BeefWatch Articles

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Heifers in a pasture

Published: May 1, 2015 | Updated: March 3, 2026

Estrus Synchronization Considerations in Beef Herds

Bethany Johnston, Nebraska Extension Educator; Rick Funston, Nebraska Extension Beef Cattle Reproductive Physiologist

Beef producer standing in a cereal rye pasture using a smartphone to capture an image for forage mass estimation, with grazing cattle visible in the background. Photo credit: Abigale Warm.

March 1, 2026

Snap2Graze: Turning Cereal Rye Pasture Photos into Grazing Decisions

Pedro Jota Fernandes, Graduate Student; Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist; Yijie Xiong, Nebraska Extension Specialist, Precision Livestock Management

Heifers in a pasture

March 1, 2026

Integrating Reproductive Technologies in Cow-Calf Operations: Practical Strategies for Efficiency and Profitability

Kacie McCarthy, Nebraska Extension Cow-Calf Specialist

Calf on range

Published: February 15, 2024 | Updated: March 1, 2026

Understanding and Preventing Calf Scours

Halden Clark, DVM MS, Health Stewardship; Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center; Lindsay Waechter-Mead, DVM, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator

Keeping hay dry during storage will determine the forage quality.

March 1, 2026

Why Storage, Not Age, Determines Hay Quality

Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator; Jerry Volesky, Extension Range and Forage Specialist; Daren Redfearn, Nebraska Extension Forage and Crop Residue Specialist

Black cow with white face grazing in a pasture. Photo credit: Troy Walz

March 1, 2026

Summer Pasture Rental Rates on a Price per Ton Basis Consumed by the Cow-calf Pair

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator; Bethany Johnston, Nebraska Extension Educator

A group of bulls graze in a pasture

March 1, 2026

Balancing Bull Selection with Cowherd Profitability

Josie Crouch, Livestock System Educator; Brock Ortner, Nebraska Extension Livestock System Educator

A composite image features a large central graphic of a cow silhouette, which is segmented into puzzle pieces labeled "MEATS," "NUTRITION," "BREEDING," "MANAGEMENT," and "PHYSIOLOGY," and encircled by the text "EXTENSION • RESEARCH," "TECHNOLOGY," and "TEACHING." This central graphic is superimposed over a background montage of archived "Nebraska Beef Cattle Report" and "Annual Feeders' Day" covers from the 1950s and 1960s, displaying historical photographs of cattle, ranches, and titles.

March 1, 2026

The Nebraska Beef Report: Advancing the Beef Industry for Over 100 years

Galen Erickson, Nebraska Extension Beef Feedlot Specialist; Yijie Xiong, Nebraska Extension Specialist, Precision Livestock Management

Red calf eating hay with two cows

March 1, 2026

Zoonotic Disease Risks in Scouring Calves

Lindsay Waechter-Mead, DVM, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator

Yearling heifers grazing on a meadow

February 1, 2026

What Heifers Will Fit my Forage Resources?

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Bull in pasture by a pond

Published: January 2, 2024 | Updated: February 1, 2026

Below Breed Average Bulls May be Better!

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Group of cattle at the feedyard

February 1, 2026

Part 2 of 6: What Research has the University of Nebraska Conducted on Methane Production in Cattle?

Galen Erickson, Nebraska Extension Beef Feedlot Specialist; Paul Kononoff – UNL Dairy Specialist; Rick Rasby, Nebraska Extension Specialist; Kortney Harpestad – UNL Animal Science Extension Program Associate

Distillers grains with loader

February 1, 2026

Opportunities for Distillers Feed Byproducts in your Beef Operation

Galen Erickson, Nebraska Extension Beef Feedlot Specialist; Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist; Jim MacDonald – Animal Science Professor

Red bull in pasture.

