Latest News From Beef nutrition

Clean, fresh drinking water is critical for cattle performance in the summer heat.

Creep feeding must be carefully appraised in view of economics of cost of gain, potential market, and the influence on sale price of the calves.

As drought conditions worsen through a large portion of the Great Plains, many beef cattle producers are starting to evaluate ways to stretch forage resources potentially in jeopardy.

Grazing fresh young alfalfa can induce bloat in cattle. Bloat can sometimes be fatal to cattle.

Producers may see a reduction in forage production on their pastures and rangeland.

Most cattle producers fully understand the importance of water. After all, providing an adequate supply of clean, fresh, water is the cornerstone of animal husbandry.

When the weather is right and hay fields are mowed there will be many farmers looking over the fence at pastures as an opportunity to make more bales.

Grass tetany typically occurs when cattle are grazing rapidly growing, lush, green grass.

No matter how good of a formulation we begin with, it is only as valuable as we are effective at transforming it from what’s on paper to what’s delivered to the bunk.

To prevent damaging forage production, grass needs a head start to grow leaves and replace the resources used to grow leaves before grazing.

Planning for the upcoming grazing season is important and should include factors such as estimated stocking rates, time of grazing for specific pastures, as well as contingency plans in the event of dry conditions.

Native warm season grasses are trending among growers looking for forages that will grow during hot, dry conditions.

Cooler temperatures has resulted in slow pasture forage growth and cows are nipping it off faster than it is growing.

In declining cattle markets, the question of “Should I fertilize?” is a subject of much debate.

Especially in times of drought or emergency feeding, producers have to consider which is more efficient to feed the herd: drylot feeding or hauling purchased forage.

Cattle grazing is not simply opening a gate and herding a group of cows into the pasture.

Forage maturity is the biggest driver of nutritional quality.

Test water quality prior to livestock turnout.

Prolonged winter weather has limited forage growth thus far this season, which means many producers are still feeding cows.

It may be wise to do some calculating and revisit some management decisions to determine hay needs and to see if there is a way to reduce hay needs.

Anytime we purchase hay we should give it two tests—one with our physical senses and one with a hay probe.

The current drought monitor has much of the southern part of Kansas in severe or extreme drought, with exceptional drought along the western Oklahoma border.

Limit feeding diets high in concentrate, or by-product feeds, can be an effective strategy to reduce the amount of hay inventory needed without sacrificing cow productivity.

Bad weather and poor cow nutrition are the leading causes of weak calf syndrome.

Provide well-balanced supplementation to make up for nutritional shortcomings.

Producers may need to think outside of their traditional feeding strategy.

A good stand of crested wheatgrass has the capacity to meet cows’ and calves’ nutritional requirements.

The wildfires, combined with the yearlong drought, have left a lot of producers relying on hay from other areas to feed their livestock.

Trace minerals have been shown to have an essential role in reproduction.

While we are waiting for Spring to wake up and replace this persistent winter weather with warm temperatures, many cattle owners are struggling to stretch an already short hay supply.

As many may have noticed, cost of vitamins A and E have increased over the past few months, and subsequently, mineral supplements that include vitamins A and E.

Green, growing forages are high in vitamin A. However, until forages are available for grazing, supplemental vitamins remain vital during late gestation and early lactation.

Energy is one of the most critical nutrients for grazing cows particularly at pasture turn out because it coincides with their greater needs to support the young calf.

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. 

Feed-through fly control has without doubt become one of the most popular types of feed additives utilized in pasture-based beef production systems.

Feeding cows later in the day and evening will increase the number of calves born during daylight hours, when it is easier to watch them more closely.

Monitoring cow body condition is critical for staying on top of herd management.

On his west-central Missouri farm, Kyle Grumke and his father Ross employ cover crops on every one of their 550 owned acres

As spring approaches most producers are anxious to get cows out of the lot and make use of early spring grazing.

Late winter and early spring is the most challenging time of the year for the nutrition of the spring-calving beef cows. 

Divided resource planning for grazing lands into long-, medium- and short-term plans.

Producers need to calculate their hay inventory, determine the pounds of cattle and other livestock to be fed, and plan accordingly.

Every year beef producers ask, “Do I need to dry roll or grind my corn or can I feed it whole”?

The more work that is done in mineral nutrition, the more questions arise as to whether or not we know what the true requirements of current cattle are.

Providing the right type of mineral with diets containing distillers can alleviate potential health problems and often times be more cost effective as well.

It is necessary that the cow manager understand the change in nutrient requirements of beef cows as they change from gestating cows to early lactation cows.

Grazing toxic fescue can hurt a producer's bottom line from poor grazing performance both in terms of weight conversion and reproduction.

Ionophores have been used for many years in the beef and poultry industries for improved feed efficiency and control of coccidiosis

Mud and cold, wet conditions are much more difficult to manage than just the bitterly cold.

The beef industry is watching the popularity of alternative proteins of plant-based and meatless burgers. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) even added fake meat to its policy agenda.