Animal Nutrition
It’s time to sample, test, inventory and stage harvested hay.
Here are some basic rules of thumb to follow when determining the hay supplies you will need to sustain your cow herd over the next few months.
Feeding free-choice hay with a concentrate supplement has the potential to add gain to growing calves without large investment in additional equipment.
Kennedy Cattle Company triples feedlot size to take advantage of strong cattle prices. Manages margins by growing more of its own feed.
The concept of fetal programming has been evolving in the beef industry for several decades as more research is done.
Registration for classes covering grazing, heifer development, pasture management and profitability available now to producers.
A University of Kentucky research study will focus on how 5-HTP influences feed intake, vasoconstriction and gut health.
When moisture and soil nutrients are readily available, sorghum-sudangrass and pearl millet can produce up to 6 tons of forage per acre during the growing season.
Research finds link between gestational nutrition from minerals and higher weaning weights.
USDA reports 47% of pasture and range conditions are in good to excellent health, compared to just 34% a year ago. Pasture and range conditions rated poor and very poor is down 9% from last year.
Missouri’s drought in 2022 and 2023 may have been underrated, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension. He offers tips for stretching your feed during the next few months.
Road ditch hay can provide needed forage. With a few precautions and a forage analysis, it can help you meet your cow’s nutrient requirements this winter.
Help cattle weather the elements and combat cold stress when the temperature drops.
When cows get below their lower critical temperature and get into cold stress, they can adapt by increasing feed consumption to increase their basal metabolic rate and increase heat of fermentation.
Bulls are often a part of the cow herd that slips through the cracks during the winter months as breeding seasons end. Bull management strategies can impact a bull’s performance in the upcoming breeding season.
Evaluating money saved when purchasing feed on cost per unit of protein and energy basis.
In any nutritional program it is imperative to determine the objective of why we are feeding or supplementing. After defining our goal, we can minimize input costs and maximize our profit potential.
While trace mineral deficiencies can vary widely by animal and region, the most common ones Jeffery Hall, DVM, PhD, DABVT, sees in cattle today are insufficient copper, manganese, selenium and zinc.
Windrow grazing, sometimes called swath grazing, is a management practice that can significantly reduce harvesting and feeding costs.
Pioneering an investigation into the potential use of discarded canola as a dietary supplement for pregnant cows, graduate student, Erika Cornand, aims to enhance both their health and the well-being of their 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.
Grazing cornstalks or drought-stricken corn can fill feed gaps during drought, says University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist Eric Bailey.
Vitamin A is critical to cattle health and is generally consumed in adequate quantities. But Vitamin A in stored feedstuffs declines over time with exposure to sunlight and high temperatures.
Raising heat-tolerant cattle that are able and willing to go further to graze in subtropical climates is the goal of a new beef cattle research project at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research station at Beeville.
Persistent drought in major beef cattle production regions continues to have a significant impact on the cattle industry despite improvements in drought conditions in other parts of the country.
So-called “sacrifice pastures” might be needed to help promote forage production the rest of this cattle grazing season.
When cattle diets are changed without an adaptation period or if cattle have sudden access to a new feedstuff, health problems can follow.
Testing forage and feed for nutrient quality helps ranchers ensure they are meeting nutrient requirements for optimum beef cattle performance.
When calves on grass drop like flies, have minimal gains and many carcasses are condemned on the rail, Kansas State University experts uncover the unfortunate cause.
Ionophores have been used for many years in the beef and poultry industries for improved feed efficiency and control of coccidiosis