Latest News From Beef nutrition

Winter Feeding a Cowherd in the Southeast: Those Girls are Expensive
Winter Feeding a Cowherd in the Southeast: Those Girls are Expensive

Winter feeding is one of the largest expenses for cow-calf operations in the Southeast. There are a lot of options worth considering, so it is advisable to work closely with the resource people available you, to develop the most efficient plan for your cowherd.

Keep Those Heifers Going
Keep Those Heifers Going

As we get closer to April and the breeding season for replacement heifers that are destined for a spring calving herd, proper nutritional management is more important than ever. 

Management to Prevent Calf Scours
Management to Prevent Calf Scours

Cold and wet weather have added to the calving challenges of Iowa cow-calf producers. Iowa State University Extension beef specialist Beth Doran said both are ideal conditions for contributing to calf scours.

“The Gut Is the Largest Immune Organ in the Body” pg. 2

As consumers demand reduced antibiotic use in livestock production, researchers say the answer lies in animal nutrition.

Feeding Moldy Hay
Feeding Moldy Hay

Common sense and good observation often are your best decision aids when feeding moldy hay.

For creep feeding to be profitable, the costs of the added weight gain must be less than the value of that gain.
Is Creep Feeding Beef Calves Profitable?

For creep feeding to be profitable, the costs of the added weight gain must be less than the value of that gain.

From Drovers: Cannabis in U.S. Agriculture
From Drovers: Cannabis in U.S. Agriculture

As cannabis in the form of industrial hemp receives crop status in the 2018 farm bill and a growing number of states have legalized medical marijuana and industrial hemp production, who will meet the need?

Facts and Fiction About Hemp in Animal Feed
Facts and Fiction About Hemp in Animal Feed

Here's what you need to know about hemp as a feed ingredient for cattle.

Forages for Grass-Fed Beef Production
Forages for Grass-Fed Beef Production

Success grass-fed beef production is dependent on several factors. 

Education A Top Priority During 2019 Cattlemen’s College

More than 1,500 cattlemen and women attend informative and engaging sessions to improve their business skills at the 2019 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Tradeshow.

Cows eating from a hay ring.
Feeding Management to Minimize Hay Waste

No matter how hay is packaged, if you waste it, you lose money.

Acceptable substitute supplementation for distillers grains depends on the class of livestock fed, the basal diet available, and the desired performance.
So What if I Can’t Get Distillers Grains?

Acceptable substitute supplementation for distillers grains depends on the class of livestock fed, the basal diet available, and the desired performance.

An unusually cold front is bringing snow to Montana and a sigh of relief from those who have been battling wildfires all summer.
Are Your Cows Ready for the Last Trimester of Pregnancy?

We are beginning to enter the last 3 months of gestation for the majority of spring-calving cows.

Monitoring Nutrient Status of Beef Cows
Monitoring Nutrient Status of Beef Cows

Managing cows through the winter provides different challenges compared to managing those same cows during the growing season.

Florida and Georgia Stores Remove Cattle Feed After Increase in Deaths

Florida officials are investigating an apparent increase in cattle deaths across the state, with investigators focusing on one particular brand of feed.

Florida and Georgia Stores Remove Cattle Feed After Increase in Deaths
Florida and Georgia Stores Remove Cattle Feed After Increase in Deaths

Florida officials are investigating an apparent increase in cattle deaths across the state, with investigators focusing on one particular brand of feed.

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Trick Your Cows into Calving in Daylight Hours

Any producer wanting to have more cows and heifers calve in daylight hours should try to delay putting out hay and cubes until late in the day.

Serious consequences can result from not providing pregnant cows with enough protein during the winter.
Don’t Skimp on Protein for Pregnant Cows

Not feeding pregnant cows enough protein can have serious consequences.

Feeding cows a low-cost residue feed such as wheat straw can help keep them full and prepared for cold weather.
Wheat Straw Can Help Keep Cows Full

Cows need a lot of feed to fill them up and keep them full.

Supplementation is important for pairs grazing cornstalk residue.
Grazing Fall Pairs on Cornstalks

Supplementation is important for pairs grazing cornstalk residue.

Hay Bull Winter
Tips to Reduce Winter-Feeding Hay Costs for Beef Herd

Winter-feeding of the beef cows represents the greatest expense in most beef cow-calf enterprises. 

Fall and winter grazing on warm-season grasses is the least detrimental time to graze these species.
Winter Grazing on Upland Rangelands

Fall and winter grazing on warm-season grasses is the least detrimental time to graze these species.

Rain reduces corn stalk quality several ways.
Corn Stalk Quality After Weathering

Rain reduces corn stalk quality several ways.

Time to Begin the Early Evening Feeding of the Spring-Calving Cows
Time to Begin the Early Evening Feeding of the Spring-Calving Cows

Each year in December, it is time for a reminder to change the feeding schedule for part, if not all of the spring-calving cow herd.

Surviving the Next Four Months in Three Steps for Cattle Producers
Surviving the Next Four Months in Three Steps for Cattle Producers

Test forage, study nutrient needs, and sort cattle to get through the next four months.

Mineral Feeding can Reduce the Risk of Grass Tetany Next Spring
Mineral Feeding can Reduce the Risk of Grass Tetany Next Spring

At, and after calving time next January, February, and March “grass tetany” could occur in a few situations.

Wyatt Bechtel
Body Condition Score at Calving is the Key to Young Cow Success

Producers are faced with the challenge of maintaining body condition on the replacement heifers through the calving season and into next spring.

