Baxter Black, DVM: Braymer Bait

Baxter Black, DVM:  Braymer Bait

I started out in the cattle business south of the Little Ear Parallel. That line that runs approximately from Fresno to Atlanta. South of that imaginary boundary cattle with ’a little ear’ do real well. Braymer and braymer cross is what we’re talkin’ here.

Full Story

Untreated Infections Can Become Big Problems

Untreated Infections Can Become Big Problems

Dr. Ken McMillan

DTN

f a cow consumes a piece of wire or a sharp stick, and it breaks the skin, or it has a puncture wound on the lower jaw, it’s easy for an infection to get started. Initially, this infection spreads between tissues and is called cellulitis.

Full Story

Finding & Choosing Custom Feeding Partners

Finding & Choosing Custom Feeding Partners

Warren Rusche

iGrow

Custom cattle feeding can be a “win-win” strategy when done correctly. Feeding someone else’s cattle provides a method to market feedstuffs without tying up the capital required to own the livestock. Custom feeding arrangements allow cattle owners access to management expertise and facilities they may not possess, opportunities to capitalize on superior genetics, and options in the event of feed shortages.

Full Story

Colorado attempts COOL on state level

Colorado attempts COOL on state level

Western Livestock Journal

State House Rep. Kimmi Lewis and state Sen. Vicki Marble, both Republicans, have introduced a bill into the Colorado chambers that would effectively create a state-specific Country-of-Origin Labeling law within Colorado.

Full Story

Finally, commercial producers get the same genetic tools as seedstock

Finally, commercial producers get the same genetic tools as seedstock

Beef Magazine

True, commercial cow/calf operators are beneficiaries of this progress when they make savvy bull decisions.  But still, that commercial rancher is left without a meaningful metric to make selection decisions on replacement females.  At the ground level, producers are using much the same approach that has been used for generations to populate and grow their cow herd.

Full Story

Taking Care of Cattle at the Feedyard

Taking Care of Cattle at the Feedyard

Kansas Beef Council

Meet Dr. Kip, a licensed veterinarian and father of two who is incredibly passionate about taking care of cattle. He was also a student of the famed animal behaviorist Bud Williams, who has helped revolutionize the way cattlemen and cattlewomen approach their relationship with livestock. Dr. Kip is one of the many members of the cattle care team at a feedyard in western Kansas and oversees a significant portion of the yard’s wellness program for the cattle.

Full Story

What can go wrong with swath grazing?

What can go wrong with swath grazing?

Steve Kenyon

Canadian Cattleman

With a little planning and being prepared for what can go wrong, it can lower your labour and equipment costs quite a bit compared to traditional feeding. I hope that you can learn from some of my experiences and try to keep your swath grazing mistakes to a minimum.

Full Story

Foot Abscesses in Cattle

Foot Abscesses in Cattle

Jodi Henke

Agriculture.com

You’ve probably hit your thumb with a hammer once or twice and it painfully swells under the nail. Cattle have the same problem when they have an abscess in their toe. The disease is most commonly seen in young cattle coming into the feedlot from wet, lush pastures. But frozen mud, concrete, and other abrasive surfaces can also break down the hoof.

Full Story

Keeping Water Troughs Thawed With or Without a Heater

Keeping Water Troughs Thawed With or Without a Heater

Clair Thunes

The Horse

Place your trough in such a way that it receives as much full sun as possible. Many northern areas might not see much winter sun, but placing the tank in a south-facing area will increase the odds of as much sunlight as possible during daylight hours.

Full Story

USMARC releases 2017 across-breed EPD tables

USMARC releases 2017 across-breed EPD tables

Beef Magazine

Normally, the EPDs of animals from different breeds cannot be compared because most breed associations compute their EPDs in separate analyses and each breed has a different base point. Thus, EPDs are generally only comparable within breed because of differences in the genetic base.

Full Story