Latest News From Beef Cattle

 The House of Representatives passed the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act on Tuesday. It will help fight illicit use of the product in humans while preserving access to the drug for animals.

New selection traits are being developed to reduce maintenance energy requirements, increase feed efficiency and decrease methane emissions.

To optimize performance and production, ranchers must understand the factors that impact post-partum interval length (PPI), the time from calving until the cow resumes a fertile estrous cycle.

Some individual cows or groups of cows experience significant decline in body weight and condition over the winter known as “winter cow syndrome.” The best strategy of prevention is twofold.

“Although pregnancy losses in beef cattle are a fact of life, late-term losses are likely the most discouraging,” says Gerald Stokka, NDSU Extension veterinarian and livestock stewardship specialist.

Elanco has updated its Component line of cattle implants to comply with new CVM regulations. To help ease this transition, Elanco is outlining the changes to its cattle implant portfolio.

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.

Corn silage is an excellent source of energy for cattle and replacing a portion of corn in cattle diets with silage should be a economical solution.

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?

In developing a protein supplementation strategy, it is important to consider what is the goal of feeding the protein supplement and that not all protein sources are equal.

Even experienced producers can inadvertently overlook crucial principles during the preparation and administration of vaccines and other animal health products. Here's a few considerations to note.

Genomic tests are a tool that can be used to create strategic marketing plans by taking a small ear tissue sample to compare genome traits of a calf to others in their breed.

What has more value to the profit potential of a commercial cow-calf operation that sells calves at weaning, percent calf crop weaned or weaning weight?

Beef cows fed at dusk or later results in more daytime births. Research indicates that to achieve that benefit, feeding at night should be started at least one month prior to calving season.

With a long window and investment to determine a heifer’s fate in the herd, producers should take advantage of genomic testing to get accurate information on maternal, performance, and carcass traits.

Dr. Bob Smith was recognized as the 2023 Kansas State University Department of Animal Sciences and Industry Distinguished Alumnus on Monday, November 13.   

NCBA has repeatedly raised concerns with USDA over Paraguay’s history of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the outdated information used to justify Paraguay’s access to the U.S. market.

AABP urges practitioners and producers to contact legislators to express support for the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act. The legislation would help protect the legitimate use of the product in livestock production.

A Texas A&M AgriLife project will feed omega-6 and omega 3 fatty acids to beef cattle to determine what role they may play in managing early embryonic loss.

For seedstock producers, reporting performance data is critical in EPD accuracy.

Reducing dependence on feeds and susceptibility to poor weather or market conditions, there is growing interest in developing replacement heifers at a lower cost without compromising reproductive performance.

Now available in a research EPD format, functional longevity (FL) evaluates how long Angus cows stay in the herd and how many calves they produce.

Profitability of the cow-calf enterprise is controlled by a web of production and economic factors but is rarely associated with maximized weaning weight.

Evaluating money saved when purchasing feed on cost per unit of protein and energy basis.

For cow-calf producers, fall is often a time for preconditioning, weaning and marketing calves. While prices will likely be towards the top end this year, could you still be leaving money on the table?

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.

Small things make a big impact, but in the instance of parasites that impact isn’t a good one from a herd health or economic standpoint.

Three primary methods of pregnancy checking cows are available for beef producers. Those who choose not to evaluate pregnancy status are leaving money of the table.

Although mastitis, an infection of the udder, is often considered a dairy cow problem, the disease can also impact beef cows. Here's what to look for to keep beef herds healthy.

For cattle producers across the U.S., a number of factors make the idea of herd rebuilding a bit less enticing. Experts share why the U.S. cowherd is not on the fast-track to recovery.

There can be little doubt that the biggest issue in the cattle industry right now is the question of when herd rebuilding will begin. The challenge of herd rebuilding can be summed up with three questions.

To further understand the links between genetics and cattle growth efficiency, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers are focusing on cattle’s mitochondria—a piece of DNA inherited exclusively from the mother.

Bull purchases are among the riskiest decisions commercial cow-calf operators make, says University of Tennessee professor Dr. Troy Rowan.

Solvet Lidoband is approved for use in calves under 250 pounds and in lambs under 50 pounds. The local, soothing anesthesia works for up to 42 days, helping veterinarians and producers improve animal well-being.

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.

A record-keeping app for cattle producers using iPhones and Android devices has been developed by Kansas State University.

Making culling decisions sooner rather than later and will help producers hold feed costs down.

While vaccination is widely considered a critical component of cattle health management, could the timing of vaccination impact the efficiency of the product?

Congestive heart failure is estimated to cause 4% of feedlot mortality causing significant economic losses to feedlots as the majority of these deaths occur late in the finishing period.

Drought conditions in portions of North Dakota has forced ranchers to consider supplemental feed to offset nutrient deficiencies in pasture forages.

Protecting the health of cattle herds is an important part of a successful plan to have a profitable and sustainable ranching operation.

Sound management decisions to improve genetics, management practices and profit potential of cow-calf operations should be based on data. Weaning time is the best time of year to measure, and document herd performance.

Gains to quality are documented along with areas for improvement identified.

Sound management decisions that will impact future profit potential is based on facts arrived at through mathematical analysis. Decisions based on emotions and/or tradition seldom lead to success. 

He is not your average Watusi bull. He enjoys long walks in the road ditches and joy rides with his owner Lee Meyer of Nebraska. In case you missed Howdy Doody’s rise to fame, here’s a look at how he gained attention.

The study of epigenetics identifies changes in gene function that are not due to mutations but rather how the DNA is packaged in the cell and turned on or off in the wrong conditions.

When warm weather hangs on into late summer and early fall, the fly season may also persist at problematic levels longer than typical.

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.

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.