Feedlot Fundamentals
Harnessing the full potential of the finishing phase requires a seamless integration of health, nutrition and partnership. From the importance of pre-arrival conditioning and transition protocols to the shifting dynamics of how pens are filled in today’s market, every decision impacts the bottom line. By exploring the nutritional development of stockers and the long-term effects of extended feeding on beef supply and carcass quality, producers can optimize cattle performance from the ranch to the rail.
From a newlywed gift of two calves to a 6,200-head feeding powerhouse, Lindsay, Neb.’s Terry Beller pairs packer data and old-school work ethic to set the industry pace for Certified Angus Beef.
Matched dollar-for-dollar by the A&M System and industry partners, the 135-pen complex at Nance Ranch will test AI management, feed efficiency and animal health at full commercial scale.
Ration tweaks and health protocols mean little when cattle are wading through deep mud. A UNL specialist explains why mounds and slope are your best return on investment.
Unhedged feedlot closeouts are posting their steepest losses in years, but tight supplies and resilient consumer beef demand paint a very different picture from the 2015–16 crash.
By switching from fat cattle to replacement heifers and leaning into cloud-based feeding data, North Dakota feedlot Dakota Prairie Beef delivers precision care back to area ranchers.
USDA reports an all-time August low for feedlot entries; analysts say the long-term price high is not yet in.
Feeders 25 miles from the shuttered beef plant say the ripple effects are showing up in their basis, their bids and their bottom line.
Strong markets can’t hide the fact many operations are short on help and short on heirs. Survey data and panelists warn that without a new plan for labor and succession, good outfits may simply age out.
For Dr. Brad White, investigating bovine heart disease means looking beyond the heart to understand what is happening throughout the animal.
As beef-on-dairy calves are pushed for growth, zinc and copper nutrition could influence how well they respond to growth-enhancing technologies.
By capturing methane from 150,000 head of cattle, a historic Nebraska partnership is scaling renewable natural gas for the international stage.
With 24 head rejected on Day One, the Douglas reopening showed both the promise and the friction of USDA’s zero-tolerance biosecurity framework.
From inspections and dips on the Mexican side to EID tags and state vets at the border, officials outline a cautious ramp‑up from a few hundred head to full capacity.
Placements down 11% signal tighter front-end supplies, but Northern feedyards face renewed basis pressure as packer capacity shrinks and trade policy headlines add fresh uncertainty.
New research suggests beef-on-dairy cattle may deliver their biggest feedlot advantage when they enter at lighter weights.
USDA’s Richard Fordyce outlines how cattle producers can document death losses, navigate new AGI rules, and tap local market values under the Livestock Indemnity Program.
Dr. Del Miles receives Industry Achievement Award at Certified Angus Beef’s Feeding Quality Forum.
Despite stepped up efforts by producers to keep cattle cool, there have been reports of rising death losses in cattle feedlots from North to South.
New pathology research suggests we may need to look beyond obvious cardiac lesions as researchers work to unravel one of the beef industry’s most challenging diseases.
Total cattle numbers are tight, but the beef industry is maximizing every head. Two economists break down the “uneven” slaughter trends shaping the 2026 outlook.
Stabilizing feed costs won’t be enough to offset record feeder prices, threatening to erase 2025’s windfall profits by year-end.
Technology changes, but the principles of safe cattle handling and equipment maintenance remain the foundation of a successful, accident-free yard.
Terrain’s Dave Weaber says herd expansion remains on hold heading into 2027, with feeder cattle and fed cattle prices expected to hit new highs in Q3 — even as a potential strong El Niño and the Cargill Fort Morgan lockout add fresh uncertainty to the supply picture.