UNL BeefWatch February 2016

How Valuabull?

Bull costs can be a very significant expense to the cow-calf enterprise.  Photo courtesy of Troy Walz.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 next herd sires. One of the obvious drivers in the choice of which bull will be bought is price. The perc Continue reading…

 

Economically Relevant Traits and Selection Indices

Sire selection does not need to be overwhelming or complex.  Photo courtesy of Matt Spangler.ECONOMICALLY RELEVANT TRAITS
Sire selection does not need to be overwhelming or complex. Centuries of work by geneticists and statisticians have allowed for the development of tools that help producers make decisions relative to the next bull you purchase; do not ignore them. The key questions tha Continue reading…

 

Across-Breed EPD Adjustment Factors

Each year new across-breed adjustment factors are released at the Beef Improvement Federation meeting.  Photo courtesy of Matt Spangler.Expected Progeny Differences published by one breed are inherently not comparable to those published by another breed. This is due to several factors including differences in arbitrary base adjustments used by each breed and differences in selection intensity for a specific trait in one breed compa Continue reading…

 

Snow Is Good For Alfalfa

Alfalfa loves snow.  Photo courtesy of Troy Walz.As single digit and below zero temperatures arrive, be happy if you received snow recently. Sure, snow created some problems, but snow is good – for alfalfa.

Alfalfa loves snow. In fact, nothing can increase the chance of alfalfa surviving winter better than a nice, thick blanket Continue reading…

 

2016 Cow-Calf Production Shows Less Profitability

Nebraska cow-calf budgets now available online.  Photo courtesy of Troy Walz.In 2015 the University of Nebraska Agricultural Economics Department formulated four cow-calf budgets. The Sandhills cow/calf producer budget is for a herd of 500 cows and the data is from a panel of producers in Cherry County. The remaining three budgets are the 50-cow herd located in the panhandle Continue reading…

 
Originally published February 1, 2016 - Submit an Item