Bovine respiratory disease is costly

Bovine respiratory disease is costly

Jane Fyksen

Minnesota Farm Guide

No matter what beef producers call it — Bovine respiratory disease, BRD, pneumonia or shipping fever, it’s a disease complex that’s costly and all too common to farmers who are feeding cattle. Earlier this month at a University of Wisconsin-Extension Cattle Feeder Clinic in Mondovi, UW-River Falls Veterinarian Larry Baumann looked at what he called the No. 1 health concern of feeder cattle.

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Pregnancy Diagnosis

Pregnancy Diagnosis

Justin Rhinehart

University of Tennessee

In a recent article about managing the calving and breeding season, the topic of pregnancy diagnosis (“preg. checking”) was briefly mentioned. And, last year you might remember seeing an entire article devoted to it. It is worth revisiting here and focusing the discussion on implementing pregnancy checking in a small herd setting. Remember, we are defining a small herd as 30 or fewer cows; a one-bull unit.

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First 3 Days Critical to Reducing Calf Mortality

First 3 Days Critical to Reducing Calf Mortality

Rachel Endecott

Montana State University

Greetings from Bozeman! March in Montana—some people are done calving, some are just getting started, and others are a month or more out yet. Making sure those calves get off to the best start possible is an important piece of our bottom line.

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BeefTalk: Is Return on Assets Large Enough to Expand the Cow Business?

BeefTalk: Is Return on Assets Large Enough to Expand the Cow Business?

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

Some events in one’s life become stories because they have an impact on the future. These stories are used to teach and add wisdom to current conversations. Sometimes the discussion may stray, but if the facts are true, the story continues to add wisdom.

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Improve Cow’s Nutrition for a Better Calf

Improve Cow’s Nutrition for a Better Calf

Stephen B. Blezinger

Cattle Today

Research over recent years has shown, repeatedly, that improving the nutrition of the cow at and post conception and through the entire gestational period will improve calf survival (lower dystocia rates), growth (greater weaning weights) and health (lower rates of sickess and deathloss prior to weaning).

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Mineral supplements reduce risk of grass tetany

Mineral supplements reduce risk of grass tetany

Durant Democrat

Robert Bourne

Spring-calving cows on small grain pastures may encounter a mineral imbalance often called “grass tetany”. Grass tetany, caused by magnesium and/or calcium deficiency, does not seem to be a major problem in Oklahoma although occasional cases are reported.

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Understanding Beef Checkoff & State Beef Promotion Assessments

Understanding Beef Checkoff & State Beef Promotion Assessments

Hal Pepper and Valerie Bass

University of Tennessee/Tennessee Beef Industry Council

Many beef and dairy cattle producers know about the Beef Checkoff and State Beef Promotion programs and are familiar with the assessments when their beef and dairy cattle aresold at public auction; however, many producers may not know how these assessments apply to the direct marketing of their cattle and beef products.

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Hormones in Beef: Myth vs. Fact

Hormones in Beef: Myth vs. Fact

Amanda Blair

iGrow

Much confusion and concern often surrounds the use of hormones in beef production. These “chemical messengers” are substances produced in the body that travel through the bloodstream to regulate body functions such as reproduction, metabolism and growth. Hormones such as estrogens or androgens are often administered to growing cattle intended for slaughter to promote growth by complementing the effects of naturally occurring hormones.

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American Wagyu and the myth of Kobe beef

American Wagyu and the myth of Kobe beef

J.c. Reid

Houston Chronicle

As the Texas barbecue renaissance rolls on and pitmasters continue to experiment with recipes and ingredients, barbecue consumers are faced with new and sometimes unfamiliar menu items.

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Sign-up open for Beef Quality Assurance transport symposium

Sign-up open for Beef Quality Assurance transport symposium

Farmfutures.com

The beef checkoff this week announced that registration for the Cattle Transportation Symposium, set for May 14-15 in Fort Collins, Colo., is now open. The symposium provides a venue for industry experts and stakeholders to gather and discuss issues, research, and solutions that directly relate to cattle transportation.

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