BeefTalk: Reproductive Observations of May Calving Compared With March Calving

BeefTalk: Reproductive Observations of May Calving Compared With March Calving

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist NDSU Extension Service

Dickinson Research Extension Center data show the pregnancy percentage for cows exposed for March-born calves was 98.96 and cows exposed for May-born calves was 98.23. Interesting! The center has been calving in May since the 2012 calf crop. Prior to 2012, the center herd calved in March. Overall management change within a beef cow-calf operation is not easy, and the ripple effect is real.

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Preventing mycotic abortions in pregnant cattle

Preventing mycotic abortions in pregnant cattle

Connor Orrock

Minnesota Farm Guide

Mycotic abortions, or fungal abortions, are often sporadic in cattle. As producers determine the need to provide supplemental feeds to their calving cow herd, they must also be aware of the causes of these often mysterious mycotic abortions, as well as how to diagnose them.

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Bull temperament—what impact does it have on performance and behavior?

Bull temperament—what impact does it have on performance and behavior?

Sierra Lockwood

University of Tennessee

Cattle temperament is a focus area for research with the aim of reducing the potential for injury to producers and to preserve the longevity of facilities.  One of the main objectives of cattle temperament studies is to determine if selecting sires based on temperament is effective for reaching these goals.  Researchers found that calm cattle had enhanced production traits (greater average daily gains (ADG), hot carcass weight, marbling scores, etc.) when compared with excitable cattle (Voisinet et al., 1997a; Voisinet et al., 1997b; Schmidt et al., 2013).  

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Will Value-added Programs Evolve with the Market?

Will Value-added Programs Evolve with the Market?

Jared Wareham

Beef Today

As we enter a period of bearish cattle prices, I find myself pondering what other changes might be on the horizon. How will our industry evolve and what adaptations will shrewd cattlemen make to keep that competitive edge? Exploring or cultivating options to add value to your calves may be more important than ever.

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Simple Steps To More Profitable Pastures

Simple Steps To More Profitable Pastures

Kindra Gordon

Angus Beef Bulletin Extra

“The easiest and cheapest way to improve profitability is to improve pastures,” Dow’s Scott Flynn told attendees during a Learning Lounge session at the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show Jan. 28. Flynn estimates that, particularly in high-rainfall areas, landowners give up about 30% of their pasture’s potential due to lack of weed control.

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Daughter returns to diversified Iowa farm

Daughter returns to diversified Iowa farm

Jeff DeYoung

Iowa Farmer Today

A south wind screams through the feedlot as Allison Brown checks on heifers transplanted from North Dakota just a week ago. The combination of warm temperatures and that southerly wind have dried up the feedlot where she keeps the heifers. “We’ll A.I. (artificially inseminate) these heifers in May,” Brown says. “I did pretty well with the timed A.I. last year, and we made some good money on them when they were sold.”

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Understand issues surrounding antibiotic resistance

Understand issues surrounding antibiotic resistance

Farm and Ranch Guide

Have you ever left for a conference feeling just fine, shook a lot of hands and mingled, then returned home to spend a day or two in bed with the cold or flu? The same thing can happen to livestock throughout the various phases of production as new groups of animals mix and germs spread.

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Increasing the odds for beef

Increasing the odds for beef

Miranda Reiman

Progressive Cattleman

You have to eat it. That’s really the only way to know if a steak is going to be good or not. So it is with all “experience goods.” Wine and beauty products are other examples. That’s why it is so important to have a system in place that helps predict product performance, says Daryl Tatum, Colorado State University meat scientist.

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A new tool for selecting commercial beef heifers: genomics

A new tool for selecting commercial beef heifers: genomics

David Hoffman

Spring is quickly approaching.  That means warmer weather and green grass are on the way.  For the cow/calf producers, it means that calving is in full swing (or about over for some) and the breeding season is just around the corner. Decisions are being made that will impact the cattle operation for several years, such as the next herd bull to purchase or the sires to breed cows and heifers through artificial insemination.  

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Beef producers are managing the underground

Beef producers are managing the underground

Robert Fears

Beef Producer

Across the country beef producers are focusing on managing what’s under their feet – the soil and their populations of micro-organisms. Because producers realize that healthy soil is necessary for good forage production and ranch profitability, producers are seeking information through attendance at conferences and seminars and joining organizations that provide education on soil management.

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