February 1, 2026

Benefit your Operation - Use UNL’s Beef Bull Value Cow-Q-Lator

Randy Saner, Nebraska Extension Educator; Shannon Sand, Nebraska Extension Educator; Matt Stockton, Nebraska Extension Ag Economics Specialist

cattle in a pasture in the winter

Published: November 26, 2024 | Updated: January 22, 2026

Winterizing Your Cowherd- Managing Cows Through Cold Stress

Bethany Johnston, Nebraska Extension Educator; Karla Wilke, Nebraska Extension Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Specialist; Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist

Lone red cow in a pasture

December 1, 2025

Why Do I Have So Many Open Cows? Causes of Reproductive Failure

Bethany Johnston, Nebraska Extension Educator; Rick Funston, Nebraska Extension Beef Cattle Reproductive Physiologist

Cattle running on fence, leaving hairballs, from cattle lice irritation.

December 1, 2025

Prepare for Cattle Lice

Dave Boxler, Nebraska Extension Educator

Bales stacked in rows

December 1, 2025

Nutrients, Inventory, and Mother Nature

Troy Walz, Nebraska Extension Educator

Group of replacement heifers

December 1, 2025

What are Beef Replacement Heifer Values for the Coming 2025-2026 Production Season?

Randy Saner, Nebraska Extension Educator; Shannon Sand, Nebraska Extension Educator; Matt Stockton, Nebraska Extension Ag Economics Specialist

Heifers

Published: February 1, 2022 | Updated: December 1, 2025

Cow Nutrition Considerations at Calving and Early Lactation

Troy Walz, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cattle on bedding

Published: February 25, 2025 | Updated: December 1, 2025

Feedlot Management Strategies to Combat Winter Weather

Jessica L. Sperber, Nebraska Extension Feedlot Specialist

rye field

November 12, 2025

Due before Dec. 1- Pasture, Rangeland, Forage (PRF) Insurance as a Risk Management Tool

Shannon Sand, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cows eating hay

Published: February 1, 2022 | Updated: November 3, 2025

The Value of Hay as Fertilizer

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Graphic of methane production in ruminants

November 1, 2025

Understanding and Mitigating Methane Emissions from Cattle

Galen Erickson, Nebraska Extension Beef Feedlot Specialist; Rick Rasby, Nebraska Extension Specialist; Matt Spangler, Professor and Beef Genetics Extension Specialist; Jessica L. Sperber, Nebraska Extension Feedlot Specialist; Rick Stowell, Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Biological Systems Engineering; Tami Brown Brandl – UNL Professor of Biological Systems Engineering; Samodha Fernando – UNL Rumen Microbiologist; Paul Kononoff – UNL Dairy Specialist; Kortney Harpestad – UNL Animal Science Extension Program Associate; Keara O’Reilly – UNL Research Professor

Weaned calves eating at the bunk (Photo credit: Karla Wilke)

November 1, 2025

Successfully Weaned Calves – A Hot Commodity

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

cow calf pairs Photo credit Troy Walz

November 1, 2025

The Growing Threat of Tick-Borne Disease in Nebraska Cattle- Anaplasmosis

Brian Vander Ley, DVM Epidemiologist, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center; Bethany Johnston, Nebraska Extension Educator; Matt Hille, DVM, MS, PhD Diagnostic Veterinary Pathologist and Nebraska Extension Specialist

Cattle graze around a bale in the pasture. Photo credit: Troy Walz

November 1, 2025

Beyond the Abstract: Does Bale Grazing Make Sense?

Brock Ortner, Nebraska Extension Livestock System Educator; Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Corn sprouting from downed ears

October 20, 2025

Can Beef Cows Graze Corn that Sprouted in a Corn Field?

Rick Rasby, Extension Specialist; Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist

Steer in lot

October 3, 2025

Livestock Facility Inspections: Do I need one? If so, what should I expect?

Leslie Johnson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Animal Manure Management Extension Educator

Cow and calf on range

Published: September 1, 2024 | Updated: October 1, 2025

Reviewing Cow-Calf Share and Cash Lease Agreements

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator