UNL BeefWatch November 2016

What Did it Cost to Produce a Calf this Year?

Right after weaning is a good time to analyze the business and see what it cost to produce a pound of weaned calf.  Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.Weaning of spring-born calves has occurred for many cow calf producers. Right after weaning is a good time to analyze the business and see what it cost to produce a pound of weaned calf.

Cow costs and thus the cost to produce a weaned calf have shot up over the last 15 years. From 1987 to 2001, t Continue reading…

 

Pest of The Month: Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.)

Promoting healthy competition from beneficial species, and minimizing disturbance and overgrazing, are key to limiting the spread of cheatgrass. The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting colder, and cheatgrass is starting to emerge from the soil. As fall begins, another generation of cheatgrass begins to take over roadsides, rangeland, and farmland across Nebraska.

Cheatgrass, a native of parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe, began Continue reading…

 

Frosted Sorghums: To Graze or Not to Graze?

The prussic acid in new growth after a frost in sorghums can be highly toxic to grazing cattle.  Photo courtesy of Daren Redfearn.Many parts of Nebraska have recently had at least one night of below freezing temperatures. In some areas, temperatures have warmed back up and the sorghums have begun to regrow. The hydrocyanic acid (or prussic acid) in this new growth can be highly toxic to grazing cattle.

Prussic acid toxicity Continue reading…

 

Reviewing Cow-calf Share and Cash Lease Agreements

For the upcoming 2017 year, cow-calf share leases or cash leases should be reviewed.  Photo courtesy of Aaron Berger, NE Extension Educator.“The future ain’t what it used to be!” This quote by the late Yogi Berra rightly applies to the cattle business today. Market movement to the downside in the last two years has dramatically changed financial circumstances for cattle producers. These changes in market value are having an impact on Continue reading…

 
Originally published November 1, 2016 - Submit an Item