Infectious disease can impact cow-calf operations in dramatic (death losses and illnesses) and not-so-dramatic (drains on weight gain and reproductive performance) ways. Some of these disease … Read more

The South Dakota Grassland Coalition and SDSU Extension have released a 25-video series featuring ranchers from across the state who discovered the benefits of matching calving to their ranch … Read more

A Kansas State University beef cattle specialist is urging the state’s producers to continue monitoring their cattle’s condition, especially during periods when Mother Nature sends her winter chill. Read more

The extreme cold and snowy weather has arrived at a very unfortunate time for spring calving cow herds. Cows and heifers are beginning the calving season and some newborn calves are certain to… Read more

Many times when we think of cattle diseases we concentrate on infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses, or we may think of parasites such as worms, lice, and flies. But, it is import… Read more

“Evaluating a calving distribution takes very little time but can provide valuable insight into reproductive performance and productivity of the herd,” says University of Missouri Extension ve… Read more

Reproductive losses account for $1 billion in lost revenue to the beef industry each year. All the way from conception to birth, we depend on a lot of things to go right, whether we are talkin… Read more

Winter is here! As I write this, we have had some snow and freezing temperatures along with a healthy dose of mud, but the worst is yet to come. Some grazers may still be utilizing stockpiled … Read more

Winter and early spring calving can lead to health risks for the newborns, North Dakota State University Extension livestock specialists caution. Read more

The next crop of calves is what keeps the cattle industry in business. Knowing this, a Texas A&M University study aims to reduce reproduction failure, which can cause a significant loss to… Read more

Rain, snow and warming temperatures are making their way again this winter as future forecasts indicate another wet spring. However, with last year’s flooding we’re a little wiser on how to ta… Read more

Dairy and beef producers have long understood the importance of colostrum for the short- and long-term health of their calves. Dairy producers manage colostrum delivery more intensively than m… Read more

Sometimes, I get ahead of myself as a beef cattle genomics researcher. I’m always thinking about the “next big thing”, or the next major step forward in the genetics and genomics space. While … Read more

Factors Causing Calving Difficulty Read more

The River Valley Beef Cattle Conference, a mainstay event brought to Arkansas cattle producers by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is moving online for 2021. Read more

Type differences exist due to size, milk production, suitability to the environment and desirability of different types for profit. All these factors affect the amount of nutrients required by… Read more

The process of “calving” or parturition in beef cattle is defined by three stages. Stage I occurs about 4 to 24 hours prior to calving. The major event during stage I is the dilation of the ce… Read more

The spring bull sale season is underway. Catalogs are being studied, EPDs and individual animal performance numbers are being compared, and choices are being made as to which bulls will be the… Read more

The 2020 drought across the Great Plains has made hay scarce for many producers. Additionally, the pandemic has affected oil prices which in turn has impacted ethanol production and subsequent… Read more

What is “cryptosporidiosis”? Read more

Choosing the calving season is a complex and highly individual decision for each beef cattle producer. This leads to a wide range of calving seasons across the Northern Plains. Various factors… Read more

The energy reserves of a herd are a direct correlation to nutrient supply and balance. Feed prices account for greater than 60% of South Dakota producers’ annual operating expense, so it becom… Read more

An issue facing the rancher at calving time, is the amount of time heifers or cows are allowed to be in labor before assistance is given. Formerly, traditional text books, fact sheets and maga… Read more

Unlike many other mammals, when calves are born, they enter the world lacking any immunity to disease. To build up the defenses they need, calves are wholly dependent on colostrum from their m… Read more

Each year in January, it is time to review and prepare for the most important season in a spring-calving cow operation. As the calving season approaches, an increased understanding of the part… Read more

As cattle producers begin thinking about calving season and management practices to ease the work load a bit, night feeding is something to be considered. Producers have questioned whether or … Read more

Kansas State University officials have announced that the annual Winter Ranch Management series, slated to begin in late January, will highlight several topics important to beef cattle producers. Read more

With the high cost of pasture and rangeland, alternatives to grassland cow-calf production are being investigated with cows and/or calves being in confinement all or part of the production cyc… Read more

While icy winter mornings can be slick for people to walk, they can also present a risk for bulls breeding fall-calving cows, said Beef Cattle Institute veterinarians Bob Larson and Brad White… Read more

For bulls coming out of the breeding season, body weight loss may have occurred, and we need to make sure that we get bulls back in condition before the next season. Also, with the weather sta… Read more

In the midst of one of the mildest winters in North Dakota history, many ranchers are faced with lice infestations in herds even though they have treated their cattle. Read more

Be sure to register even if you can't attend live to get the recording automatically. Read more

Throughout the beef industry, there exist hidden costs that are difficult to expose and equally difficult to eliminate. One of those hidden costs can be caused by an extended “postpartum inter… Read more

Every year, the UKVDL receives calves that died suddenly in the first week of life, usually with few or no symptoms. Often the owner will describe the situation this way: “calves will nurse, b… Read more

When looking at annual cow costs and doing an economic analysis, three categories tend to make up the largest percentage of total costs: feed, labor/equipment and cow depreciation. Other expen… Read more

Body condition scoring is an easy trait to record and is strongly correlated to cow productivity. But don’t overlook the value of body condition scoring your cattle multiple times throughout t… Read more

Each season, fans expect these athletes to be in top form, to perform and to achieve results no one else is capable of. You expect the same of your breeding bulls each season, but are you trea… Read more

Cold weather impacts your cattle, but they can’t stay warm by putting on winter boots, a coat and a hat. They need other ways to keep warm. Winter nutrition and environment management will hel… Read more

You have heard the warning: “What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas!!!” Perhaps you have not heard: “What happens in the first 24 hours, impacts the rest of a calf’s life”! Veterinary s… Read more

Joint New Mexico-Texas project developing more efficient grazing cattle Read more

Mature weight and milk production of MANY commercial beef cows are both greater than they were 30 to 40 years ago. Many ranchers have not recently weighed the adult cows in their herd to know … Read more

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 dec… Read more

A recently funded Texas A&M AgriLife study will determine differences in nitrogen requirements between Brahman type cattle and other cattle. Measuring these differences may allow cattle pr… Read more

Young-bred heifers and young cows that have just weaned their first calf should be fed separately from the mature cows in the herd. The young animals are smaller, still growing, and are replac… Read more

Before the hustle and bustle of the spring calving season, now is a good time to put together the supplies and equipment that will be needed to assist heifers and cows that need help at calving time. Read more

Minerals are essential for health and reproductive success of the cow, but also support fetal development. We easily overlook minerals and vitamins in gestating cow diets, so now is the time t… Read more

Weaning time varies from ranch to ranch. There are advantages and disadvantages of weaning early or late. Read more

Resistance to disease is greatly dependent on antibodies or immunoglobulins and can be either active or passive in origin. In active immunity, the body produces antibodies in response to infec… Read more

I often get inquiries about how a producer should feed their cows. I go through a series of questions about stage of production, forage quality, feedstuff availability, and the like. To determ… Read more

For most, weaning is in the books and pregnancy detection is complete or soon to be underway. Now is the time to pay attention to those pregnant cows out on crop residue or grass. While these … Read more