Corn residue is an outstanding forage resource for wintering cows, but is also an option for backgrounding calves or growing heifers. Given the typical rental rates for corn residue and the cost of distillers’ grains, these two feed resources together make one of the lowest cost growing rations. To Continue reading…
f you haven’t experienced a freeze yet this fall, you soon will. And remember, a freeze can cause hazards for using some forages.
When plants freeze, changes occur in their metabolism and composition that can poison livestock. But you can prevent problems.
Sorghum-r Continue reading…
Traditional practice has been to cull an open beef female after pregnancy diagnosis to avoid additional feed and labor costs on a non-productive animal. Frequently, cull cows are sold into slaughter in the fall when cull cow inventory is highest and prices are lowest.
Cull cow sales represent 10-2 Continue reading…
Fall is a good time to start thinking ahead to your farm or ranch taxes. If you have your farm/ranch financial records entered in Quicken (Deluxe), there are some key reports to make your tax planning easier.
Below are some Quicken tips to help you prepare for you for pre-tax planning with your Continue reading…
Today let’s play a little game of ‘what if’. As in ‘what if it rains enough this fall for your pastures and hay meadows to green up and grow’. Should you graze?
If recent rain greens up your pasture so it grows enough to graze, will you succumb to the temptation?
As tempting as it may Continue reading…
As the newest beef extension specialist for the University of Nebraska located at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte, I figured this would be a great opportunity to write a quick introduction of myself and short research summary of a previous winter nutritional research o Continue reading…
Common mullein is becoming an increasing concern to grassland managers as the aggressive forb spreads from old fields, abused areas, and rights-of-way to grasslands. Woolly leaves complicate control by discouraging grazers and obstructing herbicide contact. Although seeds are not produced until the Continue reading…
As livestock producers start planning for fall weaning, pregnancy observation, and vaccinations they often will apply an endectocide treatment for internal and external parasites such as cattle lice. While this practice is efficacious for most internal parasites and horn flies, it does not always co Continue reading…
Cow depreciation is frequently the second or third largest expense to the cow-calf enterprise after feed. Depreciation is a non-cash expense that is often overlooked by cow-calf producers.
Depreciation for a cow is calculated as the following.
Purchase Price or Replacement Cost – Salvage Value/
Pr Continue reading…
The Range Beef Cow Symposium XXV will be held in Cheyenne, Wyoming at Little America November 28-30, 2017. This year the program format has been altered somewhat to accommodate more interactive learning.
This year there will be meat cutting demonstrations and plant ID opportunities in the vendor Continue reading…
This article is a research summary from 2017 Western Section Proceedings (pp. 119-123; http://go.unl.edu/9czp), and will be published in the 2018 Nebraska Beef Report.
Producing replacements in a beef herd is a critical and expensive enterprise for producers, making more economical heifer developme Continue reading…
Manure, litter or other biosolids originating from feedlots, poultry houses, municipal waste treatment systems or industry sources are often stockpiled at the edge of a field to be readily available for land application when field conditions permit entry, such as after crops have been harvested. Sel Continue reading…
Previous research has shown the benefit of pregnancy diagnosis and how it adds to a producer’s bottom line. Keeping one cow over winter can cost $100-$200 in feed and supplements so removing open cows can help decrease winter feed costs. Options for managing non-pregnant beef females are discussed i Continue reading…
Manure’s impact on formation of larger and more stable soil aggregates was the focus of a September 2017 BeefWatch article (http://go.unl.edu/y85c). This article reviews the value that results from changes to soil’s physical characteristics. Charles Wortmann and Dan Walters, faculty with the Univ Continue reading…