BeefTalk: When Early Weaning, Adapt Calves and Provide Right Nutrition

BeefTalk: When Early Weaning, Adapt Calves and Provide Right Nutrition

Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

While we are dry in the upper Great Plains, and the lack of moisture is depressing, much of cattle country, especially the eastern and western portions of the U.S., have adequate moisture and feed supply. On a long drive from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, through Montana and over to eastern North Dakota, the contrast was vivid: The situation was good for those who have grass and disappointing for those who do not.

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Red Angus Association of America’s national office transitions to Denver area

Red Angus Association of America’s national office transitions to Denver area

The rapidly growing Red Angus Association of America will soon be operating out of its new headquarters in Commerce City, Colorado, located in close proximity to Denver International Airport. RAAA’s Board of Directors approved the relocation of the National Office during the fall of 2016, and the transition is nearing completion.

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Here are a million reasons we need bugs

Here are a million reasons we need bugs

R. P. "Doc" Cooke

Beef Producer

For the majority of my career in veterinary medicine including the thousands of hours in lectures, labs, and study, the unseen microbial world was the enemy. If we did not pay attention and monitor the pathogens closely and medicate before and during stressful times, we might lose the ranch.

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Hay and Straw Barn Fires a Real Danger

Hay and Straw Barn Fires a Real Danger

Jason Hartschuh, Mark Sulc, Sarah Noggle and David Dugan

Ohio Beef Cattle Letter

We’ve heard of one barn fire here in Ohio this morning and a lot of hay was put up last Thursday ahead of the rain. Much of the hay was wetter than it should have been for safe dry hay storage. Watch those moist bales very carefully for the next two to three weeks! Use a hay temperature probe and monitor the internal temperature of the hay during these first three weeks after baling.

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Drylot provides option for cattle during drought

Drylot provides option for cattle during drought

Tri State Neighbor

Feeding cattle in a drylot rather than range or pasture may be a viable alternative for livestock producers dealing with drought conditions this year, said Warren Rusche, a beef feedlot management associate for South Dakota State University Extension.

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Here’s why shade now pays off next spring

Here’s why shade now pays off next spring

Justin Sexton

Beef Magazine

You may be choosing a calving season based on weather, but breeding-season weather should be another consideration because, after all, favorable calving weather makes no difference to open cows.

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Realities of U.S. Beef’s Access to China

Realities of U.S. Beef’s Access to China

Sara Brown

Farm Journal

Excitement abounds for new beef market access in China, but qualified supplies remain tight. Beef leaders say full access to market channels will take time to develop. “China has tremendous potential for this industry, but it’s a long-term project,” says Derrell Peel, economist, Oklahoma State University. “We’ve got access and now we know the details. There are some restrictions in the short run that really limit the available supply. More importantly, now the market can start to work. Over time we’ll figure out what the restrictions are for specific products and those relations will develop.”

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Let’s take a look at your working facilities

Let’s take a look at your working facilities

Melissa Beck

Progressive Cattleman

Are your cattle-handling facilities up to snuff? Consider these statistics from a recent Politico article titled: “Your farm is trying to kill you.” “Farmers are nearly twice as likely to die on the job as police officers, five times as likely as firefighters, and 73 times as likely as Wall Street bankers.” And on top of that, “The Center for Disease Control and Prevention claims more farmers have been injured since 9/11 than U.S. soldiers.”

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Controlling Anaplasmosis with Medicated Mineral Supplementation

Controlling Anaplasmosis with Medicated Mineral Supplementation

Daniel Scruggs

Zoetis

Anaplasmosis is a disease of cattle that tends to occur most commonly in mature cows and bulls during the summer and early fall. We’ve always thought of it as a disease that mostly affects cattle in the southern tier of states, which is mostly true, but with increased cattle movement over the last decade the footprint of anaplasmosis has spread.

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How American farmers can avoid another economic slump

How American farmers can avoid another economic slump

Jason Henderson

The Hill

America’s agricultural economics run in cycles — each lasting 30 years since 1900 and including periods of decline in U.S. farm income and agricultural land value. Today, we are in a downturn, with farm income 40 percent off its high and agricultural land value in various degrees of decline nationwide.

