Stocker-Yearling cattle can complement cow-calf operations by providing flexibility in utilizing grazing resources. In this month’s BeefWatch Producer Perspective Podcast, John Ravenscroft from Cherry County, Nebraska discusses how the Three Bar Cattle Company utilizes home raised and purchased calves to grow as stocker-yearlings to complement their cow-calf operation.
Hot, dry weather is impacting part of the state which in turn is impacting the water quality for grazing cattle. In some pastures, the only water source available are ponds and dugouts which can contain hidden dangers to the cattle.
Blue-green algae also known as cyanobacteria blooms are caused by excess levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients are commonly introduced from runoff or soil erosion from fertilizer and manure.
The 22nd annual University of Nebraska–Lincoln Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory (GSL) Open House will be held on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. This year’s Open House will be a hybrid format with our traditional in-person event held at GSL along with being live streamed online webinar. The online webinar will only cover the morning sustainability topics.
As we progress into summer, forage quality can rapidly change depending on factors like rainfall, temperature, etc. A good example of the dynamic interaction of rainfall and forage quality is shown in Table 1. In the Sandhills, 2002 and 2018 were drastically different in total precipitation; however, forage quality driven by forage growth and maturity in terms of crude protein were very similar in a drought or wet rainfall year. Understanding these relationships is important in making proactive management decisions.
