Beef Roundtable: What to do with all that rained-on hay

Beef Roundtable: What to do with all that rained-on hay

Burt Rutherford

BEEF

Many beef producers across the country have been grateful for the rain that has blessed much of cattle country this summer. But in places, it’s been too much of a good thing, making it difficult to put up high-quality hay. So what can you do with all that low-quality, rained-on hay?

BEEF and Purdue University have joined forces to launch the Beef Roundtable, a monthly 15-minute video podcast that will feature some of the top leaders in the beef industry. 

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Cool- and Warm-Season Grasses Make for Better Pastures

Cool- and Warm-Season Grasses Make for Better Pastures

Joe Trlica

On Pasture

Some grass species grow during cooler times of the year (various wheatgrass, needlegrass, bromegrass, bluegrass, orchard grass, fescue). These grasses are commonly called cool-season or C3 species and grow when temperatures are 40 to 75 degrees F.

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Conjugation, and what it means for antimicrobial resistance in livestock

Conjugation, and what it means for antimicrobial resistance in livestock

Reynold Bergen

Canadian Cattleman

Bacteria can also share antimicrobial resistance with each other. In “transformation,” a resistant bacterium leaks copies of antimicrobial-resistance genes that are absorbed by a second bacterium, making it resistant, too. In “transduction,” bacterial viruses (phages) transfer copies of antimicrobial-resistance genes from one bacterium to another. In “conjugation,” two bacteria physically mate and share antimicrobial-resistance genes.

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Resting Pastures Key to Long Term Range Management, OSU’s Ryan Reuter Explain

Resting Pastures Key to Long Term Range Management, OSU’s Ryan Reuter Explains

Oklahoma Farm Report

Oklahoma State University is looking at ways cow-calf producers can improve management of native range. At the beginning of the year, Ryan Reuter moved from The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation to Oklahoma State University’s Animal Science Department. He became the Associate Professor of Range Beef Cattle Nutrition.

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Fall To-Do List for Cow/Calf Producers

Fall To-Do List for Cow/Calf Producers

SDSU iGrow

Once again the brisk fall air is here, which means most cow-calf producers are busy processing and tending to new weaned calves."While weaning time usually requires all hands on deck, we can also take advantage of this time to manage the cows before they are sent back out to pasture," said Taylor Grussing, SDSU Extension Cow-Calf Field Specialist.

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What are the alternatives to antibiotic in feed?

What are the alternatives to antibiotic in feed?

Craig Belknap

Progressive Cattleman

The new Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) comes into effect in December 2016, bringing all feed-grade antibiotics under vet supervision or prescription without the option of extra-label use. So, by this time next year, you and your veterinarian are going to need a health plan that complies with the VFD.

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Identifying and Preventing Neosporosis in the Cow Herd

Identifying and Preventing Neosporosis in the Cow Herd

Katie Allen

Kansas State University

An often-overlooked reason for late-term abortions in gestating beef cows and heifers is neosporosis, which is difficult to prevent. Gregg Hanzlicek, director of production animal field investigations for the Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, said the laboratory has confirmed a handful of cases this spring calving season in Kansas.

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Three Decades of Custom Feeding for Ranchers, Others

Three Decades of Custom Feeding for Ranchers, Others

Larry Stalcup

The Cattleman

For Scott Keeling, keeping pens filled and the feed mill firing means placement of a wider range of cattle. Some will average high Choice, maybe even Prime. Some will struggle to gain and grade. However, Keeling knows ranchers cannot rebuild herds with high quality cattle overnight.

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Science Does Not Support International Agency Opinion on Red Meat and Cancer

Science Does Not Support International Agency Opinion on Red Meat and Cancer

Facts about Beef

An international committee assigned to review all of the available evidence on red meat and cancer risk were divided on their opinion whether to label red meat a “probable” cause of cancer, according to the Beef Checkoff nutrition scientist and registered dietitian who observed the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) process.

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Generations come together at the North Carolina State Fair

Generations come together at the North Carolina State Fair

The Daily TarHeel

"The whole point (of the fair) is to come and show other people in the industry as well as the general public what you’re doing on your farm," she said. "It’s kind of like an extracurricular activity for us — some people play sports, our family, we show cattle."

