2021 Calving Schools Planned

K-State to host four events around Kansas focused on providing tips to help producer prepare for calving season.   MANHATTAN, Kan. – In anticipation of calving season, Kansas State University Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State Research and Extension are planning a series of calving schools throughout the month of January.  The program will outline overall calving management that includes stages of the normal calving process as well as tips to handle difficult calving situations.…

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Winter Tetany in Beef Cattle

Grass tetany is considered a problem that usually occurs when cattle or sheep are eating lush, spring grass or annual cereal forages such as rye, wheat or triticale; but, it can also occur when cattle are being fed harvested forages. Grass tetany, sometimes called grass staggers or hypomagnesaemia, is a metabolic disorder of cattle related to a deficiency of magnesium (Mg). Magnesium is a critical mineral to the nervous system and muscle function.…

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Cornstalk Residue Grazing with Weaned Calves, Dry Pregnant Cows or Pairs – What Supplementation Do They Need?

Karla H. Wilke, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker ManagementMary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems SpecialistKacie McCarthy, UNL Cow-Calf Specialist Cornstalk residue is an economical forage resource across Nebraska, which can help producers reduce annual cow costs. Photo credit Troy Walz. With approximately 9.8 million acres of corn yielding an average of 182 bushels/acre, cornstalk residue can be an accessible and economical winter grazing forage option for producers in Nebraska. Historic research at the…

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Cattle Chat: Controlling costs is key to making profits

Cattle producers should understand their objective for having cattle in order to make a profit for the business. (K-State Research and Extension file photo) K-State beef cattle expert discuss factors for business success MANHATTAN, Kan. -- If a business wants to keep its doors open, it has to make a profit. Similarly, cattle operations must turn a profit, according to the experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute. To that point, agricultural…

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Grouping the Cowherd for Winter Feeding

Steve Boyles, OSU Beef Extension Specialist Young-bred heifers and young cows that have just weaned their first calf should be fed separately from the mature cows in the herd. The young animals are smaller, still growing, and are replacing their temporary teeth. They may be pushed away from feed by cows in their prime and settle for what hay is left and is likely of lower higher quality. The results of feeding young…

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The Goal: Feed Less, Graze More

Winter; time to catch up on reading and sharpening the pencil and mind. I often talk about upcoming grazing conferences this time of year. Right now, meetings in person are scarce and perhaps rightly so. I still encourage you to continue learning whether it’s from watching YouTube videos, reading books or articles, or attending a virtual meeting or conference. It is also the time of year when I start thinking more about finding…

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Effect of Energy and Protein Supplementation on Body Condition Score and Reproduction

Steve Boyles, OSU Beef Extension Specialist Feeding a balanced diet to beef females in the last trimester of pregnancy through the breeding season is critical. Nutritional demands increase from early gestation to lactation. Reproduction has low priority among partitioning of nutrients for the subsequent pregnancy. Consequently, thin cows at calving typically remain thin because excess energy in the diet is directed to milk production first. The common theme is, at least for spring-calving…

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Research on late summer, early fall controlled rangeland burning looks convincing

Kansas State University research looking into the efficacy of alternative prescribed burning dates of the Flint Hills looks promising. | Download this photo. K-State scientist: ‘We have only begun to tap the potential’ MANHATTAN, Kan. – For years, ranchers on the High Plains have used controlled burning, traditionally during the spring, to impede the growth of invasive plants on rangelands. In many ways, it’s been effective. The practice helps control weedy plants that rob…

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Cattle Chat: Using crop residue as a beef cattle feed source

K-State experts say grazing cattle on crop residue is option for winter feeding MANHATTAN, Kan. — Most cattle producers will agree that hauling feed and delivering hay to the cattle in the winter can be labor intensive and expensive. Experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute point to grazing crop residues as one option to reduce feed expenses and minimize daily labor with proper planning and regular monitoring. “Many producers have…

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Food, energy, water: Researchers look for ways to combine natural resources to benefit rural towns

Five year study is funded by the National Science Foundation MANHATTAN, Kan. – Researchers at four U.S. universities have embarked on a five-year study that capitalizes on one of the Central Plains’ most abundant natural resources – wind – to store energy in ammonia. They say their work – which is funded by the National Science Foundation – could help stunt the population drain that is common in many rural communities by tying…

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