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What if It Weren’t Called Pink Slime?

What if It Weren’t Called Pink Slime?

Philip M. Boffey

New York Times

Editors Note:  Although this article was first published in 2012, in light of recent headlines it bears reading again.

The first casualties of the hamburger ingredient contemptuously dubbed “pink slime” will likely not be anyone who eats it but rather the workers who make it. Beef Products Inc. announced last week that it will close three of its four plants and lay off about 650 workers by May 25. It had little choice.

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Grass Hay Production Practices Simply Stated

Grass Hay Production Practices Simply Stated

Daren Redfearn

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Even though winter feeding has the greatest costs associated with keeping livestock, some hay feeding is inevitable even for the most cost-efficient livestock producers. Several hay management options are available that can reduce the associated costs of extended hay feeding during the winter.

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The Ups and Downs of Mineral Consumption

The Ups and Downs of Mineral Consumption

Dr. Ken McMillan

DTN

Salt is what drives cattle to minerals. I have seen several cases where producers have salt blocks and a complete mineral out at the same time. This can lead to inconsistent intake of the mineral. You have to do the math to be sure your cows are getting the recommended consumption.

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Injunction interrupts beef checkoff collection: Montana Beef Council will seek permission from payers

Injunction interrupts beef checkoff collection: Montana Beef Council will seek permission from payers

The Fence Post

On May 2, 2016, a national organization, Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America, filed a complaint in the District Court for the District of Montana Great Falls Division, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, against Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Agriculture for the United States Department of Agriculture.

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Brazil proves it wasn’t ready to meet U.S. beef standards

Brazil proves it wasn’t ready to meet U.S. beef standards

Bill Tomson

Agri-Pulse

It was an unprecedented move in 2013 when the U.S. and Brazil announced simultaneously that they were lifting their bans on each other’s beef. Critics were quick to warn back then that Brazilian standards weren’t up to the task and it turns out that they may have been right.

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Would a “Heat-Resistant” Cow Mean Better Beef?

Would a "Heat-Resistant" Cow Mean Better Beef?

Food and Wine

The key to good beef, you might think, is the quality of the cut—or, barring that, even a good marinade. But University of Florida scientists have another idea. They believe climate—and more importantly, climate tolerance—plays a large part in how tasty a cow’s meat can become, and so, they’re trying to create a "heat-resistant" breed of beef cattle.

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Reap livestock returns from oats

Reap livestock returns from oats

Lauren Peterson

Hay and Forage Grower

Although harvest is typically an end point, some producers may choose to head right back to the field with the grain drill in an effort to better meet fall and winter livestock forage needs. When planted after wheat harvest, oats is a quality and relatively cheap feed option when in need of a single grazing or cutting in late fall.

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Take These Steps to Optimize Implant Results

Take These Steps to Optimize Implant Results

Gary Sides

Zoetis

While it’s a challenging time in the cattle industry, as a progressive cattle producer you still have opportunities to add value to your final product. Using growth implants is one of the most profitable tools available to help you achieve this goal — returning far more in weight gain and feed efficiency than the cost of the implant itself.

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EPA to repeal and replace WOTUS

EPA to repeal and replace WOTUS

Mark Dorenkamp

Brownfield News Network

The Trump Administration has taken the next step in rescinding the controversial Waters of the U.S. Rule (WOTUS). EPA administrator Scott Pruitt says his agency intends to write a new Clean Water Rule that returns power to the states and provides regulatory certainty to U.S. farmers and businesses.

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ABC Settles With Meat Producer in ‘Pink Slime’ Defamation Case

ABC Settles With Meat Producer in ‘Pink Slime’ Defamation Case

Daniel Victor

New York Times

ABC reached a settlement on Wednesday with a South Dakota meat producer that accused the network of defamation following its news reports about so-called pink slime in 2012. The agreement ends what was expected to be an eight-week jury trial, which began on June 5. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

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