BeefTalk: I Thought I Was Doing Better Than That!

BeefTalk: I Thought I Was Doing Better Than That!

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

When evaluating the cow herd, production and financial records are the report cards. But we all know from school that what goes into the individual grades is what determines the final grade. Having taught class, as well as raised some children, a learning point always comes up when a student or child says, “I thought I was doing better than that!” as he or she tries to explain why the grade is not an “A” and actually turned out to be a “B.”

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It’s all about the VCPR

It’s all about the VCPR

John Maday

Bovine Veterinarian

Upcoming changes in rules regarding the use of medicated feeds likely will cause a few headaches among producers and veterinarians, but in the long run, should promote stronger, beneficial veterinarian-client-patient relationships (VCPR).

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Corn stover baling logistics

Corn stover baling logistics

Kevin Gould, Dennis Pennington and Paul Kamp

Michigan State University

Recent growing seasons have created needs for additional forage and feed stock in the United States. In addition, since 2007, significant acres have been diverted from forage production to grain production. Crop residues have bridged the gap in many situations as livestock producers are “learning on the fly” how to harvest, store, and feed crop residues.

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Preconditioning with BQA in mind

Preconditioning with BQA in mind

Keith Weller

iGrow

Preconditioning is a set of management decisions relating to vaccination, weaning, nutrition and housing that maximize health and future growth potential of cattle in the feed yard. Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is a set of best management practices to limit carcass losses and to avoid violative residues in beef carcasses. This article will focus on topics important to preconditioning programs.

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Reducing stress on calves at weaning is important

Reducing stress on calves at weaning is important

Keith Martin

High Plains Journal

The weaning of calves is one of the most stressful parts of most it’s life. In some situations, not only is the calf removed from it’s dam, the calf is moved to a new location and offered a different ration. Numerous research studies show that calves weaned using low stress methods have less sickness, less death loss and gain more weight during the succeeding weeks after weaning.

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You Can Lease Land for Winter Grazing and Make More Money

You Can Lease Land for Winter Grazing and Make More Money

Kathy Voth

On Pasture

At the end of his SARE-funded project looking at the possibility and profitability of winter grazing in the Northeast, farmer Ridge Shinn concluded that a farmer could afford to pay $100 per acre to lease pasture/hay land to graze during the winter and still spend less than the $500 dollars per acre it would cost to feed hay.

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Dropping Demand Not the Reason Cattle Prices Have Fallen Hard

Dropping Demand Not the Reason Cattle Prices Have Fallen Hard

NorthernAg.net

A year ago, talk around the coffee table had one rancher telling how he got $3/lb. for his calves and another said he sold his for more than $1,500/head, a price he was sure he’d never live long enough to see.

They chatted more, reflecting on how much this market had improved in the last five years, and all agreed the consumer must really like beef. They sure kept buying it, so that thing economists call beef demand must be the real deal.

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Grass-fed cattle farms trending

Grass-fed cattle farms trending

Charlie Lapastora

Up North Live

More farms throughout the country are choosing to raise and feed their cows on grass alone. Jerry Lindquist, Michigan State University Extension Grazing and Crop Management educator, says grass-fed cattle are now approaching five percent of the entire beef industry.

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Beef cattle and forage tips

Beef cattle and forage tips

Mark Keaton

Baxter Bulletin

Monitor cattle closely for any signs of lameness. Fall is a very common time for foot rot and interdigital dermatitis. Foot rot can extend deep into the tissues; therefore, early treatment is critical for recovery.

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Extend Fall and Winter Grazing

Extend Fall and Winter Grazing

Heather Smith Thomas

Angus Beef Bulletin Extra

In dry climates ranchers often run short on late-summer and fall pasture, especially when productivity of cool-season perennial grasses is limited during the heat of summer. In 2008, the University of Idaho’s Nancy Cummings Research, Extension and Education Center in Salmon, Idaho, began looking at ways to extend grazing with summer annuals.

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