Cull cows, bulls and cull dairy cows make up about 20 percent of the beef available for consumption in the United States. About half of this group, or 10 percent of the beef supply, comes from cull beef cows. The USDA market news service reports on four classes of cull cows (not destined to be replacements). Learning a bit more about these classifications can impact overall … [Read more...]
Fetal programming affects how beef calves perform
“If cows have less stress during pregnancy, they have a better calf crop,” Ron Scott, director of beef research for Purina Animal Nutrition, says. “And, not only does it affect the calf crop right then, but close-outs at the feedyard, it influences fertility of the replacement heifers. And all of that has to do with the type of environment that calf had when its mama was … [Read more...]
Select the right bull
Bulls can rapidly change a herd. However, it is important to select the right bulls to make sure progress is made, says Burke Teichert. Bull selection, combined with choosing cull cows can positively or negatively impact operation profit so it needs to be done strategically. Source: Beef, October 6, 2017. Teichert offers 5 tips when selecting bulls: Cull the right … [Read more...]
50th World Dairy Expo ends
Here are some photos and moments from the World Dairy Expo that took place last week in Madison, Wisconsin. If you could not attend or have never been there, these will help you experience it minus the ice cream, milk and cheese samples. Source: Dairy Herd Management, October 7, 2016. There are plenty of sights to take in while attending the 50th World Dairy Expo in … [Read more...]
Updated Journal of Dairy Science
We’ve linked to the most recent issue so you can view abstracts. Note the issue is divided into sections to guide you through the studies. Consider reviewing the interpretive summaries to get an overview of key content. Cow characteristics and their association with udder health after different dry period lengths is worth reviewing in the Production: Health, Behavior, and … [Read more...]
Culling open cows effectively
Cull cow weight and price are two of the top factors of profitability in any cow-calf operation. Justin Rhinehart, University of Tennessee Beef Cattle Extension specialist, provides good perspective on the economic importance of open cows in cow-calf operations. Cull timing is presented in detail. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, October 4, 2016. Open cow revenue generally … [Read more...]
California dairies going nuts
Many California dairies have joined the burgeoning almond industry. The diversification helps with farm economics and even a by-product to feed to the cows. Source: Dairy Herd Management, September 26, 2016. Dairymen are also reaping an added bonus; A complimentary crop that will continue to be viable into the future. That's a by-product to feed their livestock. ‘This is … [Read more...]
Take control of year-round calving in two years
Tightening calving seasons creates management and economic benefits. Done wrong, the benefits turn into costs. Les Anderson, University of Kentucky Extension beef specialist, says takes at least two years for producers to tighten a year-round calving season into a 75-day controlled calving season. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, September 2016. Anderson offers eight steps to … [Read more...]
BVD war turns 70
After 70 years, BVD still wages war on cattle health and producers’ wallets, writes Wyatt Bechtel. He presents economic losses for dairy, beef, stocker/feedlot and all cattle and calves as documented by studies in the U.S and summarized by Derrell Peel, livestock marketing specialist with Oklahoma State University. Source: Dairy Herd Management, September 2016, page … [Read more...]
Cull cows early and often
Cull cow weight and cull cow price have long been listed as key factors that affect profitability for cow calf producers. Jason Faubion, assistant director of the Ranch Management Program at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recommends culling early and often to keep the ranch operating as efficiently as possible. Cows only earn a profit – and therefore their … [Read more...]
2-step calf weaning
Pressure from consumer groups challenges all levels of food animal care. It also makes our industry consider other ways to approach “what we already know.” Our team liked this article as it challenges the nomenclature for shipping fever and introduces a possible solution that more closely fits natural herd behaviors. “There is no event we impose on cattle more stressful than … [Read more...]
Transition time is critical for milk and more
Phil Cardoso, University of Illinois, shared his presentation, “Fine-tuning transition cow care,” with listeners on the monthly Hoard’s Dairyman webinar. He strongly urged producers to limit the change in body condition scores by 0.5 for the entire lactation and dry period. “It is tough, but we really need to minimize the condition shifts.” Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, … [Read more...]
Collectively curing beef’s $35 million bruise
Cattle today are bigger than they were 30 years ago, thanks to improved genetics and better husbandry. In fact, finished cattle have outgrown the trailers used to haul them. Industry consensus and research show that larger cattle being hauled in equipment designed in the last century are creating welfare and product quality issues, resulting in $35-million-plus industry wide … [Read more...]
It’s a lousy time of year
Cooler weather brings a greater risk of lice. The USDA estimates that U.S. livestock producers lose $125 million each year to it. Protecting cattle includes understanding the life cycle of lice, recognizing the potential damage and using effective methods of control. If not controlled, a single adult female in September can result in approximately 1 million lice by … [Read more...]
Baxter Black: The curious cow
We think you’ll get a laugh from this Baxter Black story about on-farm adventures of a cow and a chicken. Source: Dairy Herd Management, September 12, 2016. By Ag Day TV. … [Read more...]
Tail docking on the way out
The National Milk Producers Federation has confirmed that tail docking will not be permitted under the National Dairy FARM Program (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management) as of January 1, 2017. The American Association of Bovine Practitioners has opposed the practice for 20 years and California banned it in 2009. Yet, some owners still engage in it. The Journal of Dairy … [Read more...]
