Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Calves eating hay from a bale.

August 1, 2026

Can Your Receiving Program Handle the Heat?

Authored By: Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Educator

Updated By: Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

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

June 1, 2026

America’s Appetite for Beef

By Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Black cattle graze in a green field of annual forages.

April 1, 2026

Leveraging Summer Annual Forages in Today’s High Cattle Markets

By Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Educator, Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cattle Comfort Index

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

Using the Cattle Comfort Index to trigger heat abatement strategies

By 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)

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

Tractor planting cover crops into corn.

May 1, 2025

Cover Crop Inter-seeding: An Option for Fall Forage?

By Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator, Connor Biehler, Nebraska Extension Educator

Red steer in a feedlot.

April 1, 2025

Managing Cattle Finishing at Heavier Weights

By Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cattle in bedded feedyard

December 3, 2024

Bedding cattle yards and managing bed packs

By Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cattle crowding together on a hot day.

June 1, 2022

Meeting Water Needs of Cattle in the Feedlot

By Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

calf in a pasture on a hot day

June 17, 2022

Strategic Deployment of Heat Abatement Strategies

By Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Feedlot steer

July 1, 2022

Keep Summer Cattle Marketing Current

By Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator

Cows on rangeland

August 1, 2022

Strategic Culling for Cowherds to Cope with Drought or High Feed Costs

By Alfredo DiCostanzo, Nebraska Extension Educator