Video Feature: Cattle Condition Score

Video Feature: Cattle Condition Score

Michael Fisher, Area Livestock Extension Agent, describes how to visually assess body condition score in cattle.

Audio Feature: A new career resource, effects of nutrition restriction during early gestation

Audio Feature: A new career resource, effects of nutrition restriction during early gestation

Beefcast

*  The American Feed Industry Association has launched a new career resource for those looking to fill or find a position.

    * What are the effects of nutrition restriction during early gestation on the resulting offspring?

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Carcass Ultrasound 101: Use of Ultrasound…When EPDs Are Unavailable

Carcass Ultrasound 101: Use of Ultrasound…When EPDs Are Unavailable

By Patrick Wall, Director of Communications, The National CUP Lab

American Cowman

The pile of sale catalogs glued, stapled, or wrapped in the monthly breed publications can get a bit overwhelming in the peak sale seasons, regardless of your breed preference.  However, the real confusion sets in when one puts on their bull-buying cap and tries to find “the one” that will take their herd in the right direction.  Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) are still the only selection tool that truly allows a buyer to compare one sale catalog to the rest in the stack.  Unfortunately, Carcass EPDs are not always readily available as you flip the pages from one lot to the next.  So what do you do?

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Bulls and Fescue Toxicity

Bulls and Fescue Toxicity

Ed Haag

Angus Journal

It is common knowledge that under certain circumstances endophyte-infected tall fescue can have a negative effect on beef cow reproduction, but now, researchers have determined that that effect can extend to bull fertility.

For the beef industry, tall fescue is both a boon and a curse. While it remains one of the most common and productive pasture grasses in the U.S., providing forage for an estimated 8.5 million cattle, it also costs the U.S. beef industry between $500 million and $1 billion in lost revenues, most of which is attributable to reduced reproduction and growth rates.

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Troubled horse owners are abandoning their animals

Troubled horse owners are abandoning their animals

KEVIN MURPHY

The Kansas City Star

At River Bluff Rescue Ranch in Kansas City, North, director Elizabeth Hill worked with Lindee, an abandoned horse. “People can’t afford the board or hay or grain,” Hill said.

At River Bluff Rescue Ranch in Kansas City, North, director Elizabeth Hill worked with Lindee, an abandoned horse. “People can’t afford the board or hay or grain,” Hill said.

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Does Temperament Effect Carcass Quality?

Does Temperament Effect Carcass Quality?

cattlenetwork.com

Many cattlemen have suspected that disposition — the mental and emotional attitude of cattle — has an effect on how well they do in the feedlot, having an impact on gain. The nervous, flighty animal doesn’t spend as much time at the feed bunk. This suspicion has been confirmed, thanks to several studies focusing on the effects of disposition on cattle performance. Results of these studies have also shown a very measurable effect on carcass quality.

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Pay attention to teat, udder scoring

Pay attention to teat, udder scoring

Cattle Business Weekly

As fall calving begins, the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) encourages its members to score their cows’ teat sizes and udder suspensions so the data can help guide future selection decisions.

The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) adopted standardized guidelines for teat and udder scoring last year. The system requires a separate score for each, both on 9-point scales. Breeders should evaluate their cows within 24 hours after calving.

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Beefmaster CEO Announces Retirement

Beefmaster CEO Announces Retirement

Cattle Today

Wendell E. Schronk, executive vice president of Beefmaster Breeders United, has announced his retirement from the international breed registry effective December 31, 2008. He made the announcement on July 16, 2008 during a regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

In making the announcement Schronk said, “I have been honored to work with some of best animal breeders in the world and have enjoyed these years spent in the beef industry. I owe a debt of gratitude to those many friends over the years that helped me in my career.”

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Cattle Handling Pointers

Cattle Handling Pointers

cattlenetwork.com

Safe and effective cattle handling has always been important. In the last few years there has been a move toward what has been called low-stress handling or as we prefer to call it a return to sound stockmanship. Recent events involving a harvest facility in California and auction markets in several states, have served to heighten awareness of the importance of handling cattle appropriately. Although the facilities received all of the bad press the real culprits in the weak cow issue are the producers bringing them to the facilities.

