Creep-Feeding Economics

Creep-Feeding Economics

Becky Mills
DTN

When calf prices are sky high, creep feeding often comes down to simple math. As the market trends down, however, it’s an iffier proposition—unless the motivation is more than economic. For cattleman Lindy Sheppard, the practice is about filling in forage gaps for a select group of fall-born calves.

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Controlling Feedlot Dust

Controlling Feedlot Dust

Jodi Henke

Successful Farming

Cattle laze around the feedlot during the heat of the day but when they start moving later in the afternoon, they kick up a lot of dust and dried manure. When the wind goes down, it just hangs in the air. It’s a nuisance, can cause animal health and performance issues, and make your neighbors cranky if they’re covered with it.

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Study: Zinc has vital role in bull fertility

Study: Zinc has vital role in bull fertility

Rae Price

Western Livestock Journal

Zinc plays a key role in promoting male fertility, according to findings by researchers at the University of Missouri (MU). The discovery has implications for improved in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination (AI) in livestock and for human infertility diagnostics and therapies.

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Increase Value of Silage

Increase Value of Silage

Kasey Brown

Angus Beef Bulletin Extra

High-quality silages facilitate ration balancing and allow you to achieve higher production goals. Even though creating silage may seem a simple process, much can go wrong. Gaps between ideal fermentation cost money. For example, research has shown that not inoculating can result in 4.71% losses, says Bob Charley, forage products manager with Lallemand

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Economic Crisis Rattles Venezuelan Cattle Ranchers

Economic Crisis Rattles Venezuelan Cattle Ranchers

John Otis

National Public Radio

In Venezuela, the food shortage there is such a crisis that millions of Venezuelans have left the country. In the western plains, ranchers and dairy farmers find themselves pushing up many factors preventing them from ramping up production – everything from gasoline shortages to cattle rustlers. John Otis reports.

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Three Ways to Take Action against Lepto hardjo-bovis

Three Ways to Take Action against Lepto hardjo-bovis

Drovers

From early embryonic deaths to lower pregnancy rates, stillbirths, abortions and even weakened calves, Lepto hardjo-bovis impacts all stages of beef cattle reproduction. With minimal clinical signs along with these reproductive inefficiencies, the presence of leptospirosis can quickly affect herd profitability.

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My first cutting is just “cow hay” — now what?

My first cutting is just “cow hay” — now what?

Jimmy Henning

Ohio Ag Net | Ohio’s Country Journal

Late cut hay is a fact of life in Kentucky. There are worse things. Drought, for example. It is no failure if some first cuttings of hay are late, or rain damaged for that matter. The list of things that have to get done in May never ends for the part-time, diversified farmers that form the bulk of the beef cattle producers.

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Quality genetics and thoughtful selection are king

Quality genetics and thoughtful selection are king

Rachel Gabel

The Fence Post

Program cattle verified and marketed reflect a marriage between what some consumers and producers mutually value. At Superior’s Week in the Rockies sale, program cattle topped the sale, including several loads from Brush, Colo.’s Leo Basler and Sons, Ed and Leslie Basler, and Basler Ranch and Hermes Genetics. The SimAngus steers weighing 640 brought in $175 per cwt.

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Researchers look for traits to help cattle beat the heat

Researchers look for traits to help cattle beat the heat

Janelle Atyeo

Rapid City Journal

Wearing black isn’t the best plan for staying cool on a hot summer day, so with Midwest temperatures rising, producers may need to reconsider their preference for black cattle. “Heat stress is a major limiting factor in beef production,” Dr. Raluca Mateescu said.

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Heat stress can reduce pregnancy rates

Heat stress can reduce pregnancy rates

Stillwater News Press

The effects of heat stress on reproductive performance of beef cows has been discussed by many animal scientists in a variety of ways. In scientific literature available up to 1979, one scientist (Christenson, R.K. 1980, J. Anim. Sci. 51: Suppl II: 53.) wrote that the most serious seasonal variation in reproductive performance was associated with high ambient temperatures and humidity. He further pointed out that pregnancy rates and subsequent calving rates of 10 to 25% were common cows bred in July through September.

