Baxter Black: Mr. Washington

Baxter Black:  Mr. Washington

Lee Trevino has a street named after him in El Paso. Abraham Lincoln has a town named after him in Nebraska. Monty Montana has his namesake state and I’ve even got some hills named in my honor in South Dakota.

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Is your bull ready for work?

Is your bull ready for work?

Dean Kreager

Ohio Farmer

Should a person wait until the hay is mowed before looking at the rake and baler to fix any problems carried over from last year? Would they head out on a cross-country drive without at least checking the oil and tires? If most people answered no to these questions, then why do so many people just turn their bull in with the cows without first being sure he is ready to do his job?

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Getting the most out of GE-EPDs in cattle marketing

Getting the most out of GE-EPDs in cattle marketing

Jaclyn Krymowski

Progressive Cattle

Genomics, in addition to being a powerful decision-making tool, is finding a new home in cattle marketing. Genetic information in the form of genomically enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPDs) has become an important data point for the marketing business.

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2021 Feedlot Roundtable Webinars

2021 Feedlot Roundtable Webinars

Galen Erickson

University of Nebraska

Beef feedlot managers, owners, employees and allied industries will learn new information related to feedlot management at Nebraska Extension’s 2021 Beef Feedlot Roundtables via webinar in February and March. “We are hoping feedyard employees and managers find useful information here to use in their own operations and can find a flexible time one of these two weeks to join us,” said Galen Erickson, beef feedlot nutrition specialist. “These will replace our in-person meetings we normally provide across the state annually in February.”

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“How do you select a bull for your herd”

“How do you select a bull for your herd”

Dr. Randall Spare

Doc Talk

 

. Today, I’m gonna have a friend a dear friend and colleague Dr. Randall spare. He is the owner and operator of Ashland Veterinary Center down in Ashland, Kansas. He is probably one of the most world-renowned cow, calf and seedstock veterinarians. And today he’s gonna be on the show with us, sharing his expertise on how do you select a bull for your herd?

Fox in the Henhouse – Booker’s Seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee

Fox in the Henhouse – Booker’s Seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee

Jaclyn Krymowski

Protect the Harvest

It’s official – animal extremist political icon Cory Booker (D-NJ) has been appointed to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. This was met with much dismay from the animal agriculture world and not unjustifiably so.

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Being A Veterinarian Takes A Huge Emotional Toll

Being A Veterinarian Takes A Huge Emotional Toll

Kristen Mae

Yahoo News

Years ago, I had a bad experience at a veterinarian’s office. I had reluctantly returned to a vet’s office that had been recommended by a friend. I thought maybe the first time I’d gotten a bad feeling was a fluke; the workers had seemed rushed, had hardly looked at me or my dog, then a puppy, and had tried to upsell me on various products when I checked out.

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OSU: Beef industry to largely weather the effects of mid-February snowstorms

OSU: Beef industry to largely weather the effects of mid-February snowstorms

Donald Stotts

Shawnee News Star

“Cold weather robs production, but the overall effect shows up more as increased costs to cattle operations, feedlots and processors than prices at the grocery store,” said Derrell Peel, OSU Extension livestock marketing specialist and holder of the university’s Charles Breedlove Professorship in Agribusiness.

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Five keys to profitable grass-finished beef

Five keys to profitable grass-finished beef

Greg Halich

Hay and Forage Producer

Many people try to finish cattle on pasture simply by keeping some of their calves and waiting until they are ready for market. While this might work in some situations, having a reasonably good idea of how those calves will grow and building a production system so that they will be finished in conjunction with your marketing needs is a better long-term strategy.

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Cattle And Climate Change

Cattle And Climate Change

John Nalivka

Drovers

We spend a great deal of time analyzing the cattle cycle and the factors that impact the decisions to build or cull down cattle herds in the U.S. I always preface my comments with regard to the cattle cycle that it’s all about forage availability and making or losing money in the cow-calf business.  The cow-calf operation is where it all begins and numerous events, anticipated or unforeseen, short term or long term, can and will occur to change the status quo.

