Volume XV Number 6 • Nov/Dec 2007
Table of Contents

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Editor's Desk
The cattle industry has changed as much over time as any other industry. For example: shipping by rail to trucks, farmer feeders to larger feeding operations, horse power to mechanized machinery, flaked rations and feeder trucks.. ...Read the Story...

Maximizing Your Experience at Cattle Industry Trade Shows
As we enter the winter season, many state and local cattlemen’s and allied industry groups are busy with their annual conventions and trade shows. The season usually culminates with the Cattle Industry Annual Convention and NCBA Trade Show in late January or early February. These conventions and the trade shows associated with them present cattlemen with an excellent opportunity to catch up with old friends and familiarize themselves with new information and technology available to our ever-changing industry.......Read the Story...

Anaplasmosis Alert -- Ensure Preventatives are Used Properly
Producers who have experienced anaplasmosis in their herds may look toward preventative measures. A common approach is to supplement cattle with an oral antibiotic (chlortetracycline, CTC) in either free choice mineral or a range meal supplement, according to sources with the Arkansas Ag Extension. Keep in mind that a common mistake is feeding a mineral supplement that DOES NOT contain a sufficient level of CTC. This means the mineral label should indicate a use for anaplasmosis prevention, and the feeding directions should provide consumption indications for cows of various weights. . ...Read the Story...

American style Feedyard Finds Way to Ukraine
A Yankton, SD, engineering firm is helping a Ukrainian company bring beef – and lots of it – to their country.
Dan Eisenbraun, engineer and owner of Eisenbraun and Associates, said JSC Mlronovsky Hleboprodukt chose his firm to design and build a 50,000-head feedlot near Kiev after conducting a worldwide search for an engineering company with experience in feedlot construction. JSC leads the Ukraine in poultry production and operates one of the country’s biggest oil mills. . ...Read the Story...

What it Takes to be a CAB Licensed Feedlot
When like-minded producers work together, they can accomplish more than the sum of their individual efforts.
That’s why Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) launched the Feedlot Licensing Program (FLP) in 1999. It gathers information on management and genetics of Angus-type cattle in 63 feedlots in 12 states. More than that, it provides many good examples of cooperation... ......Read the Story...

Market Notes
The October Cattle on Feed report was released showing 96 percent on feed from a year ago (average trade estimate 95.7). Placements are 109 percent of a year ago (trade estimate 104.9). Marketing’s came in at 97 percent compared to last year (average trade guess 96.0). The report was considered neutral for cattle.  . ...Read the Story...

A Strategic Plan for Labor
The successful, forward-thinking business person has an overall Strategic Plan for their business that includes a Vision Statement, a Mission Statement, Specific Goals and a Timetable for accomplishing those goals. Greater competition, rising benefit costs and a shrinking labor pool for employers in agriculture requires that we have an additional Strategic Plan for our long-term labor needs.....Read the Story...

Wet Distillers Grains...Increasing the Shelf Life
Wet distiller grains with solubles (WDGS) have outstanding feed values, however they come with some management concerns. As we approach the winter months, preserving WDGS or extending the shelf life of these products is not as important as in the hot, winter months. But often, winter is the best time to consider viable options for a summer problem. Researching different options now can make the decision making process easier in the spring and summer, when the “heat is on,” so to speak....Read the Story...

Roughables...Many Choices for Effective Fiber
Grass hay has a definite role for growing and feedlot rations. For example, in eastern Kansas in 2007, spring rains have stimulated harvesting prairie hay and brome hay. This hay is competitively priced compared to other roughages. Grinding or processing of grass hay is interesting compared to alfalfa hay. The effective roughage factor is not destroyed as much as with alfalfa hay. .....Read the Story...

South Dakota Indoor Feedlot Says Facility Offers Advantages
Merlin Vannorsdel and his son Scott of Viborg, South Dakota, are not newcomers to the cattle business. Merlin’s father established their first outdoor feedlot in 1948 when he began farming the land where Merlin and Scott still live.  ...Read the Story...

Low Stress Cattle Handling
Steve Cote, Conservationist with USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) District at Arco, Idaho, gives seminars on how to improve cattle handling methods. “I learned about livestock handling from Bud Williams. The way cattle are handled is a lot of the problem in cattle stress. You can prevent weaning stress that causes sickness and poor gains,” he says. ...Read the Story...

New Way to Battle Lice
Lice are profit robbers, reducing weight gains and making animals more susceptible to disease--especially during colder months when lice populations increase. There are several methods for controlling lice, including injectable and pour on products. One relatively new product is called Clean Up. ....Read the Story...

Carcass Ultrasound 101
With all of the incentives to raise Choice and Prime cattle, it’s easy to see why so much selection pressure has been placed on marbling. However, how ultrasound “measures” marbling often needs an explanation. Percent Intramuscular Fat, or %IMF, is the common ultrasound term for marbling, but it needs further explanation. .....Read the Story...

Timely Tips to Prevent Calf Scours
Calf scours can cause major economic losses for cow/calf producers, as great as 50 percent death losses in severe situations, according to Iowa State University research. Some calves die of scours. While some do recover with treatment; scours treatment costs valuable time and money. In addition, research shows calves treated for scours weigh as much as 35 pounds less at weaning than healthy calves... ...Read the Story...