BeefWatch Archive

Beefwatch Archive

To read articles prior to September 2017, please visit the article archive on UNL Announce.

Rangeland in Nebraska
Thursday, March 1, 2018

Using Early Season Forage Growth – Is There Enough for Growing, Calving Heifers?

As spring approaches most producers are anxious to get cows out of the lot and make use of early spring grazing. While there are certainly some advantages to sending pairs out into fresh air and wide open spaces, there are some forage availability and diet quality considerations producers need to evaluate.
a field that has been harvested
Thursday, March 1, 2018

Utilizing Annual Forages as part of a Diversified Production System – A Producer's Perspective

In this month's BeefWatch Producer Perspective Podcast, the Peterson family who own and operate Plum Thicket Farms near Gordon share how they utilize annual forages as part of their diversified crop and cattle operation. Some of the topics that the Peterson family discusses in the interview include:

Cattle grazing in a field
Thursday, February 1, 2018

Prepartum Nutrition

Recent research has shown maternal nutrition during late gestation can have lasting impacts on calf health, growth, and performance postnatally. These impacts can include improved weaning weights, yearling weights, and marbling scores of progeny.
Profile of a beef cow
Thursday, February 1, 2018

Across-breed EPD Adjustment Factor Updates

Since 1993, the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) has produced a table of factors to adjust Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) so that the genetic merit of individual animals can be compared across breeds. These adjustment factors are needed because EPDs published by one breed are inherently not comparable to those published by another breed.
A group of cattle
Thursday, February 1, 2018

Ammonia Loss and Emission Reporting: Considerations for Cattle Operations

A resource reality of cattle production is that only 10-30% of the nitrogen (N) that is consumed (i.e. fed protein) is utilized by animals for growth, reproduction, milk production, and maintenance needs. Unused N is excreted, primarily in urine. Nitrogen is an essential, valuable plant nutrient, so recycling of N is highly desirable and occurs when urine and feces are applied directly onto soil in a pasture, range or other grazing scenario, or collected manure is applied to cropland.
Sheep in a field
Thursday, February 1, 2018

Adding a Sheep Enterprise to a Cow-Calf Operation – A Producer's Perspective

In this month's BeefWatch Producer Perspective Podcast, Brock Terrell from Hay Springs shares how his family added a sheep enterprise to their operation. Some of the topics that Brock discusses in the interview include:

Applying beef manure to a field
Monday, January 1, 2018

What is the Economic Value of Beef Manure?

Manure has value. That value may result from improvements in soil quality, increases in yield, and replacement of commercial nutrient required for crop production.
Sandhills grassland that was burned in a wildfire in 2012
Monday, January 1, 2018

Research Demonstrates the Resilience of Sandhills Grassland to Wildfire

The Nebraska Sandhills are often viewed as an ecosystem vulnerable to erosion of the sandy soil dunes following the reduction of aboveground vegetation. When vegetation is removed, the wind is free to move the sand particles, hindering vegetation recovery. The potential for this to occur is evident at a small-scale in the form of blowouts that act as a reminder of the long-term impacts of vegetation removal.
Cattle eating from a trough
Monday, January 1, 2018

Mineral Supplementation Changes When Feeding Distillers Grains

Providing the right type of mineral with diets containing distillers can alleviate potential health problems and often times be more cost effective as well.
Profile of a beef cow
Friday, December 1, 2017

Cow-Calf Cost Breakdown – Breeding Expense

A critical component of the cow-calf business is reproduction. Getting cows or heifers pregnant comes with the cost of breeding expense. The fourth largest expense for many cow-calf operations is breeding expense.