Cow-Calf
As we move into late summer and early fall, we begin think about weaning time. Getting those calves on feed is critical, requiring a good diet and proper feed management.
While fall calving is often easier than calving in the winter and early spring, when temperatures are high, it can create unhealthy conditions for calves.
Weaning stressors include removal from the dam, nutritional changes, a new environment, and altered social structure. Understanding this time allows a better understanding of the importance of a 45-day weaning period.
Dynamic cattle and grain market conditions mean that producers will need to carefully and frequently evaluate stocker budget prospects this fall prior to stocker purchase.
During drought, beef producers might find a best friend in their local veterinarian, says University of Missouri Extension veterinary toxicologist Tim Evans.
Weaning can be a stressful period for livestock and humans but making the extra effort to reduce stress on calves can lead to increased performance in the form of less illness and increased weight gain.
One of the most important tools for livestock producers is a sharp No. 2 pencil. The pencil and some basic arithmetic can help take the emotion out of desperate measures to find feed.
Satire regarding instructions packers provide their buyers was published by a popular online newsletter, triggering cowboy conspiracy theorists to bloviate before they investigated. Our ex-reporter has the current facts.
Despite sharply higher cattle prices, there is no data to suggest heifer retention or enough decrease in beef cow slaughter to initiate herd expansion, although the most recent weekly slaughter data are encouraging.
Dry lotting cows can be a feasible way to allow pasture recovery, while feeding grain, forage, and crop stover to pairs. The system allows closer observation of the herd and low weaning stress.
The American Hereford Association launches Baldy Advantage, a quarterly publication highlighting the experiences and insights of commercial cow-calf producers using Hereford-sired baldy cattle to their benefit.
Cow-calf producers are looking at the potential for significant profits for 2023 due to high calf prices. This income may give cow-calf producers the rare opportunity to invest capital back into the ranch.
Composting livestock manure will increase the volume reduction compared to stockpiling, as well as reduce internal and external parasites, pathogens and weed seeds.
Heat stress is caused by a combination of environmental factors including temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, air movement and precipitation.
What should you expect to pay for custom baling or silage chopping? A new report from the University of Nebraska may offer guidelines. A webinar covering the livestock-specific report will be held at noon on Thursday.
Cattle feeders focused on helping cattle where they could through last week’s extreme heat and humidity. Packers looked to work the market lower, but relatively few cattle changed hands as cattle feeders held firm.
Knowledge of water requirements of cattle is necessary when designing water supply systems where the water supply may be limited or the delivery system restricts access in times of heavy use.
The Ducheneaux family reconnects consumers with their food source
The discovery of the longhorned tick, already responsible the loss of millions of dollars in revenue to livestock producers worldwide, indicates a potential looming problem for cattle health in mid-Missouri.
The sharp increase in feeder cattle prices this year represents a growing market incentive for the beef cattle industry to transition from liquidation to expansion, but it does not appear the industry is responding yet.
Beef cows and total mid-year inventory down 3%. Cattle on Feed July 1 totaled 11.2 million head, down 2% from July 2022.
Missouri researcher Jared Decker used the commercial genomic prediction tool Zoetis GeneMax Advantage to investigate the ability of the test to predict the performance and profitability of a group of Angus calves.
The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) presented Sean McGrath, Vermilion, Alberta, Canada, a BIF Continuing Service Award July 4 during the group’s annual research symposium in Calgary, Alberta.
Central Kentucky famer Donald Veatch has a passion for sharing his conservation ethic and knowledge with those who want to learn how to care for their own land.
Creep grazing has potential to be a cost-effective way to produce additional calf gains using forage rather than the traditional grain-based creep diets.
July’s cattle inventory report will show continued declines to the beef cow herd. While beef cow slaughter is down thus far, the current pace suggests a herd culling rate over 12 percent for the year.
Further discussion about cattle markets leads our columnist to conclude: producers are “prone to have high confidence in unfounded intuitions” and we often derive conclusions based on incomplete information.
The 69th annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course in Bryan-College Station will offer some cutting-edge information and ranch technology, along with basic beef cattle production information.
Although limitations exist, the Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test to assess the efficacy of parasite control programs is the only practical method of determining the presence of resistance in cattle nematodes.
Summertime in July means there are often two pasture requirements: shade and reliable water. There is plenty of debate whether shade is required or not in arid parts of the country as well as beyond the pasture setting.