BeefWatch Articles

Subscribe to our newsletter.

Cattle standing in a fenced enclosure, some wearing ear tags.

July 22, 2026

Nebraska Recovery Roundup: Income Tax Deferral Options

Tina Barrett - Executive Director of Nebraska Farm Business Inc.; Jessica Groskopf, Extension Educator

Bulldozer clearing a large pile of distillers grains at the ethanol plant.

July 22, 2026

Nebraska Distillers Grains Resource Directory

Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Educator

Kochia under a clear blue sky with scattered white clouds.

July 22, 2026

Weeds as Feed – Kochia and Russian Thistle

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cornfield under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

July 20, 2026

Cows Grazing Standing Corn – A Feed Option for this Summer, Fall, and Winter

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

beefwatch graphic

July 20, 2026

LRP-Feeder Cattle Insurance: Recent Enhancement and Performance History

Jay Parsons, Farm and Ranch Management Specialist

A green tractor pulling hay bales near a herd of black cattle in a dry, open field.

July 14, 2026

Nebraska Recovery Roundup: ELAP

Jessica Groskopf, Extension Educator

Three people stand talking in a cornfield near a parked truck and green farming equipment.

Published: April 22, 2026 | Updated: July 1, 2026

Keeping Stress in Check: Strategies and Tools That Can Help

Glennis McClure, Nebraska Extension Educator Farm and Ranch Management Analyst

Dry soybean plants in a field under an overcast sky.

July 1, 2026

Soybean Hulls can be an Exceptional Supplement for Forage

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Red cow in grassy field with a pond and hills in the background.

July 1, 2026

Build Cows that Stay: Smarter Heifer Development for Long-Term Productivity

Kacie McCarthy, Nebraska Extension Cow-Calf Specialist; T.L. Meyer, Nebraska Extension Educator

Red-white faced calf with ear tags standing in green grass, other calves lying nearby.

July 1, 2026

Early Weaning Strategies for Challenging Forage Conditions

T.L. Meyer, Nebraska Extension Educator; Karla Wilke, Nebraska Extension Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Specialist

Cattle Comfort Index

Published: August 1, 2025 | Updated: June 30, 2026

Using the Cattle Comfort Index to trigger heat abatement strategies

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

Cattle Comfort Index Thresholds for Cattle

Published: July 21, 2025 | Updated: June 30, 2026

Getting reacquainted with the Cattle Comfort Index (CCI)

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

Cows around a water tank in the Nebraska Sandhills

Published: June 19, 2025 | Updated: June 30, 2026

Resources for Helping Cattle Deal with Heat Stress

UNL Beef

Feedlot cattle at water tank

Published: August 1, 2023 | Updated: June 30, 2026

Be prepared to beat the heat for feedlot cattle

Jesse Fulton, Former BQA Coordinator; Erin Laborie, Nebraska Extension Educator; Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator; Ruth Woiwode, Former Nebraska Extension Specialist – Animal Care & Handling

Two individuals reviewing paperwork, seated at a wooden desk with notebooks and a computer mouse.

June 29, 2026

Financial Recordkeeping After a Wildfire

Shannon Sand, Nebraska Extension Educator

hay bales in a field

Published: August 16, 2024 | Updated: June 24, 2026

Haying and Cattle Grazing Areas with Hemlock

Brian Vander Ley, DVM Epidemiologist, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center; Bethany Johnston, Nebraska Extension Educator; Scott Fritz, DVM, Kansas State University Clinical Assistant Professor of Toxicology

Cows and calves in confinement

Published: March 21, 2023 | Updated: June 24, 2026

Mineral and Vitamin Considerations When Drylotting Cows

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

A glass of water on a wooden table, with a soft-focus background of indoor plants and furniture.

June 16, 2026

Nebraska Extension Issues an Important Reminder for Statewide Private Well Drinking Water Testing

Steve Melvin - Extension Educator Irrigated Cropping Systems

Cattle being judged indoors, handlers in green shirts, metal roof, dirt floor, spectators watching.

June 15, 2026

Managing New World Screwworm Risk During Show Season

Lindsay Waechter-Mead, DVM, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator

Sprinkler watering summer annuals on a pivot

June 15, 2026

Irrigating Annual Forages in a Dry Year: Establishing Stands and Maximizing Yield with Limited Water

Steve Melvin - Extension Educator Irrigated Cropping Systems

Fly with vibrant orange eyes and metallic blue-green body perched on a wooden surface.

June 9, 2026

New World Screwworm Returns to North America: Implications for Nebraska Livestock Producers

Dave Boxler, Nebraska Extension Educator; Matt Hille, DVM, MS, PhD Diagnostic Veterinary Pathologist and Nebraska Extension Specialist

Nebraska cattle near pond on grassland

Published: April 30, 2023 | Updated: June 8, 2026

How much water do cattle need and what water problems should cattle producers watch for?

Troy Walz, Nebraska Extension Educator; Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator

Grilled beef steak with char marks on a smoky black grill.

June 1, 2026

America’s Appetite for Beef

Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Burnt grassy hills with scattered trees and sparse vegetation

June 1, 2026

Reducing Pasture Fire Risk

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

Black and white cow eating hay in a stall

June 1, 2026

Part 6 of 6: Are There Methane Mitigation Strategies for Cattle?

Galen Erickson, Nebraska Extension Beef Feedlot Specialist; Matt Spangler, Professor and Beef Genetics Extension Specialist; Samodha Fernando – UNL Rumen Microbiologist; Rick Stowell, Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Biological Systems Engineering; Paul Kononoff – UNL Dairy Specialist; Rick Rasby, Nebraska Extension Specialist; Kortney Harpestad – UNL Animal Science Extension Program Associate

Red bull stands in a pasture

June 1, 2026

Are Your Bulls Ready for Turnout?

Kacie McCarthy, Nebraska Extension Cow-Calf Specialist

Red cow wearing a virtual collar standing in a pasture with trees and a stream in the background.

June 1, 2026

Nebraska Producers Interested in Virtual Fencing? New Cost-Share Opportunity Coming Soon

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist; Mitch Stephenson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Range Management Specialist

Cattle walking through a dusty pasture.

May 19, 2026

Managing the Tax Impact of Weather-Related Livestock Sales

Tina Barrett - Executive Director of Nebraska Farm Business Inc.

Combine harvesting crops at sunset, glowing sunlight and dusty field in the foreground.

May 19, 2026

Understanding Custom Rates and Market Factors: 2026 Nebraska Custom Rates Report Published

Glennis McClure, Nebraska Extension Educator Farm and Ranch Management Analyst