Cancer Eye: Treatable But Heritable
Dr. Ken McMillan
DTN
The third eyelid is an extra "lid" all nonprimate mammals have. It’s on the lower inside of the eye and can move from that point diagonally upward. It helps keep the cornea clean (think "windshield washer"), produces tears, contains lymphoid tissue that produce antibodies to fight infection and protects the cornea from injury. It’s also a common site, along with the lids and the globe, for cancer eye.
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Cull Cows and Stockpiled Forage
Mark Landefeld
Ohio Beef Cattle Letter
At this time of year many cow-calf operators are weaning/selling calves and determining which, if any, cows are going to be culled and sent to market. The sale of cull cows can be a significant source of cash flow for cow-calf operators. Data shows that 15-25% of cow-calf business’ returns are a result of selling cull cows in the fall, after weaning. For this reason, cow-calf operators should carefully consider how and when they market their cull animals.
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Andrew "Andy" C. Boston passes, Indiana Extension Pioneer
Editors Note: This editor knew Andy as an Indiana Extension leader and a person with a wealth of ideas. Andy’s suggestions over the years lead to many innovations including many of the features of this blog.
Andrew "Andy" C. Boston, 75 of Paoli, IN formerly of Pawnee passed away Monday, Oct. 2, 2017 at Missouri Baptist Medical Center.
He was born Nov. 17, 1941 in Divernon, the son of Floyd and Mona Atchison Boston.
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Explaining Agriculture to Consumers Using Emotions, Not Science
Eric Sfiligoj
Crop Life
According to book author Michele Payn, Principal at Cause Matters Corp., the U.S. agricultural industry has a serious negative perception problem with the general public. “The anti-agricultural community has a very loud voice, especially on social media,” said Payn, speaking at the 2017 Mid America CropLife Association meeting in Kansas City, MO. “I don’t understand for the life of me why agricultural companies don’t do a better job at fighting back against this.”
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Why Steakhouses like Peter Luger Are Obsessed With Beef From This 97-Year-Old Family Business
Chloe Sorvino
Forbes
Despite being one of the oldest beef packers in the country, Greater Omaha has opted not to grow too big. It operates just one plant and chooses not to sell to big chains like Costco, Wal-Mart and McDonald’s (JBS and Cargill are the fast food giant’s hamburger-meat suppliers). It also keeps daily production to 2,400 cattle. "We don’t want gigantic customers.
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The Random Shuffle of Genes: Putting the E in EPD
Jared Decker
Extension.org
Why are EPDs imprecise for young animals? How can genomics be used to track the random shuffle of genes? Even though expected progeny differences (EPDs) have been used by the beef industry for over 40 years, many misconceptions still exist. Occasionally we will hear a producer say something like, “I bred my cows to a low birth weight bull, but I had a couple of large calves.”
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Physiologic, physical and psychological stress can reduce reproductive success.
Katy Holdener
Angus Beef Bulletin
The definition of stress is the sum of reactions that influence an animal’s homeostasis, explained Reinaldo Cooke, associate professor at Oregon State University. Cooke detailed the implications stress may have on female reproductive systems on Aug. 29 at the 2017 Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) symposium in Manhattan, Kan.
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Get her conditioned to get her bred
John Marks
Progressive Cattleman
Reproduction has the greatest effect on profitability of a cow herd. If cows don’t breed back, there isn’t much else they can do that matters. One of the main drivers of fertility is body condition score (BCS).
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Agriculture’s Tax Reform Tool Box
Shiloh Perry
American Farm Bureau
America’s farmers and ranchers work hard to produce the food, fiber and renewable fuel sources we all depend on and enjoy. Their work is noble yet challenging. Always operating in a world of uncertainty, there are no two days the same in agriculture. Whether mending a broken fence, penning cows or balancing the books, farmers and ranchers have many responsibilities each day. They need a tax code that recognizes the work that they do and the unique challenges their businesses face.
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Opportunity in value-added dairy-beef calves
Aerica Bjurstrom
WI Beef Information Center
Genomics has changed the face of the livestock industry. Culling decisions can now be made on a computer without even seeing the animal. Genomics has also created opportunity decisions. The biggest by-product of the dairy industry is the Holstein bull calf. Raising Holstein steers can be a profitable venture when beef prices are favorable, but just like any commodity, volatility is a challenge to manage.
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The Beef Blog 