Balancing Calving Ease Priorities in Heifer Matings
https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/stories/2020/01/calving-ease-in-breeding-decisions.html
Think Hard About the Year Left Behind, Develop a Plan for the Year Ahead
Victor Shelton, NRCS State Agronomist/Grazing Specialist Unseasonable weather yielded a New Year’s Eve blossom. I’m glad the days are starting to be a fraction longer, even though it’s not much more yet. While I wait for some daylight, I can usually be found reading early in the morning. I’m certainly a morning person, just ask my wife. There is no other good reason to be up at 4 A.M. this time of year,…
Goals for Your Cow Herd in 2020
Garth Ruff, OSU Extension Henry County Group lots of calves with uniform weight, frame, and genetics sell for a premium in the market place. Each year I like to look evaluate any upcoming opportunities and set goals for the New Year in an effort to better myself both professionally and personally. I prefer to call them goals rather than New Years Resolutions because many people tend to let resolutions fall through the cracks.…
K-State’s Winter Ranch Management Series Set for January and February
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Profit enhancing strategies included in the topics for the 2020 Kansas State University Winter Ranch Management Seminar Series. Hosted at five sites across the state of Kansas, the meetings will feature presentations and comments by extension educators to enhance management and marketing strategies employed by cow-calf producers. The meetings will also feature a popular "town hall" style question-and-answer session between Kansas cattle producers and extension specialists. "The series has a history…
University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension Beef Economics Team Annual Beef Heifer Replacement Forecasts for the 2019 – 2020 Production Season (Summary Briefing)
Randy Saner, Nebraska Extension EducatorMatt Stockton, Nebraska Extension Ag Economics Specialist While the selection of replacement animals in a herd of beef cattle may differ from ranch to ranch, there are three factors seen by the authors as critically important that affect their value as replacements. Photo credit Troy Walz. What is a respectable value of a beef replacement heifer for the coming 2019-2020 production season? This can be a complicated choice, but…
Breaking the Ice
Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County, OSU Extension Happy Holidays readers! With holiday gatherings a plenty right now, I thought maybe you would appreciate a suggestion for a conversation starter. Why not break the ice about breaking the ice? Owners of livestock and pets will probably sympathize with you over a cup of hot cider by the tree. With the cold finally settling in, keeping free flowing water available can…
Differences Between High-, Medium-, and Low-Profit Cow-Calf Producers: An Analysis of 2014-2018 Kansas Farm Management Association Cow-Calf Enterprise – A Review
Good production with cost control differentiated the most profitable producers from those that were the least profitable. 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. This study by Whitney Bowman, Dustin L. Pendell Ph.D. and Kevin L. Herbel can be found at the Kansas State…
Use the Numbers (correctly) this Bull Sale Season
Matt Spangler, UNL Associate Professor and Beef Genetics Extension Specialist This bull sale season do not make the process more complex than it really needs to be. Photo credit Troy Walz. This bull sale season, profit-minded cattle producers will utilize expected progeny differences (EPD) and economic selection indices when selecting their next group of bulls. These tools are far more accurate at predicting the average difference in offspring than visual appraisal or actual…
A Strong Finish to the Year
Stephen R. Koontz, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics – Colorado State University Without a doubt, the cattle markets are closing the year far stronger than I expected. Live cattle futures have pushed into new highs and cash fed cattle prices are back to tracking the price levels and seasonal patterns of last year. There were some unique market drivers that I discussed last month. Most are still present, are not typical, and…
Castration Timing, Technique Options and Pain Management
Animal welfare is ever present in the beef producer's mind when considering the optimal management strategies to maximize the productivity of the calf. One of the most stressful times in a male calf's life is when he experiences castration. Optimum Castration Timing In regard to the optimum time for the procedure, Kansas State veterinarians Dr. Bob Larson and Dr. Hans Coetzee recommend castrating bull calves in the first few days of life after…