Marketing cattle to maximize value

Marketing cattle to maximize value

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

Beef Magazine

Many producers do a good job of raising calves, taking care of cattle and keeping them healthy. Marketing, on the other hand, is often the most challenging part of their program, reducing potential profit. It can be challenging to market cattle at optimum times. There are many ways to market calves, yearlings and cull cows or bulls, but we don’t always market them strategically — or with the least cost.

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Tips for successful cornstalk grazing

Tips for successful cornstalk grazing

Michaela King

Hay and Forage Grower

Harvest is underway in most of the country, and as corn is being harvested, a huge feed resource is being left behind. Cornstalk grazing is an excellent way to extend grazing economically and provide cattle with extra nutrients before winter.

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Salmonella proves to be a problem in beef, too

Salmonella proves to be a problem in beef, too

Sam Robinson

St. Louis Public Radio

“It was always our working assumption that E. coli interventions should be controlling Salmonella,” said James Marsden, professor of animal science at Kansas State University. “E. coli is transferred from the beef hide to the carcass and works its way through the system. We thought this is what Salmonella did as well.”

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Late Gestation Supplementation in Beef

Late Gestation Supplementation in Beef

Jackie Walling

American Society of Animal Science

A recent article published in Translational Animal Science investigated the effects and interaction of weaning date and late gestation supplementation on productivity in a spring calving system. Measures included cow reproductive performance, heifer progeny growth, and reproduction performance, and steer progeny growth, feedlot performance, and carcass characteristics.

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Avoid excess hay loss with proper storage

Avoid excess hay loss with proper storage

Michaela King

Hay and Forage Grower

Hay is a great option for feed, however, without an effective storage strategy, a significant amount of money and quality will be lost. Economists estimate the total value of hay storage and feeding losses nationwide is close to $3 billion annually.

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South Dakota Cattleman to U.S. Senate Committee: American Beef is Climate Change Solution

South Dakota Cattleman to U.S. Senate Committee: American Beef is Climate Change Solution

NCBA

South Dakota cattle producer Todd Wilkinson today told a U.S. Senate subcommittee that contrary to the claims of some environmental and anti-animal-agriculture activists, “American beef production and consumption is a climate change solution.”

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Beef Industry Long Range Plan Task Force Begins Year-Long Process

Beef Industry Long Range Plan Task Force Begins Year-Long Process

Drovers

Updated every five years, the Beef Industry Long Range Plan is the standard by which the beef industry focuses on one strategic direction, identifying key areas to advance beef demand.

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Grazing Soybeans

Grazing Soybeans

Katie Pratt

Angus Beef Bulletin

Producers can graze and harvest drought-stressed soybeans for baleage and hay, but they need to make careful considerations before doing so, says Chris Teutsch, extension forage specialist with the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

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Cargill resumes receiving cattle at Kansas beef plant after blast

Cargill resumes receiving cattle at Kansas beef plant after blast

Julie Ingwersen

Reuters

Cargill resumed receiving cattle for slaughter at its Dodge City, Kansas, beef plant on Monday after an explosion last week, a company spokesman said.  The explosion, which occurred Oct. 17 in a stand-alone building outside the main facility and injured two workers, prompted the company to suspend some shifts last week and stop receiving livestock.

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Stocker Density for Transport

Stocker Density for Transport

Dr. Ken McMillan

DTN

There are hauling guidelines based on animal weights and trailer size you can look at to help you determine number of animals to load. To give you an idea, let’s look at a stock trailer with a compartment weight of 8,000 pounds. If you are hauling cows that weigh 1,200 each, you could put six head in that trailer.

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