Beef Production
Back-to-back blizzards in April meant the Veeders battled Mother Nature at the height of calving season. While they did everything they could to save newborn calves, they also saw relief in the form of vital moisture.
Nearly one-third of Florida’s ranches suffered significant damage from Hurricane Ian with the state estimating losses of $215 to $262 million.
Now is the time for administering boosters to the cowherd and “branding time” for fall calves. Vaccination programs started at branding time can reduce disease and death losses.
Cattle feeders refused some early bids last week and were rewarded with higher prices in all areas, resulting in another opportunity to clean up show lists.
The American Hereford Association’s 2023 Hereford Feedout program is accepting enrollments.
Estimating forage usage by cows is an important part of the task of calculating winter feed needs. Hay or standing forage intake must be estimated in order to make the calculations.
The volume of feeder cattle sold in Oklahoma increased nearly 20% from mid-July to mid-October as a result of the drought. Since then, volumes have been down and likely smaller through November.
Low-stress cattle handling methods have been discussed and promoted for many years, but could implementing low-stress handling techniques influence animal performance and improve your bottom line?
Rapidly rising wholesale beef prices kept packers actively looking to add inventory this week. Choice boxed beef closed Friday $16.64 per cwt. higher than two weeks ago.
On June 11, 2023, over-the-counter antibiotics will no longer be available through traditional retail channels. Instead, these antibiotics will now require a prescription from a licensed veterinarian.
Dave Nichols, K-State University Animal Science & Industry professor emeritus, has been awarded the 2022 Mark and Eva Gardiner Innovation and Excellence Faculty award.
No doubt, most cattle producers have had to work out a situation with a calf that is no longer able to nurse its mama. Here’s some tips to help get that calf up and off to the races.
Assess the ages of your herd bulls and current feed costs. Culling older herd bulls now and re-populating with young bulls next spring can add long-term genetic advantages beyond just the savings in winter feed bills.
Mature, non-lactating, spring-calving cows with a body condition score of five or greater will not need supplemental protein when grazing corn residue in favorable weather at an appropriate stocking rate.
An analysis of costs of BRD shows days on feed increase while slaughter weight, carcass weight and carcass quality decreased when steers required treatment once, twice, or three or more times during receiving.
Approaching the time when most spring born calves are sold, it’s a time for producers to make culling decisions for their cow-calf operations. Along with the 3 O’s, consider these cow culling suggestions.
“Progress means that we are measuring improvement, coming up with a benchmark and knowing where we are today and where we want to go,” says Debbie Lyons-Blythe of Blythe Family Farms, an operation near White City, Kan.
Cattle feeders held out for higher money last week and the result was the highest cash prices in seven years. The week’s harvest of 673,000 head was the third largest of the year.
USDA reported the first year-over-year decrease in feedlot inventories since December 2021, but the decline came from steer numbers as heifers on feed were up 1.4%.
Cash cattle trade was called active with packers seeking to add inventory. Retailer buying was also active as they anticipate a seasonal slowdown in supplies.
Poor implanting techniques can significantly impact how well implants work and can result in poor gains, feed conversion and behavior issues.
Heading into the next several winter months, how will you keep your “breeding athletes” prepared for the season to come?
Faced with conditions where it will likely be valuable to buy or retain calves this fall to sell as feeders next spring, producers should evaluate options in self-fed rations.
There are many challenges surrounding resilient liver flukes, but a combination of education and action will help all producers take them on.
Conducting a hay inventory now will give you a good idea of possible deficiencies before winter arrives.
Using species specific qualitative analysis for a more holistic approach to internal parasite control.
Producers must assess inventories of all resources to determine the best course of action to maximize their profit potential, including considering how feed resources are best used.
The iGENDEC product was developed with the financial support of a USDA NIFA grant with the aim of helping enterprises make genetic selection decisions that are specific to their unique circumstances.
Beef packers would like to own more cattle but they’re afraid showing their hand will only raise asking prices. Moderate trade occurred in all regions at slightly higher money.
Grazing regrowth on irrigated alfalfa fields is likely in fall grazing plans for many producers. However, alfalfa has several challenges to grazing from animal and plant health perspective.