Virtual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course set for Aug. 3-5

Expert-led sessions, live animal demonstrations, trade show planned The annual Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course is going virtual this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. The annual Beef Cattle Short Course will be held virtually this year. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo) While it may be hard to ‘virtually’ eat the famous prime rib dinner associated with the event, the educational aspect will still be provided as it has been for the past 65…

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Musk Thistle

Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension Educator Musk thistle flower. Photo credit Gary Stone. Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) is a concept to identify potentially invasive species prior to or just as the establishment of the invasive is taking place.  An Integrated Pest Management plan (IPM) can be developed to manage, contain and eradicate the invasive species before it can spread further.  This will avoid costly, long-term control efforts. Musk Thistle   a.k.a. –…

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American Angus Association Launches Combined $Value Index

$C combines the two underlying breeding objectives that drive Angus’s maternal and terminal economic indices.   The American Angus Association® launched the new Combined Value ($C) on May 29, 2020. $C is an economic selection index that aims to characterize profitability differences across the entire chain by combining the two underlying breeding objectives that drive the American Angus Association’s maternal and terminal economic indices.  Expressed in dollars per head, $C includes all 15 traits involved in Maternal Weaned Calf Value ($M) and Beef Value…

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Precision Technology Systems in Alfalfa

Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension Crawford County, AgNR Educator (previously published in Progressive Forage on-line) I was recently talking to one of my local farmers who uses precision agriculture to manage his corn and soybean crops. His combine, sprayer and planter are all connected to the cloud, and he uses the data from the last 10 years to manage next year’s crop. We were discussing ways to use the data he collects to better…

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K-State beef cattle experts share tips for treating calves

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Spring branding and processing day is often a time when community members and families join together to administer vaccinations, castrate, implant calves and apply hide identification before summer pasture turnout. But this spring’s COVID-19 pandemic may require some changes, said experts at Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute. They offered up some advice during a recent Cattle Chat podcast. “It is critical to have the right labor on hand to…

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Protein Supplementation Options With Grazing Cattle

Adele Harty SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist Additional Authors: Ken Olson COVID-19 and the energy economy has had a dramatic negative impact on the ethanol industry, resulting in limited availability of corn distiller’s grains. This has changed availability and pricing of protein feeds. As cow/calf producers consider how this affects their feed purchases currently and into the future, there are some key points to consider and evaluate. In South Dakota grazing operations, many…

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Bottleneck in beef industry pushes producers into making key decisions

K-State beef team outlines feeding options during online workshop MANHATTAN, Kan. – Several members of Kansas State University’s extension beef team hosted an online workshop Thursday to help producers with looming decisions on managing their herds in light of unique challenges in the market. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed Kansas’ beef supply chain to as much as 40 percent capacity, though the state has rebounded in recent days, according to K-State agricultural economist…

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Minimizing Synchronization Costs

Olivia Amundson SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist With the word, “uncertainty” looming in many of our heads, it’s a prime time to consider strategic management approaches to maintain an operation’s bottom line. With calving season quickly coming to an end and breeding season right around the corner, it’s time to look at how money can be invested intelligently and outcomes can be beneficial. Consider Lower Input Estrus Synchronization Protocols With the rising costs…

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Be prepared for a variety of emergency situations

By Trisha Gedon STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma is no stranger to natural disasters and other emergency situations. Residents have seen it all - tornadoes, wildfires, ice storms and flooding. What should Oklahomans do to prepare for what Mother Nature has to offer? Gina Peek, Oklahoma State University Extension housing and consumer specialist, has some advice. “We see a variety of natural disasters in our state. We face everything from tornadoes to wildfires to…

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