BeefWatch Archive

Beefwatch Archive

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

Cow eating meadow hay
Sunday, November 1, 2020

Do You Know the Difference Between 9% and 7% Crude Protein Hay?

When feeding harvested forages to the cow herd, you need to know what you have in order to know what to feed. This is vital when faced with some of the challenges we have seen in the past couple years such as flood, excessively cold and harsh winters, and drought. Over-feeding spends money unnecessarily and can deteriorate your bottom line. Underfeeding results in thin cows, which can lead to calving issues and disappointing conception rates.

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Common Mullein and Cheatgrass Control in Rangeland

On October 7th, two articles on rangeland weed control were published on CropWatch which may be of interest to Nebraska ranchers.

cow on rangeland
Sunday, November 1, 2020

Beef Profit Tips Programs for 2020

During the fall and winter of 2020 Nebraska Beef Extension Educators will host six Beef Profitability Workshops to help the beef producer evaluate their operations to make them more profitable through the latest research information.  Topics will vary depending on presenter and specific location.  These workshops have been held across Nebraska for the past seventeen years.  Please pre-register to the local extension office 3 days prior to the meeting.

steer
Sunday, November 1, 2020

Things to Consider before Harvesting a Market Animal at Home

Many people are looking for opportunities to buy market animals to harvest at home, which has led to many questions about the best way to complete that task. Prior to making the decision to try home harvest, there are a few important things to consider:

1.  Food Safety:  Can you properly cool the carcass and keep it clean to ensure meat safety?

calf on range
Sunday, November 1, 2020

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) Round 2 and Beef Cattle Producers

The application process for the second round of national relief payments from the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) has begun. Local United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agencies are accepting applications through December 11, 2020. These payments will provide livestock producers some relief from production risk, as well as market losses, related to the fallout from continued shutdowns across business sectors.

Heifers
Sunday, November 1, 2020

2020 Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle Webinar Series

The Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle (ARSBC) meeting is considered the premier national event in beef cattle reproductive management.  It has a long history of providing the latest information on the application of reproductive technologies and includes a range of topics related to cow herd reproduction — such as nutritional interactions, management and male fertility.

Corn residue grazing
Monday, October 19, 2020

November 2020 Beefwatch Webinar Series Registration Now Open

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension will host the 2020 BeefWatch Webinar Series. The second installment of webinars will take place weekly beginning on Tuesday, November 3.

The BeefWatch Webinar series is designed to highlight management strategies in grazing, nutrition, reproduction, and economics to increase cow/calf and stocker production efficiency and profitability. Each session will feature industry experts and plenty of opportunity to interact to get your questions answered.

Winter alfalfa
Thursday, October 1, 2020

Grazing Alfalfa in Fall or Winter

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS:

  • Alfalfa needs 6 weeks of growth, uninterrupted by grazing or haying
  • Fall grazing should maintain 8 inches of stubble height; Winter grazing should maintain 4 inches of stubble height
  • Bloat risk can be reduced by making sure livestock are full prior to grazing
  • Feed additives such as poloxalene and ionophores can limit bloat risk, but require regular consumption to be effective
Scoring temperament of cattle in chute
Thursday, October 1, 2020

Assessing Temperament in Cattle Using Chute Score – New Learning Module

Temperament is an animal's behavioral response to handling by humans, or to any potentially fearful situation. Since these reactions are often linked with stress, they have negative effects on production and profitability. Because of its impact on pregnancy rates, growth, meat quality, and safety, producers have been selecting for temperament for years, whether by design or inadvertently. However, to make noticeable improvements in the overall behavior of a herd, a clear and consistent method for evaluating temperament is needed.

Livestock tank
Thursday, October 1, 2020

Fencing & Water for Beef Cattle

The goal of any grazing operation is to introduce the cow or calf to forage in adequate quality and quantity for their needs.  A majority of cattle operations in Nebraska use pasture or native range for grazing during the growing season and crop residues or harvested purchased feed for the remainder of the year. Alternatives may include grazing cover crops in the production of traditional commodity crops, irrigation of grazed forages, and introduction of grasses into existing crop rotation and crop residues.