Signs to Watch When Making Decisions on Stocking Rates

By Brian HaysPasture and Range Consultant A key component of intentional management is the stocking rate management plan. This plan entails the matching of grazing livestock numbers to forage production as well as managing and adapting livestock numbers as forage production changes within and over years. So how can a manager determine if the stocking rate should be adjusted during the year? One way is to use an intuitive approach to the assessment,…

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Do You Possess the 8 Characteristics of an Intentional Beef Producer?

By Robert Wells, Ph.D.Livestock Consultant To be successful, any business person must develop a plan and then devise a strategy on how to work the plan to accomplish desired goals. That’s especially important in the cattle business, where most cow-calf producers would agree that the return on investment on an annual cash basis is typically low. In order to become and remain profitable, producers must effectively manage the operation by paying close attention…

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Secretary Perdue Statement on EPA WOTUS Rule

(Washington, D.C., January 23, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for defining the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule with the Navigable Waters Protection Rule:   “President Trump is restoring the rule of law and empowering Americans by removing undue burdens and strangling regulations from the backs of our productive farmers, ranchers, and rural land-owners. The days are gone when the Federal Government…

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Western Ranchers Welcome BLM Action to Improve Grazing Regulations

Western ranchers welcomed a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Notice of Intent (NOI), which appeared in today’s Public Inspection and will publish in the Federal Register on January 21st, announcing that the agency is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on new grazing regulations. The NOI opened a public comment period and announced that in-person scoping meetings will be held across the West. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for BLM permittees to set…

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Secretary of Agriculture Perdue to Share Insights at 2020 Cattle Industry Convention

Perdue will share insight on issues of concern to cattlemen and women at the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 5, 2020. Perdue will participate in the Opening General Session of the event, being hosted Feb. 5-7, 2020 at the San Antonio Convention Center. Among topics he is expected to address will be recent trade developments, markets, farm bill implementation and other issues affecting the state…

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K-State: First milk important to successful calving experience

Calves need to nurse their mothers soon after they are born to maximize the immunity passed along in that first milk. Beef Cattle Institute experts offer advice on post-calving intervention MANHATTAN, Kan. – Once the calves are born into a beef cattle herd, there is no better sight than watching them get up and begin to nurse their mamas. However, experts in Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) say that difficult deliveries,…

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Choosing a Supplement for the Cowherd

Jeff Lehmkuhler, PhD, PAS, Beef Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky The spring of 2019 delayed hay harvest in many parts of the state. This delay resulted in much of the hay being harvested at mature stages. Fescue was in full flower to soft-dough stage or even more mature in some cases. Mature forages have greater cell wall and lower digestibility. I tried to demonstrate the impact of late cutting on feed value by…

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Wildfire Awareness Week reminds Kansans to remain vigilant as wildfire season approaches

Now is the time to reduce wildfire risk, state officials say TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has proclaimed Feb. 3-7, 2020, as Wildfire Awareness Week in partnership with the Kansas Interagency Wildfire Council and multiple state agencies. “Each year, wildfires endanger our firefighters, neighbors, and landscapes,” said Mick McGuire, the current chair of the Kansas Interagency Wildfire Council and lead meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Wichita. “Wildfire Awareness Week…

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Beef Exports (again) a Key Factor to Watch in 2020

Josh Maples, Assistant Professor & Extension Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University The latest Monthly Trade data for November 2019 was released by USDA Economic Research Service last week. The report continued the recent trend of lower monthly exports as compared to 2018. After three consecutive years of double-digit increases (2016-2018) in beef exports, current data show January-November 2019 exports to be down 4.6 percent compared to the same period in…

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The Art and Science of Developing Heifers

Les Anderson, Ph.D., Beef Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky The older I get the more I realize that heifer development is as much art as science. The art is understanding what type of female best fits your operation and your marketing scheme. What size cow best fits your management system? Which cows will produce the best replacements? The science is understanding the principles enabling the “right” heifers to succeed. The first week of…

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