BeefTalk: Feel Good by Feeding Some Alfalfa
Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service
Alfalfa is an excellent choice to feed as a supplement to beef cows that are later in their pregnancy. Seldom do we think of hay as being a supplement, but the right high-quality forage, such as alfalfa, certainly can be fed as a supplement to the lower-quality forages generally available for the main ration of a beef cow.
Posted in Uncategorized
Stages of a Bull’s Production Life
Gary DiGiuseppe
The Cattleman
The bull will have a lot to do when he’s turned out on pasture. From a nutritional standpoint, it’s best to ease him into it. Dr. Ben Holland, technical services nutritionist with Merck Animal Health, says adaptation of the bulls to the environment where they will be turned out to breed is crucial.
Posted in Uncategorized
Excrement: Part of the Circle of Life
Kathy Voth
On Pasture
I am old enough to remember a world before “Power Bars.”
When they were first introduced, my co-workers at the Bureau of Land Management picked them up pretty quickly, using them as snacks that were easy to pack for the dignitaries we took on informational tours of the public lands we managed.
Posted in Uncategorized
Cull Cows: More Than Hamburger
Beef Today
Cull cows have been somewhat overlooked in the grand scheme of beef production. While seen mostly as walking hamburger, cull cows are contributors in other ways.
Posted in Uncategorized
Feeding our crops, protecting our water in a changing climate
Tim Harrigan
Drovers
Nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients that are essential for crop growth and profitability, but crop nutrients that escape from the field are potential pollutants. Cropland tends to be nutrient-rich and runoff from the farmstead, pastures and fields can transport sediment, organic solids, nutrients and other contaminants to surface waters.
Posted in Uncategorized
3 major beef industry issues – demand, quality, transparency
Steve Kay
BEEF
After a record-breaking year in which cattle feeders and stocker, cow-calf and seedstock operators all enjoyed record margins, one might assume that all is well in the U.S. beef industry. But this year might see a reversal for feeders and smaller margins in other sectors.
Posted in Uncategorized
Purdue Economist Comments On The Current Beef Expansion
AgriMarketing
The nation’s cattle producers are expanding the herd at a somewhat faster rate than had been anticipated. In the semi-annual update of cattle numbers, USDA said that the total number of cattle and calves had increased by somewhat more than one percent.
Posted in Uncategorized
Brisket Was Cheap and Delicious; Now It’s Expensive and You Have to Wait in Line
Wall Street Journal
Ana Campoy And Nathan Koppel
Not long ago, Texas-style smoked brisket was an inexpensive, workingman’s meal piled on butcher paper at roadside barbecue joints.
Posted in Uncategorized
Cattlemen Announce Partnership with National Sheriffs’ Association
Press Release Point
Today, during the Cattle Industry Convention, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Bob McCan and Sheriff T. Michael O’Connor from the National Sheriffs’ Association announced a partnership to work collaboratively on issues that impact both associations. Cattle producers and local sheriffs’ offices interact on a daily basis addressing issues of criminal trespass or activity, animal welfare, and the operation of motor vehicles in the local communities.
Posted in Uncategorized
U.S. meat group says COOL is doomed
The Western Producer
The head of the National Pork Producers Council is convinced the United States will lose its final attempt to defend mandatory country-of-origin labelling at the World Trade Organization. Howard Hill, an Iowa producer and veterinarian, also believes some form of labelling on retail meat is unavoidable.
Posted in Uncategorized
The Beef Blog 