Baxter Black, DVM: Vegetarian’s Guide to Cowboys

Baxter Black, DVM: Vegetarian’s Guide to Cowboys

Many myths have been promulgated that have fostered a misunderstanding of cowboys by herbivores. It is incumbent on me to shed some light on this subject for my vegetarian readers.

Full Story

Meat’s color shouldn’t be dealbreaker, video explains

Meat’s color shouldn’t be dealbreaker, video explains

Beef Producer

The video features Brad Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor of animal sciences at Purdue University. Dr. Kim explains the science of meat color and the many factors contributing the color of meat, particularly the role of oxygen and myoglobin which can turn meat from a purple color to bright red to brown depending on oxygen exposure.

Full Story

Marbling Research Shows Healthy Fat in Beef has Benefits

Marbling Research Shows Healthy Fat in Beef has Benefits

Beef Today

Beef with reasonable marbling and juicy taste is preferred among consumers, and industry leaders continue to monitor how to consistently produce a product with these traits. A recent research article addresses the biology and biochemistry of beef marbling and its effects on production systems, carcass and fat quality.

Full Story

Consider Culling Cows With Mastitis

Consider Culling Cows With Mastitis

Dr. Ken McMillan

DTN/The Progressive Farmer

If mastitis is caught early it can be treated with intramammary infusions of an antibiotic.

Full Story

Battle over dietary guidelines is all about politics, not science

Battle over dietary guidelines is all about politics, not science

Troy Marshall

BEEF

The battle over the federal dietary guidelines is now in full swing. Public hearings got underway this week on the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s (DGAC) proposed recommendations for the five-year update that will become the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Full Story

Inspiration for Making Good Grazing Management Decisions

Inspiration for Making Good Grazing Management Decisions

Meg Grzeskiewicz

On Pasture

For every grazing manager there are times when making decisions about what to do with your stock and pastures are hard.  We run into days when the weather has impacted grass growth, and we have to balance the needs of our livestock with the needs of the forage in the pasture.

Full Story

Six major considerations that could determine the success of a forage crop

Six major considerations that could determine the success of a forage crop

Keith Johnson

Ag Answers

With planting season approaching, farmers planning to grow forage should keep in mind six major considerations that could determine the success of their crop, a Purdue Extension specialist says.

Full Story

Assessing the many benefits of planned grazing

Assessing the many benefits of planned grazing

Doug Warnock

Capital Press

Water quality is affected by the practices of the livestock operator and one of the most overlooked methods of improving water quality is through planned grazing. This follows a discussion in my last column on livestock management practices that help to promote and support higher levels of water quality.

Full Story

Using Your Holidays to Make Money: Converting to a Controlled Breeding Season

Using Your Holidays to Make Money: Converting to a Controlled Breeding Season

Dr. Lawton Stewart

Southeast Cattle Advisor

nverting to a controlled breeding season can be overwhelming. It’s a process that can take years and involves keeping up with dates and records and culling what you may think are your better cows. However, the long term benefits are well worth the work. For any task this large, it’s best to develop a plan of attack.

Full Story

Precondition for performance, quality, cash

Precondition for performance, quality, cash

MIRANDA REIMAN

Southern Livestock Standard

It’s been talked about for 60 years. It’s better for animals, preferred by most cattle feeders and could provide a 169% return on investment. “2014 was the biggest ‘no brainer’ year in history to precondition your calves,” says Purdue University veterinarian W. Mark Hilton. “2015 could be even better.”

Full Story

Are There Limits to Government Speech?

Are There Limits to Government Speech?

Garrett Epps

The Atlantic

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.

The Supreme Court considers whether putting a Confederate battle flag on a license plate should be different than urging Americans to eat more beef. We the people love beef. Don’t believe me? Listen to the late Robert Mitchum, or whiskey-voiced cowboy star Sam Elliott: “Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.”

Full Story

Seedstock producer provides education about quality-improving technology.

Seedstock producer provides education about quality-improving technology.

Kasey Brown

Angus Journal

Calculating proper nutrition, managing solid vaccination and health protocols, watching markets fluctuate, and maintaining fences and equipment — these are a few of the things that rattle around in a cattleman’s brain like the tools in the bed of a ranch pickup. There is plenty to think about in raising healthy market-age cattle.

Full Story

Does beef price at retail matter anymore?

Does beef price at retail matter anymore?

Steve Kay

BEEF

Retail beef prices hit a new milestone in their yearlong, record-breaking march. USDA’s All Fresh beef price averaged $6 per pound in January for the first time. That’s up 95¢, or nearly 19%, from January 2014. It begs the question: Is such an increase positive or negative for the industry?

Full Story

OSU Extension offers herd bull purchase tips for livestock producers

OSU Extension offers herd bull purchase tips for livestock producers

Tracy Turner

AG Answers

Beef cattle producers who want to boost their profit potential need to consider several factors when purchasing a herd sire, says a beef cattle expert in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.

Full Story

Cattlemen Testify in COOL Hearing

Cattlemen Testify in COOL Hearing

BeefUSA.org

Wednesday, Mike Smith of Harris Ranch in California testified before the House Ag Livestock Subcommittee on the effects of COOL on the cattle industry. While proponents of the COOL rule tout consumer favorability, Smith pointed out that Harris Ranch’s experience has mirrored the findings of the Kansas State University Study; that COOL is a mandatory marketing program that consumers pay little attention to and that has had no impact on demand for or the price of beef.

Full Story

Crossbreeding Systems for Small Beef Herds

Crossbreeding Systems for Small Beef Herds

Tom R. Troxel

University of Arkansas

For most livestock species, crossbreeding is an important aspect of production. Intelligent crossbreeding generates hybrid vigor and breed complementarity, which are very important to production efficiency. Cattle breeders can obtain hybrid vigor and complementarity simply by crossing appropriate breeds.

Full Story

BQA Transportation Symposium Registration Open

BQA Transportation Symposium Registration Open

Diane Henderson

The Beef Board

Attention all cattle transporters, dairymen, cattle farmers and ranchers:  The Cattle Transportation Symposium, funded in part by the beef checkoff, is set for May 14-15 in Fort Collins, Colo. The symposium provides a venue for industry experts and stakeholders to gather and discuss issues, research, and solutions that directly relate to cattle transportation.

Full Story

Orientation Held for New Select Sires Employees

Orientation Held for New Select Sires Employees

More than 20 A.I. technicians, sales representatives and marketing personnel took part in Select Sires’ employee orientation held March 10 and 11 at the Select Sires headquarters in Plain City, Ohio.

Full Story

University of Georgia opens new veterinary hospital

University of Georgia opens new veterinary hospital

Bovine Veterinarian

The University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital saw its first appointments today at its new location, 2200 College Station Road.

Full Story

Pigeon Peas Could Be Forage for the Herds, Not the Birds

Pigeon Peas Could Be Forage for the Herds, Not the Birds

Rachel Gilker

Onpasture.com

Pigeon peas have been cultivated for more than 3500 years, and they are pretty popular in much of the world. They are a common food grain in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and rank as the 6th most popular pulse (legume) in the world. But, pigeon peas haven’t gotten much traction in North America. Why the heck not? We think it might be time.

Full Story