Daily Archives: April 20, 2009

Livestock supporters asked to contact Rush Limbaugh

Livestock supporters asked to contact Rush Limbaugh

Dave Russell

Brownfield Network

It didn’t take long for Twitter users to get the word out that radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was voicing Public Service Announcements, supporting the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). A number of Brownfield followers on Twitter were sending Tweets urging agricultural supporters to call Limbaugh during his show on Friday or send an email to inform him of the truth behind HSUS.

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Composting May be Best Livestock Carcass Disposal Method

Composting May be Best Livestock Carcass Disposal Method

NDSU provides the dos and don’ts of livestock carcass disposal.

This year’s spring flooding and blizzards have caused many livestock deaths.

Methods of disposing of dead animals include burning, burying and composting, but burning and burying have drawbacks, according to Chris Augustin, area nutrient management specialist at North Dakota State University’s Carrington Research Extension Center.

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How Long is the Interval from Calving to Return to Heat Cycles in 2 year-olds?

How Long is the Interval from Calving to Return to Heat Cycles in 2 year-olds?

Glenn Selk, OSU Extension Cattle Reproduction Specialist

Research data sets have shown conclusively that cows that calve in thin body condition but regain weight and condition going into the breeding season do not rebreed at the same rate as those that calve in good condition and maintain that condition into the breeding season. The following table from Missouri researchers illustrates the number of days between calving to the return to heat cycles depending on body condition at calving and body condition change after calving.

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EPA Says Cattle Material is not Hazardous

EPA Says Cattle Material is not Hazardous

Thebeefsite.com

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that “cattle material prohibited in animal feed” (CMPAF) is non-hazardous solid waste and thus can be disposed of in landfills.

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HSUS Ready in Ohio

HSUS Ready in Ohio

Hoosier AG Today

  It is clear that the next state targeted by the Humane Society of the United States is Ohio. The HSUS wants change in housing requirement for farm animals in the state. Jack Advent, executive director of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association says HSUS plans to pursue an initiative, potentially ballot-driven, similar to California’s Proposition 2, which passed by nearly a 27 percent margin in November. Proposition 2 requires that farms provide enough room for animals to stand up, turn around and extend their limbs. The California law will go into effect in January 2015.

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A rare education in beef

A rare education in beef

ABC News 7

Growing up, the only question was, how do you want your steak cooked?

These days, you hear terms like natural, organic, free-range, corn-fed and a host of other labels referring to how the cows were raised. In our first report, we’re taking a look at what all those USDA labels mean as well as the key differences between corn-fed and grass-fed.

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Johanns co-sponsors legislation to protect agriculture

Johanns co-sponsors legislation to protect agriculture

KTIC

Senator Mike Johanns on Friday announced that he is co-sponsoring legislation to protect livestock producers from onerous regulations proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which today moved one step closer to becoming reality.

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Tips for keeping young calves healthy

Tips for keeping young calves healthy

Peace Country Sun

Keeping newborn calves dry and clean is easier said than done, but is worth the effort. Dry calves are warmer, healthier and grow better. Wet calves lose body heat rapidly, and use a lot of energy just to maintain body temperature. Weakened calves are more susceptible to calfhood diseases. Full Story

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Big battle shaping over horse slaughter

Big battle shaping over horse slaughter

James M. Lewis

DVM NEWSMAGAZINE

The new U.S. Congress and legislators in at least a dozen states are on a collision course over the emotionally charged issue of horse slaughter.

It’s shaping up as a states’-rights vs. federal-law battle, and both sides seem to have plenty of supporters — including veterinarians.

While the proposed federal legislation would prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption, several state legislatures are advancing resolutions opposing that bill, instructing their delegates to vote against it and in some cases authorizing horse-processing plants, which backers consider one means of dealing with rapidly swelling numbers of abandoned and neglected horses nationwide.

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Cattle producers often keep some beef

Cattle producers often keep some beef

David Burton

Springfield News Leader

Beef cattle producers usually raise and keep some beef for themselves, their family and friends according to a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension.

“Sometimes it is a planned process but once in a while the beef results from an accident like a broken leg, failure to breed or another injury,” said Eldon Cole.

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Annual Tucumcari Bull Test breaks down genetic markers

Annual Tucumcari Bull Test breaks down genetic markers

Audry Olmsted

Las Cruces Sun News

DNA does not lie. When the bovine genome is completely mapped, beef cattle producers will have more accurate tools to make genetic advancements in their herds.

At the 48th annual Tucumcari Bull Test, seed stock producers of the New Mexico Beef Cattle Performance Association have embraced the most current advancements in DNA-marker technology to better understand how their breeding programs stack up with already defined markers for some of the more economically important performance and beef quality traits.

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Way of life

Way of life

Topeka Capital Journal

As American beef producers, we’re everyday environmentalists. We celebrate Earth Day 365 days a year. When we chose this way of life, we made a commitment to ourselves, our family and our community to be good stewards of the environment and to do our part to provide safe and nutritious food for the world.

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Short Term Calf Removal

Short Term Calf Removal

cattlenetwork.com

Cows that were in marginal body condition score at calving may benefit slightly from the management practice called “short term calf removal”.

“Short-term calf removal” is the term that describes the temporary physical separation of the calf from its mother. This removes the nursing stimulus from the cow for about 2 days. Removal of the suckling stimulus for at least 48 hours will allow a few “borderline” cows to return to heat cycles earlier than they would have normally.

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Beef Farmers Flood Expo

Beef Farmers Flood Expo

WHSV

The 20th annual Virginia Beef Expo kicked off Friday morning at the Rockingham County Fair Grounds, and it’s exactly what the doctor ordered for local beef cattle farmers.

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says the number of cattle and calves in Virginia is down seven percent from 2008. Despite that, the more than 500 farmers in attendance have high hopes.

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Hays Roundup–still a valuable experience for cattlemen

Hays Roundup–still a valuable experience for cattlemen

Richard C. Snell

High Plains Journal

Times and things sure change. We wish we could have enjoyed people and events when we had them. Back in the day–each April the Fort Hays Branch Experiment Station hosted the Hays Roundup to report recent findings from station beef cattle investigations. Cattle producers gathered in the arena for a firsthand look at groups of cattle while station scientists explained research findings. This visual inspection supplemented the Roundup publication released for the day.

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