BeefWatch Archive

Beefwatch Archive

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

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

A Reminder about Forage Intake in the Nursing Calf Raised in a Limit Fed Confinement System

As grass leases continue to get harder to find and more expensive to acquire, and drought continues to threaten the Great Plains, cow/calf producers are showing more and more interest in feeding pairs in a confinement system.

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Wait! Wait! Is Your Pasture Ready to Graze?

To prevent damaging forage production, grass needs a head start to grow leaves and replace the resources used to grow leaves before grazing.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

How Good Accounting Practices Aid Decision Making

Allocating costs is a tool used to assist in financial and managerial decision making within your operation.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Characteristics of Top Agricultural Business Managers

In this month's BeefWatch Producer Perspective Podcast, Dr. Danny Klinefelter who is a retired agricultural economics and professor from Texas A&M University shares about The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP) which is a designed for ag business owners and managers looking to develop their skills.

Topics discussed include:

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Four Webinars on Genetic Selection Tools for Cattle Producers now Available

As part of the National Cattlemens' Beef Association webinar series, the eBEEF team conducted four webinars in the spring of 2018 focused on genetic selection tools available to beef cattle producers and how to put them into practice. The first webinar, "Fake News: EPDs don't work", focused on the fundamental principles of EPDs and common misconceptions. Examples include the differences between birth weight and calving ease EPD, what "milk" EPD really is, and the perception that "more is better".

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Calculating Forage Demand and Forage Availability

A common conversation I have with producers usually goes something like this, “I’m renting out 50 acres to my neighbor who wants to run 30 cows on it, does that sound about right to you?” This is a perfectly legitimate question, however, more details are needed on both the cattle and the pasture to fully answer this question. 

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Injectable Trace Mineral did not Influence Reproductive Performance in Beef Heifers

Many producers provide a free-choice trace mineral to grazing cattle throughout the year. Trace minerals have been shown to have an essential role in reproduction. When a free-choice trace mineral supplement is provided, some individual animals will consume more than the recommended amount, while others may consume none at all.
Sunday, April 1, 2018

General Management Considerations to Increase the Proportion of Early Calving Heifers and Cows

Artificial insemination (AI) is the most powerful tool cow-calf producers have to improve beef cattle genetics. Still, they have been slow to adopt this technology due to the time and labor of heat checking and a market structure that until recently did not reward genetic improvement. However, markets are now rewarding improved genetics (e.g. premiums) and improved fixed time AI (FTAI) protocols make it easier for the cow-calf producer to use AI.

Sunday, April 1, 2018

Controlling Horn Flies on Pastured Cattle

Pasture fly season is approaching and now is the time to evaluate your horn fly management plan for the 2018 grazing season. First, re-evaluate last year’s plan. Did it provide adequate fly control?
Sunday, April 1, 2018

Dryland Pastures for Western Nebraska

Planting perennial grasses on marginal dryland cropping areas has long been recommended as a sound conservation practice. Planting perennial grasses for conservation also may provide opportunities to increase livestock production.

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