BeefWatch Articles

Cattle grazing on a lush green field under a cloudy sky.

August 19, 2026

Overgrazing: What It Costs and How to Prevent It

Shannon Sand, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cattle gathered around a water trough on a foggy day.

August 14, 2026

Don't Use Fertilizer Tanks to Haul Drinking Water for Cattle

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist

Young corn in a dry, brown field

August 4, 2026

Using Drought-Stressed Corn for Forage: Evaluating Options and Managing Nitrate Risk

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist; Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator

Weaned calves

Published: September 1, 2023 | Updated: August 4, 2026

Feed Prices Favor Limit-Feeding Stockers a High Energy Diet

Erin Laborie, Nebraska Extension Educator

Two men standing and talking near a large green tractor on a farm with silos in the background.

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

Terminating a Verbal Farmland or Pasture Lease in Nebraska

Jessica Groskopf, Extension Educator

Three calves drink water from a tank.

August 1, 2026

Heat Stress in the Pasture

Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator

Calves eating hay from a bale.

August 1, 2026

Can Your Receiving Program Handle the Heat?

Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Educator

Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cows and calves stand in a dried pond during a drought

August 1, 2026

Green Is Not Always Growth: Nebraska Pasture Conditions After Late Rains

Ben Beckman, Nebraska Extension Educator; Ryan Benjamin, Nebraska Extension Educator; Mitch Stephenson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Range Management Specialist

Cows in winter

Published: February 1, 2023 | Updated: August 1, 2026

Limit Feeding Cows Corn as an Alternative to Hay

Erin Laborie, Nebraska Extension Educator

Standing Corn

Published: August 1, 2023 | Updated: July 27, 2026

Is That Corn Crop Worth More as Silage or Grain?

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

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

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

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