Baxter Black, DVM: Moderation

Baxter Black, DVM:  Moderation

One of the hazards of having educated friends is that they are a frequent source of scientific information. Dr. Ben sent me a scholarly review entitled “WHAT DID OUR ANCESTORS EAT?” by two gentlemen well versed in nutrition and anthropology.

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Recognizing Sickness in Cattle Can Be Challenging

Recognizing Sickness in Cattle Can Be Challenging

Lee Jones. MS, DVM

Cattle Today

If you deal with livestock, at some point you will also have to decide to treat a sick one or call a veterinarian to make a diagnosis and treatment recommendation. Knowing what to look for and how to decide whether an animal needs treating and what kind of treatment is sometimes easier said than done.

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Producers test soybeans as a forage option

Producers test soybeans as a forage option

Nat Williams

Iowa Farmer Today

Some livestock producers may want to consider soybeans as a forage crop. Studies indicate varieties specially bred for leaf growth could fix a few problems encountered by livestock producers.

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Beset by big losses, Cattlemen encourage more cash deals

Beset by big losses, Cattlemen encourage more cash deals    

The North Platte Bulletin

Cattle prices have fallen by about $40 per hundredweight so far this year, or nearly 30%, according to live cattle price charts from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The shortage of cattle sold on a negotiated cash basis has led to reduced competition in the marketplace, resulting in unprecedented market volatility and losses, the cattlemen’s group said as they announced a new, interim policy concerning the downward “trends in the nation’s negotiated fed cattle trade.”

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The Impact of Dressing Percent on Cull Cow Marketing

The Impact of Dressing Percent on Cull Cow Marketing

Glen Selk

University of Nebraska

Cull cows that are destined to be go to the packing house are graded by their fleshiness. The fattest cows are called Breakers. Moderately fleshed cows are Boners. Thin cows are called Leans or Lights, depending upon the weight of the cow. There will be price differences among these four grades. However, within each grade, large variation in prices per hundredweight will exist because of differences in dressing percentage.

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It’s how dry?

It’s how dry?

Mike Rankin

Hay and Forage

Through the years, farmers have devised any number of methods to estimate the moisture of cut forage in an attempt to hit the optimum harvest mark. Forgoing the Koster Tester or microwave, I’ve seen farmers ball up wilting hay in their hands, chew on stems, feel, smell, and otherwise mutilate a windrow in an attempt to gauge moisture content.

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Stick To Functional Forage Groups When Selecting Cover Crop Forages

Stick To Functional Forage Groups When Selecting Cover Crop Forages

Gallagher

According to Rogers, economic analyses from University of Kentucky show at least 10% of a livestock operation’s acreage should be maintained in annual forages to be profitable. In a region dominated by cool season grasses, especially toxic tall fescue, annual cover crops give Rogers a way to transition pastures out of this undesirable forage. At the same time, they serve as a beneficial grazing source for his cattle.

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3 marketing options for the fall calf run

3 marketing options for the fall calf run

Amanda Radke

Beef Magazine

The feeder cattle and calf markets continue to decline, and as a result, producers may be rethinking their marketing strategies for the 2016 fall season. In this week’s poll at beefmagazine,com, we ask, “Have you changed your fall marketing plan?” The votes are just getting underway, but the majority of readers who have participated in the poll say, “Yes, we’re trying to better negotiate this fall’s lower prices.” Another 30% say, “No, we’ll market the same as always,” and the remaining 11% haven’t decided yet.

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Women Leading the Way

Women Leading the Way

Bridget Beran

Angus Journal

For many years, agriculture has been a field dominated by men. These days, 30% of farmers across the United States are women, and in the Angus business these women are taking the responsibility and leadership seriously. “It’s evolved that more and more women are coming back to the farm in a management position,” explains Jeanne Bernick, K•Coe Isom consultant. “It used to take a lot of muscle to run a farm, and now it’s more about brains.”

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Where are we going with genomics?

Where are we going with genomics?

Stewart Bauck

Progressive Cattleman

Bottom line, beef producers are getting more for their money when it comes to genomics. Industry pioneers who have used data from DNA tests to pick bulls and replacement heifers have fully installed genomic selection into their management and production systems and are seeing the benefits.

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