University of Nebraska researchers recently conducted a two-year study to evaluate the effects of grazing on subsequent yields and nutrient removal from baling at five locations in Nebraska.
Does Residue Grazing Affect Later Crop Yields?

Grazing on harvested corn fields provides a fall and winter management option for cattle owners and an income opportunity for landowners.

Ammoniation can transform baled corn residue into forage that meets the energy and protein needs of a dry cow without supplementation.
Ammoniated Corn Residue Equal to Medium Quality Grass Hay?

Ammoniation can transform baled corn residue into forage that meets the energy and protein needs of a dry cow without supplementation.

This interactive, online tool helps farmers and cattle producers connect and develop mutually beneficial agreements to use crop residue and forage cover crops for grazing.
Crop Residue Exchange Connects Cattle Producer with Available Forage

This interactive, online tool helps farmers and cattle producers connect and develop mutually beneficial agreements to use crop residue and forage cover crops for grazing.

Tally Time: Troubleshooting Poor Pregnancy Rates
Tally Time: Troubleshooting Poor Pregnancy Rates

Information on when cows did get pregnant during the breeding season can be very informative.

While hay is often used to feed cows through the winter, current prices make corn a competitive option to feeding hay.
Limit Feeding Cows Corn as an Alternative to Hay

While hay is often used to feed cows through the winter, current prices make corn a competitive option to feeding hay.

Thinking About Feeding Soybeans This Year?
Thinking About Feeding Soybeans This Year?

Low prices and adverse harvest conditions often drive us toward alternative options that – if nothing else – are perceived to add value to a crop.

Producers delivering fiber based protein supplements to cows grazing low quality forages may be able to reduce the frequency of supplementation.
Changing Supplementation Frequency May Impact Cow Weight and BCS

Producers delivering fiber based protein supplements to cows grazing low quality forages may be able to reduce the frequency of supplementation.

Fescue Foot Cow
Sharp Turn to Cold Brings Threat of Fescue Foot in Beef Cow Herds

Odd fall weather and fescue pasture growth set up potential poisonous pastures causing fescue foot in cow herds.

How Much Hay Will a Cow Consume?
How Much Hay Will a Cow Consume?

Estimating forage usage by cows is an important part of the task of calculating winter feed needs. Hay or standing forage intake must be estimated in order to make the calculations.

During severe cold periods, producers need to feed a little more hay or other forage so that the animals’ natural heat source – the rumen – can do its work.
What is the Forage Outlook For the 2018 Winter in Montana?

Many producers learned an unfortunate lesson last year, and have increased their hay storage amounts this year to avoid similar issues next spring.

5 Wisdoms that Rule the Herd

It’s time to get back to what we all love—watching new calves born, feeding the first few loads of corn silage, and seeing your kids help with chores. Here are five rules of wisdom we all need to be reminded of.

Let's get back to what's important— raising quality cattle.
5 Wisdoms that Rule the Herd

It’s time to get back to what we all love—watching new calves born, feeding the first few loads of corn silage, and seeing your kids help with chores. Here are five rules of wisdom we all need to be reminded of.

When it comes to rental agreements for grazing corn residue, a number of questions need to be asked and answered up front to avoid disagreements later.
Utilize Corn Stalks for Grazing

Corn residue can serve many purposes on cow/calf operations in the Upper Midwest. From grazing to bedding; however, it may be one of the most underutilized resources we can access to produce beef.

Warm-Season Grass Leaps in First Year
Warm-Season Grass Leaps in First Year

There's an old saying about warm-season grass: "First year it sleeps. Second year it creeps. Third year it leaps."

Maintain Body Condition Between Calving and the Breeding Season
Maintain Body Condition Between Calving and the Breeding Season

Body condition score at calving is the single most important trait determining when a cow resumes heat cycles and therefore when she is likely to re-conceive for the next calf crop.

Nutrition During Last Trimester Critical for Beef Cows
Nutrition During Last Trimester Critical for Beef Cows

A big factor in determining the health of a new born calf and the performance of the cow and calf after birth is the nutrition of the cow and fetus during the last ninety days of gestation.

Cattle Producer Makes Bale Grazing Work in Kentucky

He feeds his herd of 35 cattle without starting his tractor in cold months.

Bale grazing has successfully helped Kentucky cattle producer Fred Thomas feed his cowherd while also improving the soil quality on his pastures.
Cattle Producer Makes Bale Grazing Work in Kentucky

He feeds his herd of 35 cattle without starting his tractor in cold months.

Three Tips for Winter Feeding Beef Cattle

Grazing longer, feeding hay and supplementing grain are all ways to keep cattle fed in winter.

Grazing longer, feeding hay and supplementing grain are all ways to keep cattle fed in winter.
Three Tips for Winter Feeding Beef Cattle

Grazing longer, feeding hay and supplementing grain are all ways to keep cattle fed in winter.

What Will You Feed Cows this Winter?

In a new Drovers.com poll, we want to know how you plan to feed cows this winter. Do you have enough hay on hand? Do you have extra options, such as grazing corn stalks or another field residue? Make your voice heard.

How will you manage cow nutrition this winter?
What Will You Feed Cows this Winter?

In a new Drovers.com poll, we want to know how you plan to feed cows this winter. Do you have enough hay on hand? Do you have extra options, such as grazing corn stalks or another field residue? Make your voice heard.

Be Careful Grazing the Green This Fall
Be Careful Grazing the Green This Fall

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.