By Gail Ellis   STILLWATER, Okla. – In Rogers County, Billy Clark stood in his pecan orchard surveying the thousands of bagworm sacks hanging from tree branches. Bagworms and webworms are a common sight on trees and other plants in late summer, but why they are more prominent in certain years is a mystery. One is mostly harmless to host plants while the other can be quite destructive.  Clark spoke recently on Oklahoma State University’s SUNUP television show about…

Event will provide practical information to help producers make decisions in today's dynamic beef industry. MANHATTAN, Kan. – What has worked and what to see in the future, beef cattle outlook, starting newly arrived calves on feed, and the comparison of multiple castration methods in stocker cattle are among topics planned for 2021 Kansas State University Beef Stocker Field Day on Thursday, Sept. 30. The conference will be hosted at the KSU Beef…

By Donald Stotts  STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma’s unusually mild summer is heating up and drying out, bringing with it the need to watch for signs of summer pneumonia in adult dairy cows.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service research indicated pneumonia is responsible for 11% of all deaths in adult dairy cows, said Dr. Barry Whitworth, Oklahoma State University Extension veterinarian and food animal quality and health specialist.  “Say ‘summer pneumonia’ and…

Karla H. Wilke, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Feeding, management, and marketing needs to be evaluated prior to weaning so the best options as well as best management practices are selected. Photo credit Troy Walz. Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/unlbeefwatch into your podcast app. Early weaning is typically defined as weaning before calves are…

Amy Timmerman, Nebraska Extension Educator There are several ways to determine if blue-algae is present in the pond or dugout. Photo credit Troy Walz. Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/unlbeefwatch into your podcast app. Hot, dry weather is impacting part of the state which in turn is impacting the water quality for grazing cattle.  In some…

Rick Funston, Nebraska Extension Beef Cattle Reproductive Physiologist Pregnancy diagnosis is a very valuable tool in the beef industry. Photo courtesy of Troy Walz. Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/unlbeefwatch into your podcast app. Previous research has shown the benefit of pregnancy diagnosis and how it adds to a producer’s bottom line. Keeping one cow over…

Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Educator In most scenarios, the best way to prevent a pinkeye outbreak is to control the flies. Photo credit Troy Walz. Listen to a discussion of the content in this article on this episode of the BeefWatch podcast. You can subscribe to new episodes in iTunes or paste http://feeds.feedburner.com/unlbeefwatch into your podcast app. It is no secret that rainfall and humidity aid in the quality and quantity of summer forage production. However, these two…

Miranda Raithel of Falls City, Nebraska, is recognized as 2021 Junior Herdsman of the year. The Junior Angus Herdsman award is awarded to one National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) member who displays a strong work ethic, dedication to his/her animals and has the skill to prepare their cattle for exhibition. This year the 2021 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS) Junior Herdsman of the Year was awarded to Miranda Raithel of Falls City, Nebraska.…

By Alisa Boswell-Gore STILLWATER, Okla. – Thanks to the research of Oklahoma State University professor and researcher Sue Fairbanks and her colleagues, there is a positive future for black bears in Oklahoma. This summer, the team of researchers have been continuing their research efforts of tracking black bears to collect data on their movements in northeastern Oklahoma and to gather information on resource selection and the human impact of an expanding population in southeastern Oklahoma.…

With proper planning, beef producers can make the weaning process easier for calves MANHATTAN, Kan. — Just as college students may feel anxious when they leave their homes and return to campus, fall is also a time when spring-born calves are separated from their mothers and stress ensues. To minimize the stress felt by calves, the experts at Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute offered several management strategies for producers to implement. Discussed…