Video Feature: A Conversation with Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin – Conversations from Penn State

Temple Grandin, one of the most internationally recognized autistics and a renowned expert in animal science talks about her life with autism and its influence on her work. She also discusses the new HBO movie based on her autobiography.

Cattle Call

Cattle Call

Dave Stockdale

San Francisco Chronicle

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.

I was enjoying a meat-centric meal at a local restaurant a few days ago with some friends when someone brought up the film Food, Inc. So we ended up discussing the dark side of meat production while enjoying our nicely prepared pastured beef short ribs. If you also saw this film, then what follows will not be new. And yet, it never hurts to remind ourselves of some of the issues and concerns.

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Proper Timing Of Vaccinations To Help Develop The Best Immunity

Proper Timing Of Vaccinations To Help Develop The Best Immunity

Bovine Veterinarian

Vaccination is one of the most important methods of preventing infections and disease in a herd. Vaccinations reduce the occurrence of disease outbreaks and the severity of disease in a herd. Vaccination programs can be tailored to meet individual producers’ needs, depending on herd location, overall herd health, history of the herd and a variety of other factors.

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Heavy metal could mean light wallets

Heavy metal could mean light wallets

CLAY COPPEDGE

Country World

Ron Gill’s views on heavy metal music and the chemistry of heavy metals isn’t a matter of record, but his views on heavy metals as they related to ranching are. Gill believes that too many people in the cattle business die of "heavy metal disease."

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Considerations for culling decisions in cow herd

Considerations for culling decisions in cow herd

DARYL STROHBEHN, BYRON LEU

Iowa Beef Center

Traditionally, the culling process is initiated following weaning in the fall and represents 10-20% of the cow-calf operation’s gross income. Through the culling process, most producers attempt to identify cows that are keeping the operation “in the game” and culling those that are costing the operation money.

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Docility Pays

Docility Pays

Laura Nelson

Angus Journal

Nervous and aggressive cattle are a pain in the wallet.

That was the kicker in a recent presentation at the Midwest American Society of Animal Science (Midwest ASAS) meetings in Des Moines, Iowa.

Gary Fike, beef cattle specialist for the Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) brand, said cattle that were considered docile graded Premium Choice and Prime at more than double the rate of their nervous to very aggressive contemporaries.

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Program reaches out to cattle producers

Program reaches out to cattle producers

The Daily Times

The Oklahoma Beef Quality Assurance program is hitting the road this fall, and beef producers from across the state are invited to learn ways to improve production practices that influence the safety, wholesomeness, and quality of the products they produce.

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Getting Cows Bred In July & August

Getting Cows Bred In July & August

cattlenetwork.com

One of the most challenging aspects of spring calving is trying to determine when to calve to maximize reproductive rate. Reproductive efficiency in a cow herd is most accurately measured by the term “percent calf crop weaned” which is calculated by dividing the number of calves weaned by the number of cows that were in the cow herd when the breeding season began the previous year. The two factors that affect the ability of a cow to wean a calf is pregnancy rate and calf death loss.

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When Will Cattle Herd Rebuilding Start?

When Will Cattle Herd Rebuilding Start?

Tim Petry, North Dakota State University Extension Livestock Economist:

NorthernAg.net

During the last week in July, joint annual meetings of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and the Western Agricultural Economics Association and annual meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Livestock Marketing Information Center Technical Advisory Committee were all held in Denver, Colorado. All four authors of the In The Cattle Market columns and many of our counterparts from around the country attended at least parts of these meetings.

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Sell out, make money

Sell out, make money

Ed Quillen

The Denver Post

PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — last week offered to help by paying to advertise on the roads. According to PETA, the pavement painting would feature "a sexy silhouette of a curvaceous woman holding a sign that reads ‘Word on the Street: Go Vegan! PETA.’ "

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