Pasture and Forage Quality Workshop

A Pasture and Forage Quality Workshop has scheduled for two Ohio locations including March 2nd in Peebles and in Laurelville on the March 3rd. These workshops are made possible through a grant from the National Grazing Lands Coalition.

The focus of the workshop is on Continue reading

Liver Abscesses

Steve Boyles, OSU Beef Extension Specialist

Liver abscesses are the primary cause of liver condemnation in feedlot cattle. Two scientist ( C. D. Reinhardt and M. E. Hubbert) reviewed the research on the topic. Severe abscesses may reduce the value of beef carcasses by $38 per animal. Cattle slaughtered in the Midwest states average 13% with and 4% being severe liver abscesses.

There has been an increase in prevalence of liver abscesses in Continue reading

Selenium in Beef Cattle Nutrition

– Dr. Roy Burris, Beef Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

Selenium (Se) was discovered in 1818 but its role in animal nutrition wasn’t understood until the 1950’s when Se was identified as an essential nutrient. Selenium is thought of as a trace or micro mineral in beef cattle diets. Beef cattle only require 0.10 parts per million (ppm) of Se in the total diet (not the mineral supplement). Although plants in some parts of the country can contain toxic levels of Se, forages grown in many parts of the country do not contain adequate levels of Se for Continue reading

Imports of Mexican Cattle Likely to Decrease

– Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

The U.S. and Mexican cattle and beef industries continue to integrate, building on a long history of trade between the two countries. Mexico has exported feeder cattle to the U.S. for more than a century and continues to do so today. After increasing in the mid-1980s, U.S. imports of Mexican cattle have averaged 1.08 million head for the last 30 years. In the most recent ten years, the average has been slightly Continue reading

Cattle On Feed Report Neutral

– Ron Plain and Scott Brown, Ag Economics, Missouri University

USDA’s February Cattle on Feed reports said the number of cattle in large feedlots on February 1 was down a tiny 0.04% compared to a year ago. January placements of cattle into feedlots were down 0.6% and January marketings were down 2.2%. The report should be neutral for the market. The trade was expecting Continue reading

Start Planning Now for A Successful Breeding Season

– Dr. Les Anderson, Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

A successful breeding season actually begins with management decisions made at calving. Cattlemen can impact rebreeding efficiency by focusing on body condition score (BCS), early assistance during calving difficulty, scheduling a breeding soundness exam for the herd sires, planning their herd reproductive health program, and developing a plan to regulate estrus in their first-calf heifers and late-calving cows.

Reproductive management begins with Continue reading

Swift Expansion of the Beef Herd Continues

– Dr. Kenny Burdine, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Kentucky

As always, USDA’s January 1 cattle inventory estimates provided much data for discussion. Continued good weather and historically strong calf prices for much of the year led to further herd expansion. The headliner was a 3.5% increase in the number of beef cows in the US, which exceeded most expectations. Part of the reason for the increase was Continue reading

Beef Cow Size and Profitability

Rory Lewandowski, OSU Extension Educator, Wayne County

I recently read a couple of on-line articles from Drovers Cattle Network that piqued my interest because they dealt with the topic of cow size and the impact on beef cattle enterprise profitability. One article entitled “Time to Change Directions” written by Alan Newport reported on data gathered from several states with comments from agricultural economists and animal scientists. The other article was entitled “If You Go Big Be Prepared” and was written by Matt Hersom, a beef cattle specialist from the University of Florida. The basic gist of the articles was that cow size measured by mature weight has been Continue reading

2016 Ohio Beef Cattle School Concludes on Feb. 16

John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator

The third session of the 2016 Ohio Beef Cattle School is coming up next week. It is scheduled for Tuesday, February 16 and will begin at 7:00 p.m. The final program will bring the series will to an appropriate conclusion as it will be devoted to the endpoint of the Continue reading

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