By Jeff Lehmkuhler Looking back at 2020, the year had its part in pulling your hair out and screaming moments. Just as we neared the end, there was another slap in the face as grain skyrocketed in the trading market. This is a good thing for our crop farmers who struggled in 2020. My brothers-in-law […]
Producers should be prepared for drought
The persistent drought conditions will affect forage production. North Dakota State University Extension specialists say producers in North Dakota need to be prepared in the event drought conditions persist through 2021. US DROUGHT MONITOR-NORTH DAKOTA Most of the Dakotas, northern Minnesota, and eastern Montana suffered some drought in 2020. As of January 14, 2021, all […]
Beef Handling and Feeding Considerations
By Rich Taber This is the third part in a multi-part series about raising cattle on the small farm. Past rates can be found in the summer and fall editions of Cornell Small Farms Quarterly. This article will alert you to some equipment considerations that you need to consider in order to efficiently feed and […]
Prospects for the completion of cattle for 2021
By Michael Langemeier Commercial Agriculture Center Purdue University COVID-19 and volatile forage cattle and feed prices resulted in another challenging year for ranchers. A previous article (farmdoc daily October 9, 2020) examined the net returns for the first nine months of 2020. This article updates the cost of profit, breakeven point, and net returns for […]
November Beef exports largest in more than a year; 2020 pork exports top annual record
U.S. beef exports had one of the best months on record in November, according to data from the USDA compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). November was also a strong month for pork exports, already beating the full year and value records set in 2019. "Demand for US beef in the global retail […]
Grazing livestock and soybean crops
By Eric Hamilton By late fall, much of the Midwest is a pleasant landscape of dry, harvested plants Corn fields. It creates a bucolic rural scene when driving on the motorway. But the leftover corn litter doesn't seem to be useful, at least to the untrained eye. But for those in the know, this corn […]
Fact Sheet explains seasonal differences in the rating of beef cows
The assessment of the body condition is an easy-to-measure characteristic and is strongly correlated with cow productivity. But don't overlook the value of evaluating your cattle multiple times throughout the year. A new four-page publication from the Iowa State University's Iowa Beef Center contains the information beef producers need. The publication, Assessment of the body […]
Choosing a veal season based on the appropriate nutritional needs and resources
By Ken Olson The choice of the veal season is a complex and very individual decision for every cattle producer. This results in a wide variety of calving seasons in the northern plains. Various factors influence this decision, some of which are facilities, resources, other businesses, time commitments, and finances. This article focuses on nutritional […]
The Cost of Mud to the Beef Cow
By Kirsten Nickles Since the mid 1990’s, Ohio has experienced an increase in the number of precipitation events greater than 2 inches (Frankson and Kunkel, 2017), with winter rainfall increasing and snowfall decreasing (Hayhoe et al., 2010). Winter and spring precipitation are expected to increase 20 – 30% further by the end of the century […]
Metaphylaxis FAQ’s | Farms.com
By Dr. Michelle Arnold Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) results from the mixture of host (calf) susceptibility, pathogens (viral and bacterial) and the environment to cause disease. Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni and Mycoplasma bovis, the most common bacteria in bovine bronchopneumonia, are opportunists that get in the lungs when the calf’s built-in defenses are […]