Remember proper injection sites at calf-working time

Remember proper injection sites at calf-working time

Glenn Selk

High Plains Journal

The month of May is traditionally the time when “spring round-ups” take place. This is the time that large and small cow/calf operations schedule the “working” of the calves. As the majority of the calves reach their second month of life, it is time to castrate the male calves and immunize all of the calves to protect them against blackleg. In some situations, calves may be vaccinated for the respiratory diseases (i.e., IBR and BVD). Check with your large animal veterinarian about these immunizations.

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Is creep feeding right for me?

Is creep feeding right for me?

Marci Whitehurst

Progressive Cattleman

Creep feeding provides supplementary nutrition to nursing calves. It can increase a calf’s daily rate of gain, as well as weaning weight. Whether it will benefit your production depends on several factors. "Economics should drive the decision [to creep feed or not]," says Matt Luebbe, a feedlot and nutrition specialist at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. "If the return or the cost of gain is too much, it isn’t worth it."

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Pasture Weed Control | Cattle Network

Pasture Weed Control | Cattle Network

Keith Martin

Drovers

Now is an excellent time to make choices about managing weeds in pastures. Before applying herbicides for chemical control you first need to answer the question: “Why do I have weeds in my pasture”?

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Ludicrous Labels and Why Consumers Believe them

Ludicrous Labels and Why Consumers Believe them

Gary Truitt

Hoosier AG Today

We have all become accustomed to seeing labels on food that boast of what is not in the food product: antibiotic free, GMO free, hormone free, and taste free.  Labels that make claims about how the product was produced are also common: organic, cage free, or raised in air conditioning with cable TV. 

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CAB Insider: Quality vs. Yield Grade on the Grid

CAB Insider: Quality vs. Yield Grade on the Grid

Paul Dykstra

Drovers

As we see the industry average share of Choice in the fed cattle mix upwards of 70% and Prime over 5%, it’s not uncommon that I’m engaged in conversations with cattle feeders achieving Certified Angus Beef  brand acceptance rates greater than 40% on some of their better pens. In these days of cheap costs of gain relative to the selling price of cattle, we often also see more Yield Grade (YG) 4s  than any of us would aim for, sometimes from 20% to 30% or even higher.

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US beef producer sells cattle farms to raise investment capital

US beef producer sells cattle farms to raise investment capital

GlobalMeatNews.com

Minnesota-based Cargill has struck a deal to sell its last two cattle feeding yards to ethanol producer Green Plains for $36.7m, after offloading similar cattle farms to Friona Industries in 2016. The sale of the Colorado and Kansas cattle feed yards to Green Plains completes Cargill’s departure from cattle feed operations, highlighting its focus on meat processing.

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I got dirty on the farm

I got dirty on the farm

Kids, Cows and Grass

When the Kansas Livestock Association called to ask if we’d serve as a host family for the Kansas Farm Food Connection "Get The Dirt" Contest giving one lucky urban family a behind the scenes, fun packed day on the farm, we said "Of course!"… And then the madness ensued!

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14 Things You Should Never Say To An Animal Science Major

14 Things You Should Never Say To An Animal Science Major

The Odyssey Online

While I may not be an animal science major myself, many of my friends are. As an agricultural communications senior, I understand the struggles many of us ag students face everyday from those who just don’t understand.

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Data shows reproductive efficiency is stagnant

Data shows reproductive efficiency is stagnant

Dr. Bob Hough

Western Livestock Journal

Large commercial data sets from different regions of the country demonstrate that reproductive efficiency has not improved over the last 20 years. Reproductive efficiency is the cumulative effect of breed up, early embryonic death loss, abortion, calving loss, and death loss between calving and weaning.

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Scientists look to grazing to aid carbon retention in soil

Scientists look to grazing to aid carbon retention in soil

Barbara Duckworth

Western Producer

The symbiotic relationship of plants, soil and animals has long been understood among those living off the land. Soil with high carbon content has increased fertility, water retention and productivity.


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