Spring Pasture Bloat Prevention and Cures

Spring Pasture Bloat Prevention and Cures

Kathy Voth

On Pasture

Bloat is a digestive disorder characterized by an accumulation of gas in the first two compartments of a ruminant’s stomach (the rumen and reticulum).  Production of gas (primarily carbon dioxide and methane) is a normal result of rumen fermentation

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Feeding Management Reduces Weak Calves

Feeding Management Reduces Weak Calves

Tri State Livestock News

Weak calf syndrome is associated with reduced nutrition to the mother. Calving season comes with less stress when calves are born with abundant vigor. "The aggressive calf that actively seeks the first nursing of colosturm is a welcome sight," says Karl Hoppe, the North Dakota State University Extension Service’s area livestock systems specialist at the Carrington Research Extension Center.

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Pre- and post-purchase tips: Adding animals to the herd made easy

Pre- and post-purchase tips: Adding animals to the herd made easy

Katie Ockert

Michigan State University

Springtime is an exciting time when many 4-H families are adding new animals to their farms. Bringing new animals home also means potentially bringing home new diseases, too. You can make sure you’re reducing risk and bringing home healthy animals by asking a few questions and inspecting animals properly. Michigan State University Extension also recommends providing adequate quarantine when animals are brought home.

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Sale day fun

Sale day fun

Beth Roth

The Cattle Business Weekly

On any given day from January to May, livestock producers have a large number of bull sales to choose from. For those in the seed stock business, the question is how to make your sale unique – not only in terms of genetics and EPD’s, but also the actual sale. What will draw buyers to choose to attend your sale?

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Combining Ear Tags, Implants Stimulates Cattle Growth

Combining Ear Tags, Implants Stimulates Cattle Growth

Ag News Feed

A Kansas State University study has shown that cattle producers can improve their profits and add another layer of safety for their herds by using ear tags in combination with growth implants. Beef cattle specialist Dale Blasi said using the two treatments reduces horn flies, a nuisance that costs the U.S livestock industry approximately $1 billion in losses each year, according to a recent study from Oklahoma State University.

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Making the Cow Herd More Efficient by 2037

Making the Cow Herd More Efficient by 2037

Jared Decker

A Steak in Genomics

"Like calf prices, all of these increased more than inflation." Mathias said. We have seen a 30 to 50 lb increase in weaning weight over the past 20 years in the seedstock sector. We have data-driven tools for selection decisions such as genomic-enhanced EPDs.

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Do Cattle Have a Dry Matter Intake Requirement?

Do Cattle Have a Dry Matter Intake Requirement?

Karla H. Jenkins

Drovers

As pasture rental rates continue to be historically high and pasture availability limited, many producers are evaluating confining production cows as an alternative to grazing. In many areas, by-products such as distillers grains, beet pulp, or wet corn gluten feed are the least cost feed available when priced per unit of total digestible nutrients (TDN).

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Clearing the air on the drop in beef consumption

Clearing the air on the drop in beef consumption

Hugh Robert

The Republican

Making a connection between a decline in beef’s menu popularity and better air quality might seem logically tenuous, but the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) recently cheered a 10-year 19 percent overall decline in American beef consumption as a victory over air pollution.

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Good pasture management considers trees to weeds

Good pasture management considers trees to weeds

Phyllis Coulter

Iowa Farmer Today

Although a big beautiful shade tree in a pasture may look nice, it often is not the best arrangement for grazing cattle. “Rarely is having a single tree in a paddock a good idea,” Gene Schriefer, a University of Wisconsin agricultural agent, told farmers attending the Northwest Illinois Grazing Conference earlier this month.

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Low Body Condition Normal or a Medical Issue?

Low Body Condition Normal or a Medical Issue?

Dr. Ken McMillan

DTN

Let’s start with the basics: genetics. Anytime we single-trait select, our goal is to concentrate the genes we want. We can also concentrate less desirable genes. Certainly, size was an emphasis in creating this breed, just as the polled gene was so many years ago when Polled Herefords were becoming developed. The Horned Hereford folks used to joke when they bred the horns off, they bred the butt off, also. So, some cows might just have a bad set of genes.

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