Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist Every year I get calls for help with balancing rations and most don’t have a hay analysis. All hay of the same species is NOT created equal. For instance, smooth bromegrass hay can range from 48 to 58% total digestible nutrients (TDN) with crude protein (CP) ranging from 6 to 11% CP. This can be the difference between a growing heifer losing 0.25 lb/d or gaining…
Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems SpecialistKarla H. Wilke, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Taking steps to improve body condition score before cold weather hits can help reduce the impacts of cold weather on the cows. Photo credit Karla Wilkie. 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.…
Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator Employee and family business working relationships are often one of the greatest challenges for those working in agricultural operations. Frequently those in leadership or management positions have had little or no training related to guiding and communicating with those they work with. This lack of education can also impact recruiting and hiring of people to fit into available positions. Finding and hiring the right person for a…
Rob Ziegler, UNL MS Animal Science StudentTravis Mulliniks, UNL Beef Cattle Nutritionist, Range Production Systems Because of the challenges faced last spring and this year’s projected lower quality hay crop, supplementing cattle this year with protein will be an effective way to increase intake and digestibility of low-quality forages. Photo credit Troy Wal Low-quality range pasture and cold wet winter left cows in thinner than normal condition coming into spring this year. The…
Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist Prior to grazing cornstalks with cattle, an estimate should be made of the amount of corn that is present in the field. Photo credit Troy Walz. Putting cows out on corn fields with a lot of corn is a recipe for acidosis (grain overload), abortion, and possibly death, if their rumen bacteria are not properly prepared. Cattle that become acidotic for even a short time can…
Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension EducatorHannah Greenwell, Nebraska Extension Educator While some weathering of bales is to be expected, those that were put up a bit wet, have been sitting in water, or were otherwise saturated need some special considerations. Photo credit Troy Walz. With the wet weather this year, putting up quality hay and keeping it protected from the elements has been a challenge. While some weathering of bales is to be expected,…
Check out the exciting line up for this year’s Range Beef Cow Symposium in Mitchell, NE November 18-20. On Monday afternoon the program will kick off with beef quality assurance training and certification and you won’t want to miss the Ron Gill Stockmanship Clinic. Tuesday morning will begin the traditional program with Drs. John Hall and Benton Glaze from University of Idaho talking about when it pays to artificially inseminate and breed complementarity. …
Bruce Anderson, Nebraska Extension Forage Specialist Sorghum-related plants, like cane, sudangrass, shattercane, and milo can be highly toxic for a few days after frost. 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. If you haven’t experienced a freeze yet this fall, you soon will. And…
Bruce Anderson, Nebraska Extension Forage Specialist When yucca covers too much land to spray, the only cost effective way to reduce its impact is to winter graze. Photo credit Troy Walz. Yucca plants, which are also called soapweed by many people, have nearly overrun many rangelands. There are ways, though, to reclaim those grazinglands. Across much of western and central Nebraska, yucca has nearly taken over some pastures. While they may be able…
Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator Corn residue is a tremendous feed resource for cattle in Nebraska. Photo credit Troy Walz. Corn harvest will be underway soon in much of Nebraska. Corn residue is a tremendous feed resource for cattle in Nebraska. With Nebraska’s 9 million corn acres and 1.8 million beef cows, there is more than twice the number of corn stalk acres needed for grazing all of Nebraska’s beef cows! The…