Feedlots Towards Estimated National Herd Contraction
Feedlots Towards Estimated National Herd Contraction | UNL Beef
Winter Supplementation of Beef Calves – When Supplementation Doesn’t Pay
Winter Supplementation of Beef Calves – When Supplementation Doesn’t Pay | UNL Beef
Heavier Feeder Cattle Placements Amid Meat Processing Plant Issues
Elliott Dennis, Livestock Marketing and Risk Management Economist 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. Current Market Situation Domestic red meat demand and corn prices are two current drivers of the fed cattle market. The historical corn purchases from China, reduced planted corn acreage in the U.S., and poor…
When All Else Fails, Read the Feeding Instructions
Jeff Lehmkuhler, PhD, PAS, Extension Professor, University of Kentucky This is the time of year when calves are starting to come to market. Backgrounders and fall stocker programs are buying lightweight feeders for their operations. Some operations in consultation with their veterinarians may obtained a veterinary feed directive (VFD) for medicated feed to help in the prevention or treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Medicated feeds are a tool in the toolbox and…
Get the most out of higher cattle placement weights in feedlots
By Donald Stotts STILLWATER, Okla. – The rising feedlot cost of gain in the southern Great Plains should have cattle producers considering economic opportunities for operations in forage-based stocker and backgrounding programs, said Oklahoma State University Extension experts. Cost of gain, or the expense of gaining a pound of livestock bodyweight, involves several critical factors such as feed costs, flesh condition, animal genetics, weather and cattle health. When grain prices rise and cost of gain…
Winter Cow Supplementation: Protein and Energy Explained
By Caitlin Hebbert, Livestock Consultantand Ryon Walker, Ph.D., Livestock Consultant In the article “Nutrient Synchrony: Protein and Energy Working Together,” we discussed how protein and energy act synergistically in the rumen to booster animal performance: Each requires the other for peak function. We also mentioned how winter supplementation often consists of a protein supplement but that protein is not always the limiting nutrient. In this article, we will talk about both protein and energy supplementation and how…
Cattle Chat: Tips for feeding steers at home
Hand-feeding a steer through the finishing phase can be an option for those seeking locally sourced beef. K-State beef cattle experts say understanding rations, controlling expenses can be challenging MANHATTAN, Kan. — Locally sourced food has grown in popularity in recent years, leading some cow-calf producers to raise steer calves through the finishing phase rather than selling them at weaning. Experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute said it is important…
Thinking About Weaning and Preconditioning Calves to Add Value? Know the “Lingo”
Dr. Michelle Arnold, UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Traditionally, many KY beef producers with winter/spring born feeder calves market through Special Graded Feeder Calf Sales held in the fall. At these sales, feeder cattle are graded according to the USDA Feeder Cattle Grading Standards, are weighed and sorted into groups (load lots of 48,000-50,000 lbs) and are then sold. Buyers take advantage of these sales to buy larger groups of feeder cattle with similar…
Weighing the alternatives
Beef cattle experts suggest factors for consideration when feeding co-products MANHATTAN, Kan. — Feed cost is often one of the most expensive inputs when trying to balance the beef cattle budget. To help reduce that expense, midwestern producers will sometimes look to alternative feed products such as wet corn gluten, corn dried distillers’ grain with solubles (DDGS) or soy hulls, to name a few. “Often alternative feeds are a by-product of some other…
Stocker Cattle Transitioning to Wheat Pasture May Not Need Supplement
https://www.noble.org/news/publications/ag-news-and-views/2020/september/stocker-cattle-transitioning-supplement/?utm_source=events&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=legacy-spring-2020