BeefTalk: Can Commercial Producers Afford to Sell 7-month-old Calves?
Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist NDSU Extension Service
Ponder this: Can commercial producers afford to sell 7-month-old calves? We need to search for a profit. As costs rise and production levels off, spreading costs across a longer ownership period seems doable. But is it correct?
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Effects of a Freeze on Forages
Bruce Anderson
University of Nebraska
f you haven’t experienced a freeze yet this fall, you soon will. And remember, a freeze can cause hazards for using some forages. When plants freeze, changes occur in their metabolism and composition that can poison livestock. But you can prevent problems.
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Turnips Fill the Gap
Mark Parker
Progressive Farmer
Turnips are often a quick-fix forage for when the rain fails to fall. But increasingly, cattle producers are using the crop as a fall- and winter-grazing option that’s nutritious and easy to grow.
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Protein important for optimum forage utilization
Beef Producer
Ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats, etc.) have the unique ability to utilize materials which are undigestible by humans (grasses, forbes and other roughages) and convert them into highly nutritious food for human consumption. This is made possible by the symbiotic relationship between rumen microbes and the ruminant.
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Graying farms raise worries for agriculture
Caitlin Tompkins
Inlander.com
Randy Suess, a 61-year-old family farmer, has finished his last wheat harvest. The tractors are stored in the metal shed, and Suess recently signed the paperwork to lease out the century-old family farm.
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Animal rights vs. animal welfare: what’s in a word?
Hannah Thompson
Pork Network
In all of the media monitoring we do at the Alliance – which is quite a bit – I am constantly seeing the terms “animal rights” and “animal welfare” treated interchangeably, even sometimes within trade media. I’m really not trying to be pedantic here, but the difference between these two terms is much more than just a few letters.
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Heartache Spurs Compassion
Greg Henderson
Beef Today
Although the events took place nearly two years ago, they are fresh in the memory of top operators who know and care about Tom and Leisa Frey, who operate Creston Livestock Auction. It was an example of the genuine concern many farmers have for their communities, a compassion that often goes unnoticed.
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Mineral needs of cattle change throughout the year
Connor Orrock
High Plains Journal
Minerals are important building blocks of functional life. They aid in countless body processes. When the body in question is a 1,500-pound beef cow whose purpose is to produce income, she may need supplemental minerals during several crucial periods throughout the year.
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Conserving nutrients while protecting water quality
Nicole Heslip
Brownfield News Network
A conservation consultant says managing subsurface drainage fields leads to improved water quality but it’s not something most farmers do. Tom VanWagner, who consults with the Lenawee Conservation District in Michigan’s southeast, tells Brownfield he’s helping farmers counteract nutrient runoff by retrofitting existing field tile lines.
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Chief Veterinarian Addresses Joint Public Meeting Regarding Antimicrobial Data Collection
Beefusa.org
Today, Kathy Simmons, DVM, Chief Veterinarian, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, delivered comments before a joint public meeting of the Food and Drug Administration, United States Department of Agriculture, and Center for Disease Control addressing antimicrobial use and resistance data collection.
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