Historically low current US cowherd inventories and limited evidence of heifer retention indicates the robust markets we currently enjoy should be sustained for at least the next couple of years.
Aside from traditional calf weaning methods, the concept of "fenceline weaning" is worth considering for cow-calf producers looking to decrease stress and maintain health in their calves.
Selling home-raised bred cows that may be approaching their cyclical peak in market price with that income taxed at a capital gains rate rather than as ordinary income could be a significant wealth building advantage!
A producer asked Beef Cattle Institute experts to address how to give medical care to an animal in the field. Options listed: darting, roping, trailering or walking to a facility, doing nothing. What would you choose?
Peter Amer says beef improvement is a road trip that deserves reflection. Looking back at the ground that has been covered in the past, seeing where we are now and facing forward for potential forks in the road ahead.
The August Ag Economists' Monthly Monitor asked economists when they think cattle herd expansion will start to take place. The majority think cattle contraction will continue for at least another year.
A picture is worth 1,000 words, but are great pictures of your livestock worth more than that? Chelsee Camblin shares the value in high-quality visuals of cattle and how to make picture day go smoothly.
After six weeks running in the red, beef packers jumped back into positive margins after last week’s wholesale beef rally. Pork producers remain profitable.
Anaplasmosis is transmitted through the bite of ticks and flies, as well as blood contaminated instruments like needles, tattoo tools, castration equipment and dehorning instruments.
Increased adoption of beef on dairy crossbreeding will primarily benefit dairy producers, but other sectors of the beef supply chain stand to benefit as well.
Precision animal management is an oft used term with a view toward the future state of livestock management. The challenge with precision management systems is they often lack simplicity in technology application.
The beef market is sizzling hot and dairy producers have not only noticed but have taken action to capitalize on securing an alternative profit source to their bottom line.
The heat is no joke, especially for cattle producers across the country as they look for ways to keep cattle cool and comfortable. Here's what some producers are doing.
As we move into late summer and early fall, we begin think about weaning time. Getting those calves on feed is critical, requiring a good diet and proper feed management.
Depending on the size of the animal, viscosity of the product and administration protocols, a variety of needles might be needed. Here’s some guidelines to help decide.
Marketing replacement heifers and bred heifers can be a great method of diversifying your income stream. However, knowing how to display the value of these heifers is a critical component of making it successful.
While fall calving is often easier than calving in the winter and early spring, when temperatures are high, it can create unhealthy conditions for calves.
Although drought persists north and south of Oklahoma, forage conditions have improved greatly in the state this summer. July was the seventh wettest July on record in Oklahoma.
Fed cattle trade was called moderate to active in all regions with lower prices. Friday's cattle on feed report saw significant reductions in feedyard placements.
Dr. Troy Rowan with the University of Tennessee discussed sequencing strategies to enhance the next generation of genetic evaluations during the Beef Improvement Federation Symposium July 4 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Have you ever looked at a feed analysis and thought the information was confusing? A forage analysis is an important tool to improve profitability when developing nutritional programs for all classes of beef cattle.
Weaning stressors include removal from the dam, nutritional changes, a new environment, and altered social structure. Understanding this time allows a better understanding of the importance of a 45-day weaning period.
Following over a year of drought, a recent poll of Drovers readers shared pasture conditions across the U.S and Canada. With varying degrees of improvement, here's an inside look at current pasture and range conditions.
Dynamic cattle and grain market conditions mean that producers will need to carefully and frequently evaluate stocker budget prospects this fall prior to stocker purchase.
Cattle inventories simply are not large enough for the packer to build any market leverage. Reluctantly, packers bought cattle at steady to higher money and cowboys will seek more this week.
Cash cattle trade was sluggish as feeders and packers dig in their heels. Feeder cattle and calf prices continue marching higher even as drought sends some early-weaned calves to market.
SRM released a report titled “Rangeland Ecosystem Services: Connecting Nature and People” which defines five services and how ranchers can impact those services through range management.
Austin Kings, rural crimes investigator for Missouri Highway Patrol, takes a look at how a criminal might view your farm and home—what they see that producers don’t, and how producers can prevent becoming a target.
Weaning can be a stressful period for livestock and humans but making the extra effort to reduce stress on calves can lead to increased performance in the form of less illness and increased weight gain.
Cattle feeders continue to gain market leverage as packers see pressure from declining wholesale beef prices. Pork producer margins remain solidly in the black.
During drought, beef producers might find a best friend in their local veterinarian, says University of Missouri Extension veterinary toxicologist Tim Evans.
One of the most important tools for livestock producers is a sharp No. 2 pencil. The pencil and some basic arithmetic can help take the emotion out of desperate measures to find feed.
Cattle feeders were rewarded in last week's standoff with higher prices in all regions. Packers will continue to slow harvest rates in an effort to hold the market in check.
Grounded by his family but propelled by vision, Trey Wasserburger is the energetic force behind creating more processing capacity for local cattle producers.
Despite sharply higher cattle prices, there is no data to suggest heifer retention or enough decrease in beef cow slaughter to initiate herd expansion, although the most recent weekly slaughter data are encouraging.
Packers are picking around the edges and dragging their feet when looking at higher asking prices, but the bull market remains in place with the cattle feeder gaining leverage each week.
Cow-calf producers are looking at the potential for significant profits for 2023 due to high calf prices. This income may give cow-calf producers the rare opportunity to invest capital back into the ranch.
When buying a 4-H steer or other beef animal from a local producer, how much beef can you expect after processing? Check out these tips to calculate how much meat one beef animal will return.
Drought stressed forages can be high in nitrates and potentially toxic for cattle, but with careful management there are options for ranchers to utilize those forages.
Cattle producers on the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border, Arron Nerbas shares how implementing bale grazing and focusing on genetic selections has allowed their family to maximize their time and land resources each year.
Composting livestock manure will increase the volume reduction compared to stockpiling, as well as reduce internal and external parasites, pathogens and weed seeds.
Packers have reduced harvest and employed other tactics in an effort to regain positive margins. Pork producer margins took another step higher as lean carcass prices advance.
Dry lotting cows can be a feasible way to allow pasture recovery, while feeding grain, forage, and crop stover to pairs. The system allows closer observation of the herd and low weaning stress.
