BeefTalk: What Makes a Good Cow?
Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service
Cows are as different – or similar – as the producers who care for them. So, the definition of a good cow depends on a producer’s appreciation of just what cow he or she wants to work with and tolerance for bad cows with which he or she is willing to work.
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Beware of winter risks when grazing stockpiled forages
Heather Smith Thomas
Beef Magazine
Grazing stockpiled forages, whether annual crops or native range, offers many benefits in extending the grazing season. Among them is that annual forages can be grazed standing or windrowed.
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Fall Manure Application Tips
Glen Arnold
Ohio Beef Cattle Letter
Silage harvest is moving along rapidly in Ohio, with corn and soybean harvest expected to be earlier this year than normal. Livestock producers and commercial manure applicators will be applying both liquid and solid manure as fields become available.
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Weaning calves before auction reduces stress and could increase profits
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Spring-born calves will soon be arriving at auction markets, but producers should consider a weaning plan that will help keep calves healthier and happier, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist in Overton. Dr. Jason Banta said weaning calves is the right thing to do and doing it correctly sets calves up to perform better for the rest of their lives. Weaning also gives sellers access to special preconditioned sales which may result in higher prices. Weaning makes the transition easier on the cow and calf.
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Brazil allowed to export fresh beef to the U.S.
Meghan Grebner
Brownfield Network
University of Missouri livestock analyst Scott Brown says that could mean a slight drag on US beef prices, “I certainly don’t want to overstate the impact of that, because I don’t think we’re going to talk about a substantial increase in the quantity of beef that comes into the United States.”
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Senate Report on Federal Overreach Confirms NCBA’s Suspicions
Oklahoma Farm Report
In light of the report out yesterday by Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, ag interest groups like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association are screaming ‘We told you so,’ as proof of overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers was officially exposed in case studies listed in the report.
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3 tips to refresh your replacement heifer selection process
Beef Producer
“Heifer calves retained in 2014 and 2015 came at the highest cost of development in history with some estimates at more than $2,2001 invested through preg-check,” says N.T. Cosby, Ph.D. and cattle nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition. “With cattle markets projected to decline over the next few years, it’s especially important for you to recoup value on replacement heifers.”
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Beef Traceability: A look at programs around the world
The Cattle Business Weekly
Traceability is often discussed as an attribute that can help open new doors for exports of U.S. beef, and one that other beef-exporting nations have used to promote and differentiate their products in the international marketplace.
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Buying preconditioned calves saves money
Prairie Farmer
A proven way for feeding operations to reduce illness and increase sustainability is by choosing calves with an immune system capable of handling infectious challenges they could encounter along the way.
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Determination of normal animal welfare helps ensure correct measurements.
Kasey Brown
Angus Beef Bulletin
“I get so excited when my students finally realize that animals are not furry little people. Animals perceive things differently,” said Ed Pajor, professor of animal behavior and welfare at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He added that too often we think of measuring animal welfare, but it is like health. You can measure attributes like heart rate and cholesterol, but not health as a whole. Welfare is similar.
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