Drovers
Monthly fed cattle net returns have been negative since December 2014. A few months ago, it appeared that we would climb above breakeven this spring. However, that was before the recent drop in fed cattle prices.
Recent changes in beef production have implications for the timing and possibly for total beef production for 2016.
Feeder futures have become increasingly volatile in ways that often appear unrelated to market fundamentals.
Small grains planted last fall are greening up and may be ready to graze soon. This spring, let’s make sure these pastures are productive and safe.
The devastating fire caused evacuations of several communities, herds of cattle have been corralled for safety and a state of disaster emergency has been put in place for Kansas.
Cattle feeders and veterinarians should keep an eye out for E. coli O165:H25, an enterohemorrhagic strain that can cause disease in cattle and potentially poses a food-safety hazard for humans.
Two research studies at the University of Nebraska suggest that the key information needed to identify heifers most likely to be successful as replacements is known the day the heifers are born.
Feed conversions of calves fed creep feeds have been quite variable to say the least.
Many cow-calf producers are asking whether artificial insemination (AI) or natural service bulls are more cost effective for their herd.
One of our best tools for increasing beef production is steroid implants. They’re also one of the most misunderstood technologies by consumers.
Key performance indicators, also known as KPIs, can assist beef producers in measuring factors crucial to an operation.
It appears herd expansion has tapered off as feedlots start to increase inventories with heifers.
For five decades, my family has been ranching in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Nearly every one of those years we’ve taken in stocker cattle for our custom grazing business.
Less beef was shipped to Mexico, Canada and Philippines than last year.
There are many different paths to success for young producers in the cattle business.
“Collectively, we all seemed to enter spring bull sale season with a fist full of hope and a duffle bag filled with cynicism.”
Recently, over 8,000 acres of native range burned in the Nebraska Sandhills. These types of disasters often leave producers in a forage shortage for the summer.
New bulls need to be managed carefully between delivery and the start of breeding season to maximize the return on the investment in new genetics.
Select for fertility and use estrus synchronization and artificial insemination practices to improve profits.
Tyson Foods Inc. has announced a proposal to build a new processing facility near its existing poultry plant in Green Forest, Ark.
The oldest USDA Process Verified Program in existence, the Red Angus Feeder Calf Certification Program, which cattlemen have come to recognize quickly with the distinctive yellow tag that denotes Red Angus-genetic feeder calves, is setting new sales records.
Correct administration of any injection is a critical control point in beef production and animal health.
Antibodies in colostrum provide calves with their initial protection.
The derailment of an Amtrak passenger train last month in Kansas that injured more than two dozen people occurred at a site where there had been damage to the track that has been traced to a grain truck, federal authorities said Thursday.
The fifth generation of Careys is still ranching in the Boulder Valley, Mont., after buying their first land here in 1896.
Firefighters battling a large wildfire in northwestern Oklahoma caught a break Thursday from diminished winds, but forecasters warned that other areas of the Midwest are at risk for pop-up fires because of dry air and strong gusts.
Take time now during the peak of lactation to write down which fall-calving cows have unsound udders.
Beef producers have seen trends in cattle type come and go, from the short and fat dwarf cattle of the 1950s to excessively large-framed giants of the 1970s and 80s.