Nutrition

With fall grazing upon us, some areas of the Midwest and Central Plains have been blessed with plenty of precipitation this year and other areas are still experiencing drought conditions.

Does feeding whole soybeans to growing or finishing cattle make economic sense?

Although no animals have even been placed yet onto Southern Plains wheat pastures, as indicated
in the prior article, conditions currently are quite favorable

The 2018 extended drought in southwest Missouri has left pastures and hayfields with few forages left at the end of summer according to Tim Schnakenberg, field specialist in agronomy, University of Missouri Extension.

Forage growers in Mississippi are trying to keep insects from making meals out of their hayfields and compromising their stockpiles of winter feed.

The growing season in Wisconsin and other areas in the upper Midwest this year has been a challenge. 

Test baled cornstalks for nitrate levels and feed them to cattle with caution, says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Gene Schmitz.

There is no easy fix to a ‘missed’ silage cutting, but there are a few options to consider.

The best way to utilize cornstalks is to graze them.

Cattle mineral nutrition is complex and often confusing, but one strategy to help ranchers better understand their mineral program is to monitor mineral consumption.

Soybeans can be used as a protein supplement for beef cattle, as long as the beans are a small part of the cattle’s diet.

Frost causes important changes in forages so manage them carefully for safe feed.

Newly weaned calves are faced with the stress of separation from the cow, deprivation of feed and water during transportation, and adaptation to the feedlot environment.

For some producers, a number of factors came together to create the perfect storm that led to significantly lowered forage quality.

Some producers are planting various annual forages or cover crop mixtures for fall forage.

Corn silage can provide a high-quality feed for livestock if it is harvested and ensiled properly.

After a year of drought and weather challenges, some cattle farmers are putting in extra cover crops this fall to ease the forage burden. Here’s the top six cover crops cattle farmers are using to stretch fall grazing.

Cow-calf production systems that rely heavily on harvested and purchased feeds have less potential to be profitable.

Bunk space can vary depending on if calves were preconditioned or not prior to entering the feedlot.

Ideally, two year old heifers should be in a body condition score “6” at the time that their first calf is born.