Ultrasound for the 40-Cow Herd
Centralized Ultrasound Processing Lab
Everything from agriculture to the competitive business world is experiencing vertical integration to some degree. While economies of scale seem to win out in many cases, the beef industry should not try to act like Wal-Mart. A few of their consolidation efforts can be effectively applied to beef cattle production, but striving to be a “one-stop shop” for every producer in the country is a bit of a lofty goal.
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Baxter Black, DVM: WHEN YOU NEED A COWBOY
There’s an old saying, “A mule is as good as a horse, till you need a horse.” Or, of course, the revorse!
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All Calves Are Not Created Equal
Sara Gugelmeyer
Hereford World
Are you marketing your calf crop or simply selling it? Yes, there is a difference. According to North Dakota State University Livestock Economist Tim Petry, producers must make a conscious effort to market their calves; otherwise, they are just selling.
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Target Top-End Prices By Promoting Market Assets
Victoria G. Myers
Progressive Farmer
Even in a hot market there is a price range. This fall, cow/calf producers are likely to see that range slide somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 per hundredweight.
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Calf Health at Half the Age
Laura Nelson
Angus Journal
When weaning season is put on fast-forward, maintaining calf health is all about pushing “play” at the right time. Pulling calves from the cow at half the conventional age changes the timeline of health protocols, but that’s not a bad thing.
“You would think these younger calves would require more attention, but my experience is that the health on them is outstanding,” says Ruminant Nutritionist Jeff Heldt. “The number we doctor and the amount we have to monitor on a day-to-day basis is much less than your typical 600-pound (lb.) calf weaned in October.”
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Animal Rights Movement Recharged During D.C. Events
Hoosier AG Today
The animal rights movement recharged its knowledge base last month during the Animal Rights 2010 Conference and the Humane Society of the United States-hosted Taking Action for Animals programs in Washington, D.C.
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Pre-breeding vaccinations
Bovine Veterinarian
When cattle producers think about vaccinations, they more commonly think about vaccinating calves instead of cows. According to a survey published in 2009 by U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Animal Health Monitoring System, a higher percentage of cattle producers give vaccinations to calves (65.5%) than to cows (53.3%).
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Two cents.
Bill Bishop
Daily Yonder
Those two words stuck with me from a meeting of farmers and ranchers in Nebraska last week. It turns out the cost of providing livestock raisers a fair price for their cattle and slaughterhouse workers a living wage for their work preparing the meat for sale was a lousy two pennies on a pound of ground chuck.
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National Cattlemens Beef Association passes border security policy
KVOA
On July 31st, members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) passed policy to support the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association in their efforts to secure the border. Members from Arizona traveled to Denver over the weekend to meet with cattle producers around the country and ask for their support on the Restore Our Border Plan.
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Them Against Us—Part II Have they Lost Their Minds?
Wes Ishmael
Cattle Today
All together now: Booooooooo! Pfffffft!
That’s what the cattle industry rightfully says to radical animal rights groups like PETA and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
There’s PETA with its naked celebrities shedding their furs, the inflammatory PR campaigns aimed at everything from the exploitation of tadpoles, to animals used for recreation and entertainment, to mainstream livestock production and on and on.
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The Beef Blog 