NCBA Kicks Off Campaign to Generate Dietary Guidelines Comments

WASHINGTON (July 22, 2020) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today launched a nationwide grassroots campaign to highlight the #BenefitsofBeef and is calling on cattle producers to submit public comments in support of federal dietary guidelines that recognize beef’s role in a healthy diet.The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) last week released its Scientific Report, laying the groundwork for five years of federal nutrition guidance. Americans now have until Aug. 13 to…

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Short-Season Forages for Late Summer Planting

Mark Sulc, Extension Forage Agronomist and Bill Weiss, Extension Dairy Nutritionist Early November growth of Italian ryegrass (left) and oat+winter rye (right) after mid-September planting in Ohio Short-season forages planted in late summer can be sources of highly digestible fiber in ruminant livestock rations. There are several excellent forage options that can be considered for no-till or conventional tillage plantings in the late summer or early fall planting window. These forages can be a…

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Replacing “Junk” Forage with “Quality” Forage

 Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension (originally published in the Ohio Cattleman summer issue) Do these comments sound familiar to you? “I really need to do something with that junk pasture this year.”“The bales off that hay field are junk. I’m going to reseed it.” If stand decline is limiting production, perhaps it’s time to reseed. Issues with “junk forage” can include low yields, weed encroachment, and low-quality feed value.…

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Fly Population Management on Dairies

Tracey Erickson SDSU Extension Dairy Field Specialist Fly control in dairies is a challenge, due to abundant moisture and organic matter available for fly breeding grounds. Flies not only are a pest, but they also decrease production efficiency. Flies cause livestock to expend extra energy fending them off instead of resting, feeding and milking. Other issues directly associated with fly pest problems on dairies include increased medication costs, veterinary costs, increased potential for…

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Don’t Stop Managing Now: Preconditioning Pays

Garth Ruff, Extension Educator OSU Extension Henry County (originally published in the Ohio Farmer) As we approach fall, now is the time to maximize the value of your spring calf crop. Cattle buyers have placed a premium on preconditioned cattle, and as preconditioning becomes more of the norm across the U.S., unweaned, uncastrated, and unvaccinated cattle are receiving greater discounts. Here in the Eastern Cornbelt where cow herds tend to be smaller, the number…

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Blue-Green Algae and Livestock

Adele Harty SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field SpecialistAdditional Authors: Robin Salverson With the expanding drought conditions across Western South Dakota, there are increased concerns about livestock water quality. One water quality concern stems from the algae blooms on stock dams. The predominant question is whether the algae presents health concerns for livestock. Depending on the type of algae, it can be a concern. With warmer temperatures, the conditions are right for blue-green algae blooms. About…

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11 Forage Cultivars That Grow Well on the Great Plains

By Malay Saha, Ph.D., Professorand Mike Trammell, Senior Plant Breeder A cultivar, also known as a crop variety, is a collection of plants with specific desirable characteristics that are maintained throughout generations. The goal of any breeding program is to develop improved cultivars for the growers. Noble Research Institute has been involved in developing superior cultivars of different forage species for grazing in the Great Plains. Noble established its forage breeding program in the early…

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Supplementing to Stretch Pastures

Jeff Lehmkuhler, PhD, PAS Associate Extension Professor, University of Kentucky Drought continues to impact the high plains area stretching down to the pan handle of Texas. The dry conditions will continue to impact pastures potentially lowering beef cattle numbers at year’s end. The recent high temperatures and limited rain will dry out pastures and limit forage regrowth on recently cut hay fields here in the Commonwealth. As forage growth slows, supplementation may be…

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Could early weaning increase your profits?

Dean Kreager, Licking County Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator (originally published in the Ohio Farmer) Early weaning can reduce daily forage consumption between 25 and 40%. Over the last couple of years, making hay in a timely manner has been nearly impossible.  There just were not 3- or 4-day windows of dry weather without water standing in the fields.  The result was a lot of poor-quality hay resulting in poor body condition scores of…

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