Unique cattle influenza virus studied, named
The executive committee of the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses officially announced a new genus, Orthomyxovirdae, with a single species, influenza D virus, because of its distinctness from other influenza types—A, B and C. This is the first influenza virus identified in cattle, explained Professor Feng Li, South Dakota State University. Source: Bovine … [Read more...]
Feeding for the perfect (cow) pie
Dan Gary, an Amarillo, Texas, ranch consultant, suggests that you can use cow-pie-ology to monitor the nutritional status of a cow herd. He relates cow pie configuration to nutrient balance. If nothing else, we believe you’ll get a chuckle out of the discussion of the perfect cow pie. Source: Beef, September 2016. 'There is no better method of determining the nutritional … [Read more...]
World Dairy Expo turns 50
Dairy Herd Management celebrates the 50th anniversary of the World Dairy Expo in this commemorative edition. No doubt about it, the annual event champions much of the progress that strengthens the dairy business, domestic and foreign. When Expo started in 1967, cows averaged just 8,800 lb. of milk per year. We needed no fewer than 13,500 million of them to produce 120 … [Read more...]
Calf weaning methods compared
Steve Boyles, Ohio State University (OSU) Extension specialist, recently compared pasture weaning to drylot weaning in an OSU Beef Cattle newsletter. Boyles looked at a recent study that compared three weaning methods for calves averaging 180 days old: drylot weaning + complete visual and auditory separation from dams pasture weaning + fence-line contact with dams … [Read more...]
Climate-friendly cows
Methane from cows is estimated to be the source of one-third of the world’s methane emissions. A study in Finland identified areas of genetic variation linked to the amount of methane produced per kilo of milk produced. The potential to select for a reduced methane emission cow warrants further study. Source: The Beef Site, August 31, 2016. A recent study using cows in … [Read more...]
Wilting black (wild) cherry leaves pose livestock risk
As little as 1.2 to 4.8 pounds of wilted black cherry leaves could constitute a lethal dose for a 1,200 pound dairy cow, says Rory Lewandowski, Ohio State University Extension educator. Recent storms in Michigan and across the country make this reminder valuable. Veterinary teams and retailers can offer this information in posts, websites and newsletters for customers in areas … [Read more...]
Routine use of dry cow therapy under investigation
USDA National Animal Health Monitoring Survey data shows more than 80 percent of U.S. dairy herds managers treat 100 percent of their cows’ quarters at the end of dry off. Plus, almost all herds treat a majority of all quarters. This practice is now undergoing a reexamination of the use of antibiotics on dairies with the goal of using them responsibility and only for animals … [Read more...]
Pinkeye remains a challenge in the fall
The main cause of pinkeye in cattle is the ever-changing bacteria, moraxella bovis. Many subtypes of the bacteria can be found even in one infected animal. This can make it difficulty to treat and preventing. Pinkeye can rob producers of weight gain in addition to the labor costs of treatment. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, August 17, 2016. Vaccination, fly control, … [Read more...]
Preconditioning basics pay off
Cow-calf producers need not worry that their preconditioning program isn’t a mirror image of what’s described in textbooks. Fact is, there is no single definition of a preconditioning program to fit every operation, according to Brad White, DVM and interim director of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University. Source: Drovers, August 2016. If we properly prepare … [Read more...]
Anaplasmosis becoming more prevalent across the U.S.
Anaplasmosis, associated with the bacteria Anaplasma marginale, is a tick-vectored disease that can be spread by biting insects, such as flies and ticks, and mechanically from syringe needles. Infection occurs through blood transfer, primarily from ticks, which serve as the primary vector. The disease has spread from its traditional area in the Gulf coast into the Midwest and … [Read more...]
Trichomoniasis is still big trouble
Trichomoniasis could be the most economically damaging disease cow-calf producers face. The trich pathogen, Trichomonas foetus, is a single-cell protozoa, transmitted through sexual contact. Bulls are the primary sources for spreading the disease. Thus, testing bulls is the most effective means of controlling or eliminating trich from cow-calf herds. Source: Bovine … [Read more...]
Beef bacon alternative growing
Bacon! Schmacon! “Schmacon is delicious and different than anything else on the market,” shared Howard Bender, owner of Schmaltz Deli in Naperville, Ill. “It has about half the calories and half the fat, and it tastes great.” The beef bacon product was launched in 2015 and comes from the underbelly of cattle. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, July 24, 2016. It is a new way for … [Read more...]
Progress on foothill abortion disease
After more than 50 years of research, scientists have built a better understanding of the unusual biology of the disease pathogen and vectors for epizootic bovine abortion (EBA). The pathogen, transmitted by the Pajaroello tick, typically does not cause disease in cows or heifers, but does affect the developing fetus in pregnant females, resulting in abortions or … [Read more...]
Dairying is a people business
It is easy to ignore the influence dairy production has in our world. The infographic here shows how many people are involved in dairy enterprises. It is worthwhile information. Source: Dairy Herd Management, July 2016, page 6. 6 billion of the 7.4 billion people in the world consume dairy products daily. 1 billion people are involved with production and processing … [Read more...]