Welcome to the largest collection of articles, tips and advice for the cow-calf sector. You will find information ranging from management to prices and more.
Cow-calf producers are constantly bombarded with decisions and challenges as it relates to herd health, nutrition, retaining versus purchasing heifers, sire selection, timing of marketing and the list could continue.
Cold and wet weather have added to the calving challenges of Iowa cow-calf producers. Iowa State University Extension beef specialist Beth Doran said both are ideal conditions for contributing to calf scours.
This time of year, cattle producers begin looking for a new bull according to Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension regional livestock field specialist.
The process of “calving” or parturition in beef cattle is defined by three stages. Stage I occurs about 4 to 24 hours prior to calving. The major event during stage I is the dilation of the cervix.
Flooding in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa continues to impact cattlemen, right in the middle of calving season. Additional moisture this week, will aggravate the situation even more, meteorologists say.
Corral work is a stressful time. It can also be a place where cattle learn being in a herd is a bad place to be, which has negative effects for gathering, driving and settling cattle as a herd.
The USDA Cattle report was released last week and it showed an estimated 0.5 percent growth in all cattle and calves for a total of 94.8 million head in the U.S. on January 1, 2019.
The survey of cattle producers indicates all cattle and calves as of January 1 totaled 94.76 million head which is a 0.5 percent increase from one year ago.
March could be the hardest month of the year on beef cattle according to Eldon Cole, field specialist in livestock with University of Missouri Extension.
While the vast majority of respondents in Drover’s latest poll are wearing Muck Boots on their farm, several reader opinions were submitted in the comment section offering critique and highlighting new options.
USDA continues to catch up on reports stalled by the shutdown and as part of catching up released the January Cattle on Feed report on February 22, and the Cattle Inventory report will be released February 28.
Even with nighttime feeding, a few calves still will be born in the coldest nighttime hours. These wet newborns may become hypothermic or cold stressed.