Calving Season Benchmarks

Olivia Amundson SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist Cows that calve on time are the number one indicator that cattle within that operation fit the managerial program. This happens simply from timely reproduction. Reproductive performance of an operation is important to the overall success and bottom line of that operation. Benchmarking may be beneficial as it can help focus limited management time on critical areas of an individual’s beef cow business. This year may…

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Cow Herd Options

Heather Gessner SDSU Extension Livestock Business Management Field Specialist April 2018 and 2019 blizzards caused stress to the region’s cowherds, and for some herds changed the calving distribution. 2020 brings a chance to re-establish a preferred calving distribution. Calving distribution can have an economic effect on the income received for calves in the fall, as well as a long term effect for the herd. Cattle producers have options to bunch the herd back…

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Some Ideas on Converting from Year-round Calving to a Controlled Breeding Season

Dr. Les Anderson, Extension Beef Specialist, University of Kentucky Maintaining a controlled breeding and calving season can be one of the most important management tools for cow-calf producers. A uniform, heavier, and more valuable calf crop is one key reason for keeping the breeding season short. Plus, more efficient cow supplementation and cow herd health programs are products of a short breeding season. However, converting from a year-long breeding season to a shortened…

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Biosecurity important tool in fighting vesicular stomatitis in horse operations

By Donald Stotts STILLWATER, Okla. – Horse owners should review basic biosecurity practices to guard against the potential spread of vesicular stomatitis to their animals, Oklahoma State University experts said. Vesicular stomatitis is a contagious, viral disease that – while rarely life threatening – can have a significant financial impact on an individual horse owner and the state’s equine industry, said Dr. Barry Whitworth, OSU Extension veterinarian. The first case in the United…

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Virtual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course set for Aug. 3-5

Expert-led sessions, live animal demonstrations, trade show planned The annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course is going virtual this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The annual Beef Cattle Short Course will be held virtually this year. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo) While it may be hard to ‘virtually’ eat the famous prime rib dinner associated with the event, the educational aspect will still be provided as it has been for the past 65…

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Musk Thistle

Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension Educator Musk thistle flower. Photo credit Gary Stone. Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) is a concept to identify potentially invasive species prior to or just as the establishment of the invasive is taking place.  An Integrated Pest Management plan (IPM) can be developed to manage, contain and eradicate the invasive species before it can spread further.  This will avoid costly, long-term control efforts. Musk Thistle   a.k.a. –…

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American Angus Association Launches Combined $Value Index

$C combines the two underlying breeding objectives that drive Angus’s maternal and terminal economic indices.   The American Angus Association® launched the new Combined Value ($C) on May 29, 2020. $C is an economic selection index that aims to characterize profitability differences across the entire chain by combining the two underlying breeding objectives that drive the American Angus Association’s maternal and terminal economic indices.  Expressed in dollars per head, $C includes all 15 traits involved in Maternal Weaned Calf Value ($M) and Beef Value…

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Precision Technology Systems in Alfalfa

Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension Crawford County, AgNR Educator (previously published in Progressive Forage on-line) I was recently talking to one of my local farmers who uses precision agriculture to manage his corn and soybean crops. His combine, sprayer and planter are all connected to the cloud, and he uses the data from the last 10 years to manage next year’s crop. We were discussing ways to use the data he collects to better…

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