calves’ future production.

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Beef producers forging ahead

NICK KUHL

Peace Country Sun

Times may be tough for beef producers, with mandatory age verification, Country of Origin Labelling (COOL), drought, rising feed costs and a strong Canadian dollar all causing concern, but the chairman of the Alberta Beef Producers is encouraging them to continue on.

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Ride the Range Beef Cow Symposium XXI bus to Casper with the CSU Beef Team

High Plains Journal

A Western states tradition began in 1969 at Chadron, Neb. That is when and where the first Range Beef Cow Symposium was held. Since then, the event has been held every other year. The RBCS is organized by the animal science departments of Colorado State University, the University of Nebraska, South Dakota State University and the University of Wyoming and rotates locations between Colorado, western Nebraska, western South Dakota and Wyoming.

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A look at three different bull breeding soundness exams

TERRI ADAMS

The Prairie Star

Now that cattle producers are having their cows pregnancy checked, they may be disappointed to find more open cows than they wanted.

A breeding soundness exam is an economical way to ensure bull fertility for better coverage and genetic strengths of the bulls.

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Look to the Label

AG Weekly

In building a vaccination protocol, you must-at some point-determine what products will best match your needs. One way to distinguish the many vaccine options on the market is to look at the vaccine labels and the expected U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) levels of protection.

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Advice To Bank On

Kindra Gordon

Angus Journal

Tough financial times require better financial management. That’s the mantra that farmers and ranchers need to be reminding themselves during this uncertain economy. So, how can you get better about managing your finances? Sandy Priest, a financial officer with Farm Credit Services of America — in the heart of ranch country at Broken Bow, Neb. — offers these five tips:

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Vaccination with Parasite Control Is a Must for a Healthy Herd

Hereford World

Even if producers do everything else by the book for vaccination, if they don’t control parasites and monitor nutrition, they may be throwing that investment away.

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Q&A: Should Owners Be Upset About Getting A Black Baldy Calf In Their Purebreed Livestock?

Dr. Matthew Spangler, Assistant Professor of Animal Science, Animal Science, University of Nebraska

A:   If the Hereford female was registered with the breed association then it is possible that the breeder raises seedstock animals and markets purebred bulls and/or females. In this production/marketing scenario, a crossbred calf has less value simply because the marketing objective of the operation is to raise animals that will be registered with the Hereford association and designed to sell at a premium to be used as seedstock.

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BeefTalk: We Too Are Resting in Someone’s Hand

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

We Too Are Resting in Someone’s Hand We Too Are Resting in Someone’s Hand

Today there are more important things to do than the numerous processes we embark on in our daily routines.

There is a time to set aside the business of life and simply do. Even the best-run business, cattle or otherwise, cannot deny that, in the end, someone else is in control, regardless of who we are, and really does not ask for input.

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