Pasture (Frothy) Bloat; Beware when grazing legumes!

Stephen Boyles, OSU Extension Beef Specialist Bloat has been described in agricultural writings since A.D. 60. Names for bloat have changed over the years: hoove, hoven, tympany, and blown have appeared in English journals of the 18th and 19th centuries. Bloat occurs when rumen gas production exceeds the rate of gas elimination. The gas accumulates and causes distention of the rumen (left side of cattle). If the situation continues, the inflated rumen interferes…

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Drylotting Cow-Calf Pairs

Warren Rusche SDSU Extension Beef Feedlot Management Associate Whether because of reduced forage production caused by drought, or increased competition for grazing acres, feeding lactating cows in a drylot is being at least considered as an option by more ranchers. In some pasture rent markets the total cost per day for drylotting pairs is similar to or even lower than the total costs on pasture. When feed supplies are short, it may be…

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Mineral and Vitamin Considerations When Drylotting Cows

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist Karla H. Wilke, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management A good mineral program does not have to be expensive, nor is cost correlated with effectiveness. Photo credit Karla Wilke. Managing cows in a drylot can be a way to maintain the herd when forage production is reduced due to drought or as a part of a system when pasture is unavailable for other reasons. When cattle…

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Taking the Bull from the Sale Ring or Winter Storage, Making Him the Athlete He Needs to Be

Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension Bulls need to be transitioned from their winter diet to grass carefully before turn out. Recently we visited in this publication about the value in having a bull that’s passed a breeding soundness exam (BSE) and is ready to go to work when called upon. One thing we’ve perhaps yet to discuss is what needs to happen after the bull has passed his BSE, or is purchased, and…

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Cattle producers should know signs of foot rot in livestock

By Donald Stotts  STILLWATER, Okla. – Excessive rain is a signal for cattle producers to keep an eye out for lameness in their animals, the first sign of foot rot.  Foot rot is a painful condition that can become chronic if treatment is not provided, allowing for other aspects of the animal’s health to be affected as well, said Dr. Barry Whitworth, Oklahoma State University Extension veterinarian and food animal quality and health specialist. To…

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Economic Considerations for Early Weaning

Warren Rusche SDSU Extension Beef Feedlot Management Associate Beef specialists and nutritionists often advise ranchers to wean calves at younger ages as a response to drought conditions. However, what about when moisture conditions are normal? Can weaning calves at 100 to 180 days of age be profitable? For any management practice to be economically feasible, income must increase more than expenses, or expenses must decrease more than income declines. Almost by definition, early…

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You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure: Range Record Keeping

Krista Ehlert Assistant Professor & SDSU Extension Range Specialist Written collaboratively by Krista Ehlert and Pat Johnson. The best businesses are the ones that are properly managed in ways that result in profit. However, if you’re a livestock producer this is probably where you’re thinking, “easier said than done.” At the core, though, livestock production is no different than any other business out there – effective management requires good metrics, and metrics come…

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Studies indicate patch burning of tallgrass prairie is a valuable option

Practice provides a method to offset carbon emissions from a cow-calf operation MANHATTAN, Kan. – To the uninitiated, it’s an awesome and sometimes scary sight, coming over a hill to encounter a burning prairie as far as the eye can see. But planned burning – also called prescribed burning – of the tallgrass prairie is a proven effective and widely used way to control invasive plant species. The practice also improves forage quality…

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Cattle breeders should check bull fertility after recent snowstorms

By Donald Stotts  STILLWATER, Okla. – The extreme winter weather that hit the southern Plains States in mid-February may have reduced bull fertility in herd sires – potentially bad news for the economic well-being of cow-calf operations.  Cattle breeders should have a veterinarian check their bulls for frostbite to the animal’s scrotum and testicles as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made to protect the herd’s reproductive efficiency, said Dr. Rosslyn…

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Don’t let the green grass fool you

Dr. Katie VanValin- Assistant Extension Professor- University of Kentucky. Perhaps it was the full season worth of winter weather we got in one-week last month, or the above average temperatures that followed, but either way we are rounding the bend and spring will be here before we know it. One of the things I love most about spring is that along with the warmer temperatures and longer days, inevitably comes greener pastures. However,…

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