BeefWatch Articles

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Calf on range

Published: June 1, 2023 | Updated: August 1, 2025

What does summer pneumonia look like in calves, and what to do about it?

Halden Clark, DVM MS, Health Stewardship; Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center; Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator; Becky Funk, DVM, Animal Health Teaching and NE Extension Specialist

Irrigation system

August 1, 2025

Managing Cows with Limited Perennial Pasture – A Producer Perspective

Karla Wilke, Nebraska Extension Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Specialist

Cattle Comfort Index

August 1, 2025

Using the Cattle Comfort Index to trigger heat abatement strategies

Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator; Ruth Woiwode, Nebraska Extension Specialist – Animal Care & Handling

Calf and cow

August 1, 2025

Challenges of the beef calf born in July, August, and September

Karla Wilke, Nebraska Extension Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Specialist

arrows going up

August 1, 2025

Pause and Get Perspective on Current Record Cattle Prices

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cheatgrass in native prairies

August 1, 2025

Using herbicide for cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) management in the Nebraska Panhandle

Mitch Stephenson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Range Management Specialist; Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Silage pile

August 1, 2025

The Hidden Cost of Silage Spoilage—and How to Stop It

Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator

Heifers grazing in the pasture

August 1, 2025

Maximizing Returns: Early Weaning, Pregnancy Detection, and Cull Cow Marketing Strategies

Lindsay Waechter-Mead, DVM, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator; Kacie McCarthy, Nebraska Extension Cow-Calf Specialist

Silage pile

July 22, 2025

Start Planning Now for Silage Storage Later

Rick Stowell, Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Biological Systems Engineering

Cattle Comfort Index Thresholds for Cattle

July 21, 2025

Getting reacquainted with the Cattle Comfort Index (CCI)

Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator; Ruth Woiwode, Nebraska Extension Specialist – Animal Care & Handling

pasture

Published: July 19, 2024 | Updated: July 1, 2025

What to know about sweet clover

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Standing Corn

Published: August 1, 2023 | Updated: July 1, 2025

Is That Corn Crop Worth More as Silage or Grain?

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator; Galen Erickson, Nebraska Extension Beef Feedlot Specialist

Summer annual

Published: July 1, 2023 | Updated: July 1, 2025

Annual Forage Options for July or August Planting

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist; Daren Redfearn, Nebraska Extension Forage and Crop Residue Specialist

Heifers by Troy Walz

July 1, 2025

When Estrus Synch Goes Sideways: Practical Troubleshooting for Beef Producers

Kacie McCarthy, Nebraska Extension Cow-Calf Specialist; Becky Funk, DVM, Animal Health Teaching and NE Extension Specialist

Cows with virtual fence

July 1, 2025

Is It Time to Consider Virtual Fencing for Intensive Grazing Management?

Yijie Xiong, Nebraska Extension Specialist, Precision Livestock Management; Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist

Calves eating out a creep feeder

July 1, 2025

Creep Feeding Beef Calves: Profit or Expense?

Jessica L. Sperber, Nebraska Extension Feedlot Specialist; Rick Rasby, Nebraska Extension Specialist

Nebraska Sandhills

Published: June 1, 2022 | Updated: June 10, 2025

Tools for Adjusting Stocking Rates during Drought

Ryan Benjamin, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cane field

Published: July 19, 2023 | Updated: June 10, 2025

Options for Safely Using High-Nitrate Forage: Grazing, Silage and Haying

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist

Heifers

Published: May 1, 2021 | Updated: June 10, 2025

Feed, Ship or Sell – Three Options to Reduce Stocking Rates

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

cattle grazing in drought stressed pasture

Published: February 8, 2021 | Updated: June 10, 2025

Grazing and Forage Management During and After Drought

Jerry Volesky, Extension Range and Forage Specialist

Dry pastures due to drought

June 10, 2025

How Plants Respond to Drought—and Why It Matters

Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator; Ryan Benjamin, Nebraska Extension Educator; Jacob Harvey, UNL Barta Brothers Ranch, Research Project Coordinator

Cow and calf in pasture

Published: June 1, 2021 | Updated: June 2, 2025

Beware of Stocking Rate Creep

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator; T.L. Meyer, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cattle eating at a bunk

June 1, 2025

Limit Feeding with a Bale Feeder, Bunk and a Bucket

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Stable fly on a board

June 1, 2025

Stable Flies on Pastured Cattle

Dave Boxler, Nebraska Extension Educator

cattle grazing sudan grass

June 1, 2025

Need Summer Grazing? Sudangrass Might Be Worth a Try

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist

Yearling on grass. Photo credit: Troy Walz

June 1, 2025

Does It Pay to Target Compensatory Growth in Yearlings During the Summer?

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist

cattle grazing in a field

Published: May 15, 2019 | Updated: May 15, 2025

Evaluating Winter Wheat for Forage or for Grain

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Nebraska leads the nation in many areas of beef production.

May 1, 2025

Celebrate the Beef State During National Beef Month

Erin Laborie, Nebraska Extension Educator

214 horn flies on the side of an animal- over the economic threshhold.

May 1, 2025

Horn Flies and Grazing Cattle

Dave Boxler, Nebraska Extension Educator