Baxter Black, DVM: Herd Sire

Baxter Black, DVM:  Herd Sire

This is one of those stories that sound so unbelievable that you’ll know I didn’t make it up!

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Questionable Pregnancy Calls for a Visit From the Vet

Questionable Pregnancy Calls for a Visit From the Vet

Dr. Ken McMillan

DTN/The Progressive Farmer

Rectal palpation with or without ultrasound by a qualified veterinarian is the only immediate way to determine the number of days a cow is pregnant.

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First 21 Days After Conception Important for Livestock Development

First 21 Days After Conception Important for Livestock Development

Tom Bechman

Beef Producer

Why does one animal gain 4 pounds per day when a full sibling gains 2 pounds per day? Why do some calves in the herd with similar genetics start out behind and stay behind in development through their entire life cycle? Why doesn’t every cow breed at the same rate of efficiency as another?

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Beef industry faces higher prices, lower margins and shrinking demand

Beef industry faces higher prices, lower margins and shrinking demand

The City Wire

The cattle markets are set to ring up another record year for producers and packers even with tightening supplies expected to continue through 2019.

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BovControl is a Cow-Tracking App for Farmers

BovControl is a Cow-Tracking App for Farmers

Annie Pilon

Small Business Trends

Clearly, beef is a huge industry in Brazil. But with so many cows, how are ranchers and food producers supposed to keep track of them? Well, there’s now an app called BovControl that aims to help farmers, food companies and even consumers track and gather information about cattle.

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Winter mineral supplementation: Opportunities for savings

Winter mineral supplementation: Opportunities for savings

Dr. John Arthington

University of Florida

Grazing cows have a nutritional requirement for minerals throughout the year. The concentration of mineral required in the diet often varies in relation to the cow’s stage of production, predominantly pregnancy and lactation. The majority of a cow’s mineral requirement is achieved through the consumption of forage. In some cases our pasture forages may supply the entire cow’s requirement, but in the majority of cases some deficiency will result.

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Principles of Protein Supplementation

Principles of Protein Supplementation

Greg Lardy

North Dakota State University

If you are planning on utilizing dormant or other low quality forages in your winter feeding programs, protein supplementation will generally be required to maintain beef cow productivity, ensure a healthy calf at calving, and ensure the cows return to estrous quickly following calving.

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The endocrine system’s role in cow reproduction

The endocrine system’s role in cow reproduction

Chris Schuetze

Progressive Cattleman

Most bodily functions are controlled by the endocrine system, which uses chemicals and hormones (chemical messengers) that are released into the bloodstream from glands.

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New Animal Science Building Top Priority for Purdue Ag in 2015

New Animal Science Building Top Priority for Purdue Ag in 2015

Hoosier AG Today

One of the top priorities for the Purdue College of Agriculture in the new year is to upgrade the animal science department.  Purdue University will be asking the Indiana General Assembly for funding to construct a new animal science building. Department head Alan Mathew told HAT the current building is no longer  workable, “We are working in buildings that date back to the 1950s and some even older.

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4th Annual UC Davis Beef Improvement Symposium

4th Annual UC Davis Beef Improvement Symposium

Julie Finzel

Kern Range Blog

UC Davis will be hosting its 4th annual Beef Improvement Symposium on Saturday, January 10th, 2015 at Gladys Valley Hall at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

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Culling Criteria Checklist

Culling Criteria Checklist

Becky Mills

Progressive Farmer

Culling should ultimately be an economic decision. If it costs more to keep a cow than she will make the operation, culling is the surest path to long-term profitability.

Every operation is different, but a checklist of common culling criteria offers a good starting place to develop a ranch "cull policy." Stan Bevers, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension economist, said the goal should be to minimize the number of low-producing and/or high-risk females in a herd.

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Why all the fuss about body condition?

Why all the fuss about body condition?

Warren Rusche

Bovine Veterinarian

Why is it that nearly every article on beef cow nutrition seems to focus on body condition? Surely with all the advanced knowledge and research that has been done over the years we have something better to go on than a visual estimation of body fat on a cow to evaluate the success or failure of nutritional status?

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Nation’s top bull sellers are seeding beef’s future

Nation’s top bull sellers are seeding beef’s future

Wes Ishmael

BEEF

“Some will take advantage of the opportunity to position themselves for better rewards down the road, whether the market is good or bad,” says John Burbank, CEO of Missouri-based Seedstock Plus.

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Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association to Hold 30th Annual Convention in Murfreesboro

Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association to Hold 30th Annual Convention in Murfreesboro

WGNS

The 2015 Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association’s (TCA) Annual Convention and Trade Show will meet January 15-17 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Murfreesboro. Attendees will hear from top cattle industry speakers addressing herd health, sustainability, forage systems, and beef cattle business. There will also be an update on current public policy issues from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

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Canada says it’s not bluffing

Canada says it’s not bluffing

Ken Anderson

Brownfield Network

Canada’s agriculture minister is warning the U.S. that time is running short to avoid trade tariffs over its country of origin labeling (COOL) law. Gerry Ritz says if Washington doesn’t change COOL to comply with WTO rulings in the coming months, Canada will apply to impose retaliatory tariffs on a long list of U.S. goods including beef and pork. Ritz says that action could come as early as this summer.

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What Should You Feed Your Cows This Winter?

What Should You Feed Your Cows This Winter?

Evan Whitley

Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that, as a society, we are getting busier. The feelings aren’t just anecdotal, because it seems every morning when I watch television there is someone saying, "according to statistics of some new study, Americans are busier."

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Winter Mineral Nutrition for Beef Cows

Winter Mineral Nutrition for Beef Cows

Adele Harty

iGrow

Winter supplementation often focuses heavily on meeting protein and energy requirements of cows and tends to leave mineral nutrition as almost an afterthought. In reality, meeting all nutrient requirements, including energy, protein, minerals, vitamins, and water are equally important.

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Preparing Cattle For Winter

Preparing Cattle For Winter

Pipestone Veterinary Services

As winter approaches, there are many steps that need to be taken to prepare your cattle.  Because we never really know how long, how cold, and how wet and snowy any given winter will be, the best approach is to plan for a severe winter, be ready to address any disastrous stretches of extreme weather, and hope that the winter is actually much more mild than expected.

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Harsh Weather Affects Cattle Performance

Harsh Weather Affects Cattle Performance

University of Wisconsin

Poor cattle performance can be attributed more to muddy conditions, harsh wind and wet resting areas than to low air temperature.  All animal types and sizes must have adequate wind protection.  Natural bush offers good protection.  Properly designed windbreak fences and open front sheds supply adequate protection but involve a cost.

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Being strategic with calving season can prove beneficial for cattle producers

Being strategic with calving season can prove beneficial for cattle producers

RYAN CROSSINGHAM

Farm & Ranch Guide

As cattle producers make preparations for calving season, John Dhuyvetter, NDSU Extension specialist, said it’s important that they are being strategic with their decisions. "Calving season is the high workload time of the year," said Dhuyvetter. "It takes a lot more effort to observe, check, feed, care, assist, and do all the things it takes to make sure you have a good success rate."

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