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Baxter Black, DVM: Ike’s Tour

Baxter Black, DVM: Ike’s Tour

Bein’ a country vet, I’ve had my share of emergency calls regarding escaped animals. Feeder steers in City Park, buffalo at the mall or snakes in the school yard.

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Researchers Create Headlines Tying Processed and Red Meat to Cancer

Researchers Create Headlines Tying Processed and Red Meat to Cancer

Chris Clayton

DTN

Headlines came out early Monday. "Processed Meat Causes Cancer; Red Meat Probably Does, Too." "Hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats cause cancer, World Health Organization declares." I was watching the discussion at a hotel breakfast room while eating a couple of fairly bland sausage patties.

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Beets make good feed and grow in tough conditions

Beets make good feed and grow in tough conditions

Tri State Livestock News

Nutrition and production are among the issues highlighted in the 2015 North Dakota Beef Report. Feeding sugar beets to livestock, reproductive performance monitoring and the effects of storing large round hay bales outside were among the beef cattle topics North Dakota State University researchers studied in the past year.

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Rethink abrupt weaning

Rethink abrupt weaning

Brent Meyer

Bovine Veterinarian

We’ve talked in the BRD Report blog about the need to spread out the stressors associated with weaning. Pulling calves from their dam and shipping them to a feedyard, all within a very short time period, places them under tremendous stress and can seriously impair their ability to fight off disease.What happens when calves are put under such stress?

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Is Antibiotic Use in Animals a Concern?

Is Antibiotic Use in Animals a Concern?

iGrow

A report released by a group of six consumer interest, public health and environmental organizations raised questions about the use of antibiotics in meat and poultry products offered at 25 of the nation’s largest fast food and fast casual restaurants. The report, entitled “Chain Reaction – How top restaurants rate on reducing use of antibiotics in their meat supply” provides grades to restaurants depending on their ‘Antibiotic Use Policy’.

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All Dairy Farmers are Beef Farmers

All Dairy Farmers are Beef Farmers

Rachel Gilker

On Pasture

“Every dairy farmer is a beef farmer, they just don’t want to admit it,” says Myron Martin of Peace Hollow Farm, an organic, grassfed dairy in Maryland. So, though Martin is a dairy farmer, he’s breeding his herd to work in both markets. He sells beef alongside dairy products at his farm stand trailer, which he describes as a  “redneck drive-thru,” and via wholesale around his local area.

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Five tips to prepare for a silage switch

Five tips to prepare for a silage switch

Farm and Ranch Guide

In the fall many dairy producers see slumps in production and feed intake. This is often due to an abrupt change from old corn silage to green chop or recently fermented corn silage.

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Beef prices to fall as industry reshapes itself for the future

Beef prices to fall as industry reshapes itself for the future

Dan Voorhis

www.kansas.com

Beef lovers, and that’s most of us, your time is coming. The price of beef, which has been rising for decades, has peaked and is poised to come down. At least one forecaster foresees cheap beef for some years to come.

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This bug is a cattle producer’s best friend

This bug is a cattle producer’s best friend

BEEF

Most successful cattle producers have learned that they can discover a lot information about the health and condition of their cattle by “reading” the evidence found in the manure pats their animals drop in yards and pastures.

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Tennessee Loses Livestock Marketer, Leader Hinton

Tennessee Loses Livestock Marketer, Leader Hinton

Editors note:  One can scarcely talk about the Tennessee industry over the last 40 or so years without  mentioning James Hinton. Jimmy was a good friend and his loss will be felt for a long time.

Mr. Hinton was a U.S. Marine and a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Trezevant. Throughout his career he worked in livestock advertising, promotion, consulting and sales management. He has worked for the following Livestock Weekly, TN Livestock Association as head of promotion and advertising, TN Pork Producers Association, Freeman Publishing, Angus Journal, Partner in Meng & Hinton Sales and Service, Southern Beef Producer, Owner of Hinton Sales & Service, Duck Hill Ranch, Farm Progress, 4 L Hereford Farms. . .  

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