BeefTalk: Cow Diversity is a Good Thing and so is BIF

BeefTalk: Cow Diversity is a Good Thing and so is BIF

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

Although uniformity is a tremendous asset in marketing, on the production side, uniformity brings challenges. In other words, the ability to produce uniform truckload lots of calves depends on producing and sorting the calves.

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There is More to Breeding Than Pregnancy Rates

There is More to Breeding Than Pregnancy Rates

Beef Today

Knowing the difference between conception rate and pregnancy rate has a big impact on cattle producer’s bottom line, says Kalyn Waters, South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension cow-calf field specialist.

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Nontraditional Traditions

Nontraditional Traditions

Morgan Slaven

Angus Journal

A 13,000-acre Wyoming ranch could be a kind of island, where generations learn about self-reliance and love of the land. It could also be a unique, high-quality Angus cattle operation built up by a chain of relationships beyond family, over the many years since 1870.

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Beef Packers Stymied By Shortage Of Working Capital

Beef Packers Stymied By Shortage Of Working Capital

Steve Kay

Beef

Beef packing plants require an enormous amount of money to operate efficiently. Many small companies, especially family-owned beef processing operations, have succumbed because of this.

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Brewery mash makes for contented cows, farmers say

Brewery mash makes for contented cows, farmers say

Virginia Farm Bureau

It’s a happy marriage of recycling and animal husbandry for two beef cattle operations in Nelson County. Massie and Joyce Saunders feed spent mash from Blue Mountain Barrel House Brewery as a supplement to their herd at Rose Isle Farm.

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Meat Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2013 announced

Meat Industry Hall of Fame Class of 2013 announced

National Provisioner

The Meat Industry Hall of Fame has announced the results of voting by its more than 70 Members and Trustees, in which six new Inductees were named to the Class of 2013.

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Prevention is the best footrot medicine

Prevention is the best footrot medicine

AgCanada

Spring is barely here and many producers across the prairies are seeing an increased incidence of footrot in beef cowherds.

For some, this year’s footrot might be traced back to the harsh winter or compromised herd health status. Others have not seen much footrot for many years, and then all of a sudden it strikes with a vengeance.

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Farmer Is Told He Can’t Sell His Rocks… Without a Permit

Farmer Is Told He Can’t Sell His Rocks… Without a Permit

Valleynewslive.com

Collecting rocks out of your field in the spring is just part of the farming business. It’s routine for many ranchers so they don’t break their equipment. But one man in Hubbard county, near Bemidji says he was forced to halt operations and now he’s taking Helga township to court for his losses.

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Michigan Tracks Cattle From Birth To Plate

Michigan Tracks Cattle From Birth To Plate

Dan Charles

GPB News

When you pick up a cut of beef at the store,would you like to know that animal’s life history? The technology to do this does exist – at least in Michigan, where the state requires all cattle to carry electronic ear tags.

It’s the only state that requires such tags.

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Low Methane Producing Cows Could Be Created Through Breeding and Diet Change

Low Methane Producing Cows Could Be Created Through Breeding and Diet Change

Morgana Matus

Inhabitat

When looking into the big, docile eyes of the domestic cow, it is hard to imagine that something sinister lurks beneath the surface. That is, until they burp. Cows are prolific producers of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at the same volume.

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Shuanghui Agrees to Buy Smithfield Foods for $4.72 Billion

Shuanghui Agrees to Buy Smithfield Foods for $4.72 Billion

Beef Today

Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd., China’s biggest pork producer, agreed to acquire Smithfield Foods Inc. for about $4.72 billion to boost supplies for the nation that’s the biggest consumer of the meat.

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A Memorial Day to Avoid

A Memorial Day to Avoid

Chris Clayton

DTN

"Don’t mean to be a menu downer, Old Father Beef," he half-sings over his iPad, "but I wouldn’t be looking for much of that pricey stuff. Dad told me a long time ago that he could either keep beef on the table or send me to college, but certainly not both."

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Getting cows bred with artificial insemination

Getting cows bred with artificial insemination

Ivan G. Rush

Tri-State Livestock News

Fortunately moisture has fallen on most of the high plains area to at least get the cool season grass started. Although certainly a brighter picture than we saw a month ago we will need to continue to get more moisture to provide continued growth and production.

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Make-A-Wish grants Missouri girl’s dream: Trailing cattle in Montana

Make-A-Wish grants Missouri girl’s dream: Trailing cattle in Montana

Billings Gazette

Jan Falstad

Ten-year-old Haley Fulmer turned down a family trip to an amusement park and a week at a dude ranch with gourmet food, swimming pools and tennis courts.

For her Make-A-Wish dream, the soccer midfielder from Cape Girardeau, Mo., wanted to ride a horse on a real Montana cattle drive.

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FDA approves new estrous-synchronization product

FDA approves new estrous-synchronization product

John Maday

Bovine Veterinarian

Several gonadorelin (GnRH) products are approved and available for treating cystic ovaries in dairy cows, but until recently, none were FDA-approved for use in combination with another drug for synchronizing estrous cycles in lactating dairy and beef cattle.

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Plains Drought Expected To Persist This Summer

Plains Drought Expected To Persist This Summer

Beef Producer

Though drought conditions have been easing along the Mississippi and even more than disappeared through parts of the Corn Belt, the Plains continues to suffer even after a handful of beneficial rain events.

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Three Beef Industry Challenges That Won’t Go Away Soon

Three Beef Industry Challenges That Won’t Go Away Soon

Dave Sjeklocha

BEEF

From an animal health and welfare perspective, I would characterize the state of the beef industry as “challenging.” But, that’s the beauty of beef producers — we never back down from a challenge!

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$43,000 worth of cattle stolen in Bastrop

$43,000 worth of cattle stolen in Bastrop

KNOE

A farmer in Bastrop is asking for your help looking for the people who he says stole his cattle.

This catch pen behind me used to have 12 cows and four calves until somebody stole them and their value is more than 43-thousand dollars.

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Worry about what you can control

Worry about what you can control

Drovers

I don’t know of any enterprise that a person could be involved with that would be more dependent on the weather than field crop production. A person can have the best management plan possible in regards to seed, fertilizer, weed control, disease control, marketing, etc.

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Safer mad cow rating could boost U.S. beef exports

Safer mad cow rating could boost U.S. beef exports

Reuters

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has upgraded the United States’ risk classification for mad cow disease to its safest level, which could increase U.S. beef exports, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Wednesday.

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