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Ag labeling law gains supporters

Ag labeling law gains supporters

Jeff DeYoung

Iowa Farmer Today

Dave Petty says he’s cool with COOL.

“I think it’s good for our industry,” says Petty, a cattle producer and past president of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association.

“We need to be able to step up and take responsibility for what we produce.”

COOL (Country of Origin Labeling) becomes law Sept. 30. It requires labeling of most perishable ag commodities, including beef, pork, lamb and chicken.

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Listeriosis serves as alert to Canada on food inspection

Listeriosis serves as alert to Canada on food inspection

Cathy Holtslander

The StarPhoenix

Following is the viewpoint of the writer, a researcher and community organizer for Beyond Factory Farming, a national non-profit group that promotes sustainable livestock production.

Mad cow disease was the wake-up call for the food safety system in the United Kingdom.

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Horse owners urged to oppose flawed equine welfare bill

Horse owners urged to oppose flawed equine welfare bill

The Prairie Star

The Montana Farm Bureau is urging Montanans to contact the House Judiciary Committee in opposition of H.R. 6598, deceptively named the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

“Now is the time to get off your hands and let all of the congressmen on the House Judiciary Committee know you oppose H.R. 6598,” said Renee Daniels-Mantle, chair of the Montana Farm Bureau Equine Committee. “If enacted into law, this bill would make it a federal crime to buy, sell, own, or transport a horse, alive or dead, with the intent to use it for human consumption. The crime would be punishable with a fine and up to three years in prison. This bill is moving fast.”

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Low Cost Heifer Development Strategies

Low Cost Heifer Development Strategies

cattlenetwork.com

Substantial research has been conducted contributing to the traditional guidelines of developing heifers to 60 to 65% of mature body weight at time of breeding. In general, studies evaluating different postweaning rates of gain or target weights have used either different amounts of feed, or different types of feeds varying in energy and/or protein content to obtain differences in rates of growth. A review of these studies conducted over the last several decades along with new research indicates the association among BW, puberty and heifer pregnancy rate appears to be changing over time. In general, research reports published through the late 1980s have shown much greater negative effects of limited postweaning growth on age of puberty and subsequent pregnancy, where as more recent studies indicate less of a negative impact of delayed puberty on pregnancy response. Several factors likely contribute to this change over time. Initial research in this area of interest corresponds to the industry shift from calving heifers at 3 years of age to calving at 2 years of age.

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ND Stockmen’s Assoc. Convention Sept. 25-27

ND Stockmen’s Assoc. Convention Sept. 25-27

Cattle Business Weekly

During the Sept. 27 North Dakota Stockmen’s Association Banquet several cattle producers will receive honors. Shawn and SheVele Unruh of Zap, N.D., will be recognized as Ranchers of the Year; Huseth, North Dakota State University Animal Science Professor Russ Danielson of Harwood, N.D., and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, formerly of Bismarck, N.D., will be recognized as honorary NDSA members; and Ken Halvorson of Stanley, N.D., and Jon Hendrickson of Rhame, N.D., will be recognized as Outstanding Local Brand Inspectors. The Environmental Stewardship Award will also be presented at the banquet. Several brand inspectors will likewise be honored for reaching milestones in their years of NDSA service.

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UNL Extension Offers Cattle Producers Resources to Deal with High Input Costs

UNL Extension Offers Cattle Producers Resources to Deal with High Input Costs

Media Newswire

Nebraska’s cattle producers are facing economic challenges due to high input costs. To help combat this problem, several Profit Tips will be available for help on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension’s Beef Web site.

Input costs, such as fuel, land, fertilizer and especially feed all have influenced the profitability of the beef industry.

Feed costs represent a major part of beef cattle production expenses, said Judson Vasconcelos, feedlot nutrition/management specialist at UNL’s Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff.

“Those days of $2 a bushel corn are probably gone,” Vasconcelos said. “The high cost of feed grains is putting cow-calf and feedlot profits under severe economic pressures.”

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