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Understanding Management of Poison Weeds in Hay

Understanding Management of Poison Weeds in Hay

Justin Brackenrich and Jessica A. Williamson, Ph.D

Ohio Beef Cattle Letter

Much like 2018, the unpredictable weather of 2019 has led to later and more “between rain” cuttings of hay in Pennsylvania. The biggest concerns of this unpredictable cutting schedule are reduced forage quality, damage to fields due to wet conditions, and the encroachment and establishment of weeds. Reducing forage quality due to late cutting is always concerning, and muddy meadows are not something pleasurable to deal with, but the management of weeds, especially when we consider their potential to contain toxins, can quickly become a producer’s biggest nightmare.

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Herding Dogs: Border Collie VS. Australian Cattle Dog

Herding Dogs: Border Collie VS. Australian Cattle Dog

Dogumentary TV

Rachel Maness is a lifelong Cattle Dog owner and relative newbie to the Border Collie. In this video she breaks down her experience working with both breeds as well as living with them as pets. The Border Collie is a working and herding dog breed developed in the Anglo-Scottish border region for herding livestock, especially sheep. It was specifically bred for intelligence and obedience. The Australian Cattle Dog (ACD), or simply Cattle Dog, is a breed of herding dog originally developed in Australia for droving cattle over long distances across rough terrain.

Stock dogs. Man’s best friend for moving livestock

Stock dogs. Man’s best friend for moving livestock

Greg Berg

Canadian Cattlemen

At last week’s Ag in Motion, stock dog handler and trainer Jared Epp offered a demonstration and shared his experiences of how man’s best friend can be a valuable tool to help move livestock in the field.

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What Gets To Be A ‘Burger’? States Restrict Labels On Plant-Based Meat

What Gets To Be A ‘Burger’? States Restrict Labels On Plant-Based Meat

Alina Selyukh

National Public Radio

It’s a case of animal versus vegetable — and the steaks are high.  A growing number of states have been passing laws saying that only foods made of animal flesh should be allowed to carry labels like “meat,” “sausage,” “jerky,” “burger” or “hot dog.”  Who has a beef with this deal? Makers of plant-based foods, of course — like Tofurky.

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Register for Upcoming Stockmanship and Stewardship Workshops

Register for Upcoming Stockmanship and Stewardship Workshops

John Maday

Drovers

The well-regarded Stockmanship and Stewardship training programs continue this summer, with the next event scheduled for August 9 and 10 in Fort Collins Colorado. NCBA sponsors the program, with support from Merck Animal Health and the Beef Checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program.

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Tips to break the fluke life cycle in cattle

Tips to break the fluke life cycle in cattle 

Zoetis

If you’re grazing cattle in coastal areas or river bottom pastures, then your cattle may be at risk for picking up liver flukes. It’s important to consider control measures as conditions in these areas support the fluke life cycle.

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A Legend

A Legend

AJSA National Classic Program

Growing up in the cattle business and getting his start in 4-H, Bill Couch began on a journey that would lead him to being known as a legend in the industry. Couch grew up in Owensville, Ind., where he assisted his dad and uncle with their operation, Couch Brothers Polled Herefords. This entry to the industry led him across the country to build operations, judge shows and exhibit champions.
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Cargill pledges to cut methane emissions from its beef business

Cargill pledges to cut methane emissions from its beef business 

Gregory Meyer

Financial Times

Cargill plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its beef business by almost a third in the next decade as pressure builds on meat companies to address their climate impact. The Minnesota-based agribusiness is the world’s largest supplier of ground beef, slaughtering cattle at six US and two Canadian packing plants. The environmental cost of beef production has drawn scrutiny and sparked demand for plant-based alternatives to the hamburger.

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Antibiotic and ionophore usage in cattle

Antibiotic and ionophore usage in cattle

Dan Lima

Farm and Dairy

Beef producers have readjusted to multiple changes and mandates in the way the beef industry has run in the past three years alone; these changes do not even include the fluctuating prices from 2014. Farmers and ranchers have had to stay dynamic and resilient to stay current and at times legal in their profession.

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Cattlemen’s Beef Board executives detail recent beef leadership trip to Taiwan and Japan

Cattlemen’s Beef Board executives detail recent beef leadership trip to Taiwan and Japan

The Fence Post

Chuck Coffey, chairman, and Jared Brackett, vice chairman, of the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion & Research Board recently traveled to Taiwan and Japan as part of a U.S. contingent exploring opportunities for U.S. beef in those countries. The week-long trip took place May 4-11, 2019.

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