Beef Production
Make sure your bulls are in good body condition, possessing structural soundness and are able to produce high quality semen ahead of breeding turnout with the females.
National Beef Packing Company, LLC, announced plans to increase processing capacity and production at its Iowa Premium facility located in Tama, Iowa. Capacity is expected to be increased to 2,500 head per day.
Recent updates were announced to the Red Angus Feeder Calf Certification Program to make it more user friendly for producers who are using the program to increase profits.
Federally inspected weekly slaughter totaled 18,000 head fewer than the prior week. That was mainly because one packing plant was dark on Friday and possibly Saturday for cooler cleaning.
Breeding season is just around the corner and it’s time to consider your investment in genetics to maximize the profit potential of the calves that will be born next year.
The subject of herd improvement is more nuanced than, “Buy better bulls.” Yet, that’s a pretty foundational place start.
Heifers that calve unassisted do a better job of raising that calf, have shorter rebreeding intervals and calf earlier the following year. When calving ease as a priority, several selection tools are available.
Cattlemen experienced a wide variety of weather across the Central Plains and mountain states last week, bringing much-needed moisture along with some unwelcome cold temperatures.
Veterinarians remind ranchers to keep calving best practices in place for the healthiest herd possible, including good vaccination programs, clean calving environments and good nutrition.
The value of the U.S. dollar has weakened substantially in the past year and CoBank analysts expect it to experience modest deflation in 2021. This may be good news or not-so-good news depending on the commodity.
Cash fed cattle traded at steady money for a sixth consecutive week. A late-winter storm brought some much-needed moisture to the High Plains.
The calendar still read January the last time cattle prices saw an advance. Cattle feeders believed they were gaining market leverage and demand might soon spike. Instead, cattle finished a sixth week trading steady.
There’s no bull about it, artificial insemination has come a long way since its first use in dairy cattle during the late 1930s. While the technology has vastly changed, the basic principles still remain.
The Hamilton Ranch in Kansas’ Flint Hills has been listed by Hall & Hall. The 5,152-acre ranch is comprised mostly of native prairie grasses and is located in Greenwood County.
The product offers proven performance against Mannheimia haemolytica, while adding protection against common viral causes of BRD, including BVD Types 1 and 2 and IBR.
Through colostrum intake, the calf receives passive immunity from its mother to help protect it from diseases early in life. It is essential that calves receive quality colostrum as soon as possible following birth.
Whether your lawn or cow pastures, cutting off the old allows fresh growth.
For the second consecutive week, feeder cattle auction receipts increased substantially following February’s storms. Prices, however, declined again for the second week as demand was called moderate to good.
There appeared to be more cattle trade than what we have seen for several weeks, but with only one or two packers needing cattle it was difficult for feeders to push the market higher.
Feeder cattle markets have bounced back from the brutal February storm just in time for the termination of winter grazing of dual-purpose wheat.
Beef packers continued to maintain their strangle-hold on the market this week. Rising boxed beef cutout prices will pad packer profits – likely to exceed $400 per head.
Norbrook, Inc. launches Cefenil® RTU – generic ceftiofur hydrochloride injectable for treating common diseases like swine bacterial respiratory disease and foot rot, bovine respiratory disease and metritis in cattle.
The two weeks in the middle of the month marked by extreme weather and insufficient fed cattle to harvest-space put a cap on cattle prices as packers found themselves well-supplied.
There are few no-risk options in the cattle business, but calves with reputation, high-growth potential and a well-executed health program should provide cattle feeders with relatively fewer health challenges.
Auction markets noted firm demand and a stronger undertone last week for grazing cattle with spring now less than a month away. Auctions were in full-swing again after the previous week’s winter storms.
DVMs Bob Larson and Jennifer Koziol will discuss how to evaluate bulls so only those that can get a high percentage of exposed cows pregnant in a short period of time are turned out into the breeding pasture this spring.
Packers, as usual, were in a position of leverage and needed very little cattle for the next week’s harvest. This continues to be the biggest problem with driving the cash price higher.
U.S. beef exports are expected to increase modestly in 2021 to reach the second highest level behind the 2018 export record. A key to export growth includes continued growth in the China/Hong Kong market.
The latest Drovers Pulse Poll found calf care would take the top priority if cost wasn’t an issue.
Montana ranchers embrace holistic management to improve the natural resource.