Flood waters create special management issues for livestock producers

Flood waters create special management issues for livestock producers

Weatherford Democrat

Recent heavy rains have prompted state and local officials to declare states of disaster across a large number of Texas counties. “Local producers and animal owners recognize that whether they are in a disaster area or not, they have added management issues to deal with because of the saturated conditions,” says Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Fred M. Hall in Tarrant County.

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Timing and type are everything when it comes to producing quality hay

Timing and type are everything when it comes to producing quality hay

Heather Smith Thomas

Hereford World

Making Hay

Each year cattlemen rely on hay to get them through the winter months or dry seasons. Harvesting a successful crop in the summertime ensures supply when needed. Timing of harvest makes all the difference in hay quality. Poor harvesting conditions and methods can reduce a good hay crop to a poor one — with less nutrient quality and more dust or mold.

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Summetime Weed Control

Summetime Weed Control

Dr. Gary Bates

University of Tennessee

It’s June and the weather is warm.  The first cutting of hay is done and in the barn.  Calves are on the ground and breeding season is almost over.  It’s time to sit back, watch a ballgame or two and relax.  But wait. All of a sudden you look up and wonder “where did all these weeds come from?’’  You may have done a good job controlling buttercup in the spring, but I’ve got some bad news.  There is another set of weeds waiting in the wings to take over your pasture.  Here are a few, with the control options for each.

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Build a Successful Preconditioning Program

Build a Successful Preconditioning Program

Laura Mushrush

Drovers

We’ve gone through the numbers, and the proof is there—add value to your calves and the investment will pay off. But what exactly does preconditioning entail and how do you make it worth your time?

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Beef Quality is Everyone’s Responsibility

Beef Quality is Everyone’s Responsibility

iGrow

Tracey Walsh and Amanda Bacon

Summer is nearly here and as cattle move to grass, we have a few considerations for you to keep in mind. From the pasture to the plate, we are all responsible for assuring consumers can take pride in the beef they purchase, and have trust and confidence in South Dakota’s beef industry.

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Here’s why traceable beef matters

Here’s why traceable beef matters

Burt Rutherford

Beef Magazine

“We can’t tolerate to be out of the fastest-growing market in the world.” That’s how Joel Haggard, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) senior vice president, Asia Pacific, sees things. “We continue to sit on the sidelines of that market, but they’re going to have record beef imports again this year,” he says. In fact, China’s first quarter beef imports were up 85% over last year.

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July 15 Deadlines Approaching for Annual Forage Insurance

July 15 Deadlines Approaching for Annual Forage Insurance

Jay Parsons

University of Nebraska

Annual Forage Insurance coverage is available in Nebraska for annual forage plants seeded for use as livestock feed or fodder. This includes but is not limited to plants seeded for grazing, haying, grazing/haying, grain/grazing, green chop, grazing/green chop, or silage.

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Fatigued cattle syndrome can have a variety of causes

Fatigued cattle syndrome can have a variety of causes

Wendy Sweeter

Progressive Cattleman

Causes of fatigued cattle syndrome can come from a multitude of factors, not simply beta-agonists, Kansas State University research has found.

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Farmers, medical community cooperate for antibiotic stewardship

Farmers, medical community cooperate for antibiotic stewardship

Bethany Baratta

Iowa Farm Bureau

Consumers today have a lot of questions about antibiotic resistance and how it might be linked to livestock farming. But according to Michelle Sprague, a veterinarian with Audubon Manning Veterinary Clinic (AMVC) Management Services, there has been no evidence of a direct link between antibiotic use in livestock and resistance seen in human medicine.

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Symens family talks production methods and history of their South Dakota Farm

Symens family talks production methods and history of their South Dakota Farm

Lura Roti

The Cattle Business Weekly

“It’s a garden spot … if we get rain,” says Paul Symens, 72, when describing the land his grandpa, Harm Symens, purchased in 1910 near Amherst, S.D. For more than a century, the Symens family has cared for and farmed the land, which today supports a diverse farming operation that includes cropground, purebred Limousin cattle and a feedlot managed by Paul, his two brothers, Irwin, 80, and John, 69, Irwin’s son, Brad, 46, and Paul’s son, Warren, 38.

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