Tuberculosis in Cattle: What You Need to Know

Russ Daly Professor, SDSU Extension Veterinarian, State Public Health Veterinarian Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic and slowly progressive disease of cattle that emerges periodically in the U.S. Its incubation time ranges from months to years. Most often, infected cattle will show little to no outward signs of infection. When clinical signs are present, they will often be vague, such as weight loss, depression, and sluggishness. Transmission of tuberculosis between animals occurs when susceptible…

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Valuing Corn Stalk Bales

Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator What value should be put on baling corn residue? Photo credit Troy Walz. With dry conditions still plaguing much of the state, baling corn residue following harvest might be an optional roughage source if hay supply is getting tight.  What value should be put on baling corn residue? Figuring out the true value of corn stalk bales can be a bit tricky, but breaking down the costs can…

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Things to Consider before Harvesting a Market Animal at Home

Brianna Buseman, Youth Meat Nebraska Extension Educator Carol Schwarz, Nebraska Extension Educator Home harvest is very labor intensive and requires a lot of planning. Photo credit Troy Walz. Many people are looking for opportunities to buy market animals to harvest at home, which has led to many questions about the best way to complete that task. Prior to making the decision to try home harvest, there are a few important things to consider:1.  Food…

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Do You Know the Difference Between 9% and 7% Crude Protein Hay?

Hannah Greenwell, Nebraska Extension Educator What is the crude protein content of your hay? Photo credit Troy Walz. Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/unlbeefwatch into your podcast app. When feeding harvested forages to the cow herd, you need to know what you have in order to know what to feed. This is vital when faced with…

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Winter Cow Supplementation: Protein and Energy Explained

By Caitlin Hebbert, Livestock Consultantand Ryon Walker, Ph.D., Livestock Consultant In the article “Nutrient Synchrony: Protein and Energy Working Together,” we discussed how protein and energy act synergistically in the rumen to booster animal performance: Each requires the other for peak function. We also mentioned how winter supplementation often consists of a protein supplement but that protein is not always the limiting nutrient. In this article, we will talk about both protein and energy supplementation and how…

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Food safety tips for novice holiday meal hosts

By Trisha Gedon STILLWATER, Okla. – For many people, heading home for the holidays is a long-standing tradition. However, with the world in the midst of a pandemic, traditions need to take a slightly different turn this year. Barbara Brown, Oklahoma State University Extension food specialist, said millennials and others who typically travel to their parents’ or grandparents’ homes for holidays should consider staying away this year due to health safety concerns. “This younger generation…

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Cattle Chat: Tips for feeding steers at home

Hand-feeding a steer through the finishing phase can be an option for those seeking locally sourced beef. K-State beef cattle experts say understanding rations, controlling expenses can be challenging MANHATTAN, Kan. — Locally sourced food has grown in popularity in recent years, leading some cow-calf producers to raise steer calves through the finishing phase rather than selling them at weaning. Experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute said it is important…

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Food waste finds new use as compost in K-State program

University says it recycles 50 tons of food yearly MANHATTAN, Kan. – Several Kansas State University groups have worked together to find a second use for nearly 50 tons of food each year that would otherwise be headed for a landfill. They’re mixing food waste from three dining halls on the Manhattan campus with other compostable materials to provide a boost to soil, as well as support some agricultural research projects at the…

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Freezer Beef Sales Explode During COVID-19 . . . Will Your Customers Be Ready to Buy Again?

Mike Estadt, OSU Extension Educator, Pickaway County Do you know if your freezer beef customers are satisfied? It is well documented that early in the coronavirus pandemic, major meat processing facilities across the United States became supply bottlenecks due to employee infections shutting down production.  In response to seeing less meat available in the retail case, or limits on the amount of proteins that a consumer could purchase, farm raised, direct marketed meat,…

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