Cattle can remember stress
Beef Magazine
Do cows have a memory for stressful events? We already have a good idea of what happens when animals are stressed: low to no feed intake and poor immune function, but what can producers do to help cattle be ready to cope with a stress event?
Posted in Uncategorized
Nitrate Toxicity in Beef Cattle
Megan Van Emon
Montana Stockgrowers Association
Elevated nitrate concentrations can be found in forages that have been grown under stress, such as severe drought conditions. Nitrate toxicity is caused by animal consuming feeds and water that have elevated levels of nitrate or nitrite. Care should be taken when feeding cattle cereal grains/hay, corn stalks, orchardgrass, and other feeds known to contain high nitrate levels.
Posted in Uncategorized
Gene by environment cattle research
Julie Harker
Brownfield AG Network
Research is underway to match cow genetics to their environment, to increase cattle producers’ profits. The University of Missouri is leading the USDA-funded study. MU assistant professor Jared Decker tells Brownfield Ag News, “Previously all of our genetic evaluations have been on a national basis.
Posted in Uncategorized
Livestock and Climate Change
Frank Mitloehner
University of California At Davis
As the November 2015 Global Climate Change Conference COP21 concluded in Paris, 196 countries reached agreement on the reduction of fossil fuel use and emissions in the production and consumption of energy, even to the extent of potentially phasing out fossil fuels out entirely.
Posted in Uncategorized
"Nature’s cruel, but we don’t have to be"
Joan
Dust in My Coffee
"Nature’s cruel, but we don’t have to be." is one of my favorite quotes from Temple Grandin. If you don’t know who Temple Grandin is, I highly recommend watching the movie "Temple Grandin" so you can learn more about her life with autism and how she has helped cattle producers like Steve and I do a better job of low stress cattle handling. Steve and I work with nature to try to minimize some of her harsher moments as we seek to give our cattle a comfortable environment to live in.
Posted in Uncategorized
Bovine Respiratory Disease from the Farm to the Feedlot
Dr. Reynold Bergen
Beef Research
Weed seeds and invasive species may be present even in well-managed pastures and rangelands, but it is hard for them to germinate, establish and spread in healthy, competitive forage stands. Stresses like severe drought, overgrazing, heavy traffic or excavation can weaken forage stands and create opportunities for unwanted plants to take root.
Posted in Uncategorized
Extreme-aged steak: the gourmet world of meat with mould on
Tony Naylor
The Guardian
You know where you stand with steak, right? Twenty-eight-day aged beef is good. Get up to 35 or even 42 days of dry-ageing and, well, we’re talking ribeye royalty. All that steak needs is béarnaise sauce and a pile of hot, rustling frites, and there you have it: perfection.
Posted in Uncategorized
A Firm Foundation – Cow Buying 101
Soundcloud
Rance Long and Jeff Stansbury discuss starting out in the right foot when establishing your cow herd base. Starting out on the right foot prevents starting over. Picking the right genetic partner, considering your passions and goals and assessing your potential customer base are all keys to success in the beef cattle industry and they dictate the right type of cows to set you up for success in the beef business.
Posted in Uncategorized
Virginia Farm Bureau : is home to growing beef cattle population
4-Traders
Virginia’s cattle population is currently 1.5 million, which is up about 30,000 head from 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With such a high inventory of the state’s cattle and calves, even the shortest drive outside of urban and suburban locations in Virginia is likely to take travelers past a pasture of beef cattle. They’re raised all over the state on about 23,000 farms, and are a major segment of Virginia agriculture.
Posted in Uncategorized
