Mark Parker: The Top 10 signs you’re farm folk

Mark Parker:  The Top 10 signs you’re farm folk

FarmTalk

10. You’ve treated a child’s ‘owie’ with something you got from the vet.
11. There’s a blue corduroy jacket in your closet that doesn’t fit very well.

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Wait! Wait! Is Your Pasture Ready to Graze?

Wait! Wait! Is Your Pasture Ready to Graze?

Bethany Johnson

University of Nebraska

The last year has been difficult to manage for pasture health and production. First, some rangelands are recovering from poor precipitation received during last year’s growing season. Now, cool weather this spring lowered the average soil temperature.

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Hay Prices Skyrocket as Pasture Growth Delayed

Hay Prices Skyrocket as Pasture Growth Delayed

WHOTV

Farmers often have to worry about commodity prices, it’s how they earn a living. But this year, hay prices are a concern. It is four times the usual amount. Around this time of the year, cows have normally been out to pasture for a couple weeks. But there’s still a lot of farmers feeding hay.

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Tips offered on transitioning a bull from a presale feeding ration to being ready to work.

Tips offered on transitioning a bull from a presale feeding ration to being ready to work.

Heather Smith Thomas

Angus Beef Bulletin Extra

Many bulls purchased at a bull sale have been overfed to some degree and confined during their growing months. Now, they must suddenly adjust to being on pasture and breeding cows. Most of them need a little time to make the transition.

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Warm-season baleage viable alternative to dry hay

Warm-season baleage viable alternative to dry hay

Kim Mullenix

Progressive Cattleman

In the last decade, there has been an increasing interest in baleage production in the Southeast. Baleage, or high-moisture forage baled and ensiled at 40 to 60 percent moisture, may provide an alternative source of stored high-quality forage during the winter months compared with traditional hay feeding systems.

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Warning! Brazil’s Overlooked Threat to America’s Beef Industry

Warning! Brazil’s Overlooked Threat to America’s Beef Industry

Bill Bullard

Lifezette

Washington has become increasingly vigilant of late when it comes to the prospect of key U.S. assets being sold to China. Such concerns are understandable, noting Beijing’s systematic efforts to dominate global industry through state-sponsored enterprises, massive subsidies, intellectual property theft, and currency manipulation.

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Researchers investigate cattle antibiotic use and impact on beef

Researchers investigate cattle antibiotic use and impact on beef

Ken Anderson

Brownfield News

Researchers at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in Nebraska say the normal use of antibiotics in cattle has minimal impact on the levels of antimicrobial resistance in beef. “When we get down to meat, and we have study that’s under review right now, we see no difference in resistance between meats that have been produced conventionally—where antibiotics were used—and meats that were produced without the use of antibiotics,” says Dr. John Schmidt, a microbiologist in the meat safety and quality research unit at USMARC.

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The Benefits of Adding Yeast Cultures to Creep Feeds

The Benefits of Adding Yeast Cultures to Creep Feeds

Twig Marston

Drovers

There are several opportunities to increase both feed efficiency and weight gain with creep feeds. Just as cattle genetics and management practices have advanced over the last several generations, nutritional knowledge and practices have evolved. This has allowed calves to continually improve, meeting the increasing demands of cattle producers and consumers alike.

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Oklahoma wildfires kill hundreds of cattle, blacken pastures

Oklahoma wildfires kill hundreds of cattle, blacken pastures

Theopolis Waters

Reuters

Wind-driven wildfires that began in mid-April, fueled by severe drought, have killed hundreds of cattle and destroyed more than 300,000 acres in Oklahoma, authorities said on Monday. Oklahoma has been grappling with several wildfires this month, including the Rhea Fire in the western part of the state.

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Drought forcing cattle producers to face ‘critical decisions’

Drought forcing cattle producers to face ‘critical decisions’

Krissa Welshans

Feed Stuffs

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor showed rapid expansion of the area in exceptional drought (D4) to 38 million acres and another 126 million acres in extreme drought (D3) conditions. Some areas within the drought region did receive some rain over the last couple of weeks, but Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist Derrell Peel said while it was enough to slow the expansion of drought, it was not enough to reduce drought conditions without additional moisture.

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