Winter weather challenges for bulls can affect breeding season
Livestock producers know winter can be a challenge for their cowherds, and Karla Wilke, Nebraska Extension cow-calf/stocker specialist, reminds them not to forget about their bulls in their winter management plans.
“Bulls are one of our bigger investments in the cow herd, and 90 percent of the cows are still impregnated through natural service with a bull rather than artificial insemination,” Wilke said. “So, they also require year-round maintenance.”
Spanish:Make Plans to Attend the 2024 Three-State Beef Conference
The annual Three-State Beef Conference gives beef producers and others a chance to spend an evening learning from top researchers and industry leaders. This year topics include corn residue grazing, heifer development and managing cows for longevity and profitability.
The conference features three presenters who travel to three states over three days, Jan. 16-18, discussing their research findings and practical ways to apply them.
Spanish:Winter cattle yard preparation checklist
This checklist is not comprehensive, but is a place to start for preparing for winter weather in a cattle yard.
Click here for a printable .pdf checklist.
Facilities
Spanish:Beef news and upcoming webinars from the Nebraska Center for Ag Profitability
On RFD-TV: Greg Ibach discusses beef efficiency and environmental impact
Livestock production has long been a cornerstone of American agriculture. That is certainly true in Nebraska, which is known as the beef state. During the Global Climate Summit earlier this month, world leaders recommended reducing worldwide meat consumption in order to help mitigate agriculture’s environmental impacts. But the research paints a more complicated story. Greg Ibach, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, joins RFD-TV to discuss.
Spanish:Husker team receives $5M grant to reduce methane emissions from cattle
A Husker research team has received $5 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research more sustainable dairy and beef production.
Spanish:Hands-on calving workshops scheduled in Sidney, Curtis
Nebraska Extension is hosting hands-on Calving Workshops at Sidney and Curtis, Nebraska in January featuring Becky Funk, DVM and Extension Specialist, and Lindsay Waechter-Mead, DVM and Extension Educator. Topics will include calving equipment and proper use, techniques for managing dystocia, when to call for help, and hands-on demonstration and training using a life-size model cow and calf.
Spanish:UNL range management specialist in the Panhandle receives Nebraska Cattlemen endowment
Dr. Mitch Stephenson, associate professor and range management specialist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln stationed at the Panhandle Research, Extension, and Education Center in Scottsbluff received the 2023 Nebraska Range & Conservation Endowment from the Nebraska Cattlemen. The endowment honors professors or instructors who are providing cutting-edge research and/or student instruction in a range management and conservation-related areas.
Spanish:Returning to the Farm 2023
The Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present Returning to the Farm, a workshop series for families who are in the transition process of bringing members back to the farm or ranch. It will begin with a two-day workshop in Grand Island for multi-generational families on Dec. 8 and 9 at the Bosselman Convention Center located at Fonner Park, 700 E. Stolley Park Road.
Spanish:'So You've Inherited a Farm ... Now What?' workshops scheduled
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability will present a series of workshops in central and eastern Nebraska for those planning and involved in farmland succession who want to learn more about the best strategies for managing and owning this asset and how it may impact the transition plan.
Spanish:Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Insurance summary of sales and performance history
This article was first published in RightRisk News in October 2023.
Spanish:Join the Nebraska Extension Livestock Systems Team
University of Nebraska Extension is seeking a Livestock Systems Educator for Northwest Nebraska. The position will serve Sheridan (5th Cow/Calf County in Nebraska), Dawes, Sioux, and Box Butte counties. The region covers 1.5 million acres of agriculture land which includes 1.2 million acres of rangeland.
Spanish:Fundamentals of Feeding the Cow Webinar Series
Feed costs are often the largest category of expense for cow-calf producers in Nebraska. Understanding how the cow’s nutrient requirements change throughout the year and how to cost-effectively meet those requirements with the feed resources available can greatly influence an operation’s bottom line.
Spanish:What to know about feeding road ditch hay to cows
The year was dry, forage is limited, last winter’s feed shortage is frozen into your memory, and you have cows to feed. With these thoughts in mind, maybe you harvested hay from the roadside—“ditch hay”— and will be feeding that hay soon. There are several things for you to think about and keep in mind as you feed the hay.
Spanish:Cow Herd Report Card II. Measures of Performance
Recently, we discussed Measures of Cow Herd Performance that included calculating pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed. In that article, we concluded that while weaning weight is important, it is not the best measure of cow herd performance. To increase weaning weight, emphasis is often placed on increased milk production, increased growth, or both.
Spanish:How to cook prime rib and other beef roasts
Put roast in oven, insert oven thermometer, remove 1 to 3 hours later. EAT. Enjoy any leftovers for 3 to 4 days in such menu items as sandwiches, soups, salads and casseroles. What could be easier?
Spanish:Fall 2023 Nebraska Farm Income Update
Nebraska’s farm income is projected near $7.8 billion in 2023, according to a new report from the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri, produced in conjunction with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The report, “Fall 2023 Nebraska Farm Income Outlook,” indicates that Nebraska’s stronger 2023 farm income projection is driven largely by higher livestock prices and recovery in ending year inventories and values.
Spanish:Virtual workshop series to cover tax basics, strategies for Midwestern women in ag
An upcoming virtual workshop series for Midwestern farm and ranch women will teach the basics of tax planning for agricultural operations. Hosted by women in agriculture extension programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, and Purdue University, the three-part series will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Central time on Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.
Spanish:Will the next farm laborer please stand up?
This article was first published in Beef Magazine.
Spanish:How to Meet your Cow’s Nutrient Needs when Feeding Hay this Winter
1. Collect a representative sample of your hay with a probe.
Sampling is the largest source of error and doing it right is important to ensuring you get an accurate estimate of the feed value of your hay. Make sure to keep different “lots” of hay separate. Guidelines for sampling can be found here.
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