Beef Production
Turning out a subfertile bull means some cows in the herd won’t get bred or bred in a timely manner. Both problems are costly, says Chance Armstrong, DVM, Auburn University. Check out the two scenarios he outlines here.
All classes of cattle sold at higher prices for the week and most are at or near record highs. Supplies of all classes remain extremely tight.
International Genetic Solutions (IGS) recently unveiled a new information resource and video platform for important beef industry topics pertinent to producers’ bottom lines.
Animal nutritionist studies precision livestock management technology to develop cost-effective and noninvasive methods of monitoring feeding behaviors that can make operations more efficient.
ranchers in 2024 have more tools to increase their confidence about management decisions than generations before them. One of these tools is genomic testing, like Igenity® Beef.
Cattle feeding margins improved as prices advanced. Beef packer margins improved but losses remain in triple digits as market-ready supplies remain tight. Pork producer margins gain on higher prices.
Nebraska extension educators answer questions about stocking rates, pasture management following wildfire.
This example evaluates five potential bull purchases and how a rancher can determine which one will provide the most potential return on investment.
Two southeast Colorado ranchers agreed to pay more than $6.5 million in fines and will serve time in prison for tampering with NOAA rain gauges in a scheme to collect federal crop insurance.
Cows have a job, and that job description will vary from ranch to ranch. Have you taken time to write down what cows need to do to earn their keep?
Lean beef trimmings, a key component of ground beef production, have rallied significantly, with the price of 90% lean trimmings quoted over $317 per cwt. the first week of March, an all-time record dating back to 1978.
Beef packers slow harvest lines and scramble for inventory as they attempt to keep a lid on cash prices.
Negotiated cattle prices moved higher again as supplies continue tightening. Packers are caught in significant margin squeeze with marketing leverage continuing to favor cattle feeders.
A cowherd of optimum mature size and milk level relative to a given production environment creates the potential to increase revenue in the form of increased reproductive efficiency.
Ensuring cows are in an adequate nutritional status (body condition score of 5 or 6) and not overfed can help reduce concerns of dystocia and plays a role in determining the quality and quantity of colostrum.
Bulls passing all four parts of a BSE are set up for reproductive excellence. The best achieve a 60% to 65% conception rate every 21 days on healthy, cycling cows, says Dr. Chance Armstrong. Subfertile bulls are costly.
Growing, lactating cows have greater nutrient requirements and smaller rumens than mature cows making it difficult for them to meet their nutrient needs with the same diet as the cow.
Wildfires in the Texas Panhandle caused significant cattle losses for individual ranchers, but should not impact beef cattle markets or consumers, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Once hay is available, priority should be given to providing enough long-stemmed hay to keep the rumen healthy and provide a balanced diet to sustain the animals until adequate spring forage is available.
Cattle feeding margins inched lower last week with rising costs. Packer margins improved but remain in triple digits as market-ready supplies remain tight. Pork producers turn a profit for the first time in 14 months.
Trailblazers receive in-depth training to become expert communicators, excel in media interviews and understand how to build confidence in beef-related practices when talking to consumers.
Selecting heifers that will have the optimum mature size and milk level to fit our production system, breed quickly, wean a calf annually and have longevity is important for the success of your ranch.
After burning for more than six days, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma was only 15% contained Sunday morning. Drifting sand now poses a threat to rural roads.
The set of products included in total by-product values is quite varied and includes edible offals, inedible offals, meat. bone and blood meal, edible and inedible tallow, hides, and pharmaceutical products.
All classes of cattle and futures prices moved higher for the week ending March 1. April live cattle closed at the highest level since early November.
Comparing cutout values across USDA quality grades and Certified Angus Beef® brand carcasses provides the quality pricing component of fed cattle values for grid and many formula sales.
Cattle feeding margins improved significantly the past month, crossing into positive territory last week. Beef packers continue to struggle with tight supplies. Pork producers reach breakeven.
Since 2011, dairy cows evaluated using genetic testing has doubled every five years to exceed 1 million annually. That reduced sire generation interval to the point where genetic improvement is at the biological limit.
Calving distribution is a go-to production measure for its ease and the information it provides. Finding cost effective ways to front load our calving season can have significant financial benefits.
The feedlot inventory as a percentage of the total inventory has increased over time, and the declining number of feeder cattle means there are not sufficient feeder cattle to maintain feedlot inventories this year.