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What a blue Congress could mean for ag

What a blue Congress could mean for ag

Carrie Veselka

Progressive Cattle

Speculation abounds as to what lies ahead with a Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress, along with a Democrat as president. Changes in ag committee leadership in both the Senate and the House officially take effect following the inauguration of former Vice President Joe Biden. The House Democratic Caucus approved Rep. David Scott (D-Georgia) to serve as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in December 2020. Current Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) will replace retiring Senate committee chair Pat Roberts (R-Kansas).

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Beef Producers Could Have More Precise Way to Manage and Select Herds in the Future

Beef Producers Could Have More Precise Way to Manage and Select Herds in the Future

Janese Heavin

A Steak in Genomics™

Beef producers in the future could have a more precise way to determine the productivity of their cattle, thanks to a collaboration between Mizzou Engineering and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR). “The goal is to maximize intake versus the output such as meat production,” said Guilherme DeSouza. “From an engineering point of view, we want to optimize the process.”

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U.S. beef demand stands up during pandemic

U.S. beef demand stands up during pandemic

Barb Glen

The Western Producer

Increased grocery store sales that resulted as consumers began cooking more at home offset decline in restaurant trade
 The wild rodeo of beef demand in 2020 appears to be over, at least in the United States. While many table-service restaurants have closed or offer limited service due to pandemic restrictions, the total impact on beef demand has been minor because supermarkets increased their sales based on consumers’ need to buy food and cook more at home.

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Where’s the beef? Cattle, money missing

Where’s the beef? Cattle, money missing

Patti Dozier

Thomasville Times Enterprise

Cattle valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars are missing — and so is the money.   In late 2020, the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from a local stock yard about bad checks the business received. “A gentleman from Hartford, Alabama, doing business as Bennett Cattle Company, purchased cattle with a check,” said Capt. Tim Watkins, sheriff’s office chief investigator.

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Bill Gates says ditch cows for synthetic beef

Bill Gates says ditch cows for synthetic beef

Brittany A. Roston

Slashgear

Editor’s note: Stories of this ilk are included in the blog to inform those in our industry how agriculture is being presented to and perceived by the public.

It’s no secret that cattle — the kind raised for beef and milk products — are bad for the environment. Various efforts have been introduced to address this problem, including encouraging the public to eat less beef, potential feed changes to reduce emissions, and more. In a recent interview, Bill Gates took things one step farther by calling on wealthy countries to switch entirely to synthetic beef.

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Cattle needs rise as temperatures drop

Cattle needs rise as temperatures drop

Donald Stotts

Claremore Daily Progress

Cattle producers need to follow recommended livestock-care checklists to mitigate significant dangers that arctic blasts bring to animal health and production, said Oklahoma State University experts. Ranchers might not typically think about frozen water sources during a mild winter, for example.

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Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame Announces the 2021 Inductees and Award Winners

Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame Announces the 2021 Inductees and Award Winners

Drovers

The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame has announced its 2021 inductees and award winners who will be recognized at its 12th annual banquet to be held Aug. 9, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee.

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A Different Kind of Land Management: Let the Cows Stomp

A Different Kind of Land Management: Let the Cows Stomp

Henry Fountain

New York Times

Adam Isaacs stood surrounded by cattle in an old pasture that had been overgrazed for years. Now it was a jumble of weeds. “Most people would want to get out here and start spraying it” with herbicides, he said. “My family used to do that.

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Cattle needs rise as temperatures drop

Cattle needs rise as temperatures drop

Shawnee News Star

Cattle producers need to follow recommended livestock-care checklists to mitigate significant dangers that arctic blasts bring to animal health and production, said Oklahoma State University experts. Ranchers might not typically think about frozen water sources during a mild winter, for example.

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Natural Gas Shortage Forces Feedyards to Reformulate Feed

Natural Gas Shortage Forces Feedyards to Reformulate Feed

Tyne Morgan

Agweb

The energy crisis in Texas is now a battle residents have faced for consecutive days. With several days of record cold temperatures, the strain on natural gas supplies are amplified right now. And as residential and electrical needs are prioritized for natural gas supplies available, the shortage is cutting into production for major food suppliers like the feedyards.

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