Health and production recordkeeping

Health and production recordkeeping

Bob Larson

Angus Journal

Although most cattle producers agree that good recordkeeping is important, many operations are not currently collecting valuable information that can be used in management decisions and marketing efforts.

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Good Outcome Rare With a Down Cow

Good Outcome Rare With a Down Cow

Dr. Ken McMillan

DTN

Young cows that are nursing have very high nutritional needs. They are still growing, trying to make enough milk and hopefully getting ready to breed back in two or three months after calving.

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Using genomics to squeeze more profits out of feedlot cattle

Using genomics to squeeze more profits out of feedlot cattle

John Paterson

Progressive Cattleman

Anyone associated with feeding cattle understands that performance factors influence feed costs of gain (feeding margins), and the impact on razor-thin margins can be big.

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Stable Flies Can Be a Problem Even If You Don’t Have a Stable

Stable Flies Can Be a Problem Even If You Don’t Have a Stable

Kathy Voth

On Pasture

If you see your cattle stomping their feet during warm summer months, it might mean they’re dealing with stable flies. Stable flies look a lot like house flies, but they are blood-suckers with bayonet-like mouthparts they use to pierce the skin. They prefer feeding on the bellies and legs of their victims, which include horses, cattle, hogs and humans.

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Report Proposes Roadmap for Reducing Antibiotic Use in Livestock

Report Proposes Roadmap for Reducing Antibiotic Use in Livestock

John Maday

Drovers

A new report calls for stricter limits on the use of medically important antibiotics in livestock production. The report, from the Expert Commission on Addressing the Contribution of Livestock to the Antibiotic Resistance Crisis, was supported by the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

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Set up success when weaning and preconditioning calves

Set up success when weaning and preconditioning calves

Heather Smith Thomas

Beef Producer

If you precondition calves, you should remember the primary product you are making for your customers is healthier calves. Ron Gill, Texas A&M livestock specialist and rancher, says it all starts with the method by which you wean calves.

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The Benefits of Pregnancy Diagnosis

The Benefits of Pregnancy Diagnosis

John Grimes

Ohio Beef Cattle Letter

We are entering an exciting time of the year for cow-calf producers.  They have started or soon will be weaning their spring-born calves.  Weaning is an excellent time to prepare the calf crop to become herd replacements or for future marketing opportunities by implementing health programs and transitioning to feed rations.

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Silage season: Get the right pack, invest in an inoculant, tarp the pile

Silage season: Get the right pack, invest in an inoculant, tarp the pile

Wendy Sweeter

The Cattle Business Weekly

Producers preparing for silage harvest should keep in mind the proper steps to getting the most value and quality out of their feed. South Dakota State University Extension beef feedlot management associate Warren Rusche says to capture the most value from their silage they need to make sure the corn is at the right moisture level.

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Keeping antibiotic use alive in U.S.

Keeping antibiotic use alive in U.S.

Wes Ishmael

Beef Magazine

“We estimate that by 2050, 10 million lives a year and a cumulative $100 trillion of economic output are at risk due to the rise of drug-resistant infections if we do not find proactive solutions now to slow down the rise of drug resistance. Even today, 700,000 people die of resistant infections every year.”

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New online exchange to benefit farmers, cattle producers

New online exchange to benefit farmers, cattle producers

The Fence Post

A new online tool from Nebraska Extension aims to connect farmers and cattle producers to encourage mutually beneficial agreements to use crop residue for grazing. The Crop Residue Exchange tool provides a searchable database of cropland available for grazing.

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Mark Parker: The Top 10 reasons for buying a bad bull

Mark Parker:  The Top 10 reasons for buying a bad bull

FarmTalk

10. Your neighbor took one look at him and immediately began fixing the border fence.

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More Than a Genetic Spreadsheet

More Than a Genetic Spreadsheet

Becky Mills

Progressive Farmer

Genetic tests are available for everything from birthweight to carcass weight, so it’s tempting to select your next herd bull based on those results alone. Just think, no more driving all across the country to look at pen after pen of yearling bulls. Or, you could build your dream herd of females off a spreadsheet of genetic predictions for maternal traits. Then again, maybe not.

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Moocall releases innovative herd management a

Moocall releases innovative herd management app

Ag Daily

Moocall‘s newest mobile app shows exactly how “smart” herd management can be — and it’s free. To best help beef and dairy farmers manage their breeding and keep track of their herd, the just-released Breedmanager app doesn’t look at the herd as a whole, but rather breaks it up into “smart lists.” These smart lists filter the herd by their relative position within the breeding cycle, which means at the tap of a finger a farmer can quickly identify the cows that are due to calf in the next week, or cows that were in heat in the last 24 hours and so on.

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Some wolves may have become ‘habituated’ to eating cattle

Some wolves may have become ‘habituated’ to eating cattle

Eric Mortensen

Capital Press

Northeast Oregon cattle ranchers have called for two entire packs to be killed, saying the state’s “incremental” approach won’t deter voracious wolves.

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2017 High Plains Nutrition & Management Roundtable

2017 High Plains Nutrition & Management Roundtable

University of Nebraska

The High Plains Nutrition & Management Roundtable is an annual meeting hosted by the local ARPAS chapter, comprised by beef industry professionals from the tri-state area (CO, WY, NE) who share a common interest in improving the beef industry through improved nutrition and management practices.

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Genetic marker sought for feed efficiency in cattle

Genetic marker sought for feed efficiency in cattle

Tim Lundeen

Feedstuffs

Researchers with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are working to identify genetic markers that can help cattle producers find the best bang for their buck when choosing breeds and budgeting for feed.

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Expert offers tips on how to help burned-out pastures recover

Expert offers tips on how to help burned-out pastures recover

Kay Ledbetter

Beef Magazine

Wildfire in the Great Plains seems to have become just another natural disaster, like blizzards and drought, which ranchers have to deal with. But a wildfire is different—it’s more destructive, more devastating and seemingly more permanent.

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5 ways to Help Hurricane Harvey Victims

5 ways to Help Hurricane Harvey Victims

Christopher Walljasper

AgWeb

Farmers, ranchers and compassionate Americans from around the country are showing up with boats, supplies, and support to pull their neighbors back on dry land. Even if you can’t make the trek to Houston to lend a hand, there are plenty of ways you can lend a hand.

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Texas Ranchers Battle Hurricane Harvey to Protect Cattle

Texas Ranchers Battle Hurricane Harvey to Protect Cattle

Sara Brown

Drovers

Hurricane Harvey puts Texas cattle herds at risk. Ranchers are assessing damage and trying to evacuate livestock after Hurricane Harvey invaded the Texas coast, bringing torrential rains, tornadoes and high winds.

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1.2 million beef cows in 54 Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey

1.2 million beef cows in 54 Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey

Blair Fannin

AG Week

The 54 Texas counties declared a disaster area due to Hurricane Harvey contain over 1.2 million beef cows, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture inventory report.

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