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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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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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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Managing Cows through Dry Conditions

Karla H. Wilke, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management There are several options cattle producers may want to consider to conserve grass in dry areas of the state. Photo credit Troy Walz. Hot, dry conditions in early summer have taken a toll on grass growth in much of the Great Plains this year. There are several options cattle producers may want to consider to conserve grass in these dry areas. Every producer should…

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Pinkeye in Cattle

Brent Plugge, Nebraska Extension EducatorBrian Vander Ley, DVM Epidemiologist, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center Efforts to prevent pinkeye are directed at reducing transmission and minimizing irritation. Photo credit Dave Boxler. Driving or riding through a pen or pasture of cattle is a favorite chore for many producers.  Making sure our cattle have plenty of clean water, access to feed or forage and monitoring herd health are important aspects of daily care.  When examining…

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Creep Feeding Calves

Steve Niemeyer, Nebraska Extension EducatorTravis Mulliniks, UNL Beef Cattle Nutritionist, Range Production Systems The cost of the gain from creep feeding has to be less than the value of the gain to be a profitable nutritional strategy. Photo credit Steve Niemeyer. Keeping a tight grip on feed costs is a priority for every beef producer. Creep feeding calves can be a good return on investments in certain situations. Maintaining the calf’s efficiency at…

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Mineral Consumption: It Matters!

Adele Harty SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist Cattle mineral nutrition is complex and often confusing, but one strategy to help ranchers better evaluate their mineral program is to monitor mineral consumption. This goes back to the old adage, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Mineral supplement tags provide the recommended daily intake based on specific product formulations. Recommended intakes can vary widely depending on the brand and type of product, with the…

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Forage management and cow size

Steve Boyles, OSU Beef Extension Specialist Increased Hay Production per Cow: The increased use of the round baler and other hay production technologies since the early and mid-1970s (Van Keuren, OARDC –  The History of the Development of the Large Round Bale) has lowered the labor requirement and increased the convenience of hay production. Hay production per cow in the southeastern United States has increased by 136% (USDA NASS, 2016) since 1976. Reliance…

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K-State vet shares tips for managing cattle through heat

Temperature is only part of the challenge, Tarpoff says MANHATTAN, Kan. – A Kansas State University veterinarian is urging cattle producers to beef up their plans for managing heat stress in their herds, a challenge that costs the U.S. cattle industry up to $370 million in losses each year. A.J. Tarpoff, a beef veterinarian with K-State Research and Extension, said cattle are resilient animals; they will often acclimate to hot temperatures. But an…

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K-State Plans Webinar for Kansas Beef Producers — “Drought Preparedness for the Cow-Calf Producer” webinar will be hosted on Zoom July 9.

Registration is now open for a webinar that will help Kansas beef cattle producers prepare to manage and reduce the impacts of drought and reduced forage availability on cow herds. The webinar will be hosted by the Kansas State University (K-State) Animal Sciences and Industry Department and K-State Research and Extension via Zoom on Thursday, July 9, 2020, at noon CDT. “As the saying goes, failing to plan, is planning to fail.” says…

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