K-State beef cattle expert cautions against cold stress

Cattle are "robust creatures," says K-State beef systems specialist Justin Waggoner. Nonetheless, producers should consistently monitor their condition during cold periods. | Download this photo. Late winter storms can cause challenges for cattle producers MANHATTAN, Kan. – A Kansas State University beef cattle specialist is urging the state’s producers to continue monitoring their cattle’s condition, especially during periods when Mother Nature sends her winter chill. Justin Waggoner, a beef systems specialist with K-State Research…

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Meeting Protein Requirements When Protein is Expensive

Katie VanValin, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky One of the things that we know for certain is what goes up must come down, and in the agriculture industry the opposite is also true. For a whole host of reasons, we see fluctuations in all our commodity prices. In the beef industry, we can sometimes use this to our advantage to cheaply feed cattle, while other times we are forced to get out…

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Rising Feed Costs Being Felt

Jeff Lehmkuhler, PhD, PAS, Associate Extension Professor, University of Kentucky Looking back on 2020, the year had its share of pull your hair out and scream moments. Just as we were nearing the end, another slap in the face came as grain commodities began to run up on the trade market. This is a good thing for our crop growers who struggled in 2020. My brothers-in-law reminded me of this at Christmas how…

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Preparing Your Cows for A Successful Breeding Season

Dr. Les Anderson, Beef Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky A successful breeding season begins with management decisions made prior to calving. As we move into the winter-feeding period for spring-calving cows, cattlemen need to review their management plan to ensure optimal rebreeding and success. Rebreeding efficiency can be optimized by focusing on body condition score (BCS), early assistance during calving difficulty, scheduling a breeding soundness exam for the herd sires, planning their herd…

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Considerations for Maintaining Condition in our Breeding Bulls during Winter

Kacie McCarthy, UNL Cow-Calf Specialist Maintaining weight or gaining the weight back that bulls lost over the breeding season will be important to manage during the winter. Photo credit Troy Walz. For bulls coming out of the breeding season, body weight loss may have occurred, and we need to make sure that we get bulls back in condition before the next season. Also, with the weather starting to change, starting to think about…

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Cornstalk Residue Grazing with Weaned Calves, Dry Pregnant Cows or Pairs – What Supplementation Do They Need?

Karla H. Wilke, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker ManagementMary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems SpecialistKacie McCarthy, UNL Cow-Calf Specialist Cornstalk residue is an economical forage resource across Nebraska, which can help producers reduce annual cow costs. Photo credit Troy Walz. With approximately 9.8 million acres of corn yielding an average of 182 bushels/acre, cornstalk residue can be an accessible and economical winter grazing forage option for producers in Nebraska. Historic research at the…

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The Goal: Feed Less, Graze More

Winter; time to catch up on reading and sharpening the pencil and mind. I often talk about upcoming grazing conferences this time of year. Right now, meetings in person are scarce and perhaps rightly so. I still encourage you to continue learning whether it’s from watching YouTube videos, reading books or articles, or attending a virtual meeting or conference. It is also the time of year when I start thinking more about finding…

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Effect of Energy and Protein Supplementation on Body Condition Score and Reproduction

Steve Boyles, OSU Beef Extension Specialist Feeding a balanced diet to beef females in the last trimester of pregnancy through the breeding season is critical. Nutritional demands increase from early gestation to lactation. Reproduction has low priority among partitioning of nutrients for the subsequent pregnancy. Consequently, thin cows at calving typically remain thin because excess energy in the diet is directed to milk production first. The common theme is, at least for spring-calving…

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Reducing Winter Feed Costs

Clif Little, OSU Extension Agriculture Natural Resources, Guernsey County (this article was originally appeared in Farm and Dairy) Stockpiled fescue with small round bales can be utilized for winter strip grazing. Photo by Clif Little Winter feed represents one of the largest components of annual cow cost. Approximately seventy five percent of the annual feed cost for cattle is winter feed. One way to increase the profit potential in the cow herd is to…

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Valuing Corn Stalk Bales

Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator What value should be put on baling corn residue? Photo credit Troy Walz. With dry conditions still plaguing much of the state, baling corn residue following harvest might be an optional roughage source if hay supply is getting tight.  What value should be put on baling corn residue? Figuring out the true value of corn stalk bales can be a bit tricky, but breaking down the costs can…

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