The Changing Cost of Cattle Transportation
There has been lots of commentary among consumers about gas prices as we unofficially head into summer. Nationally, regular gasoline prices had begun slowly to come off of their all-time highs of $5.01 per gallon in June 2022, to a new low of $3.09 per gallon in January 2023. Prices have risen steadily over the last several months, to $3.57 per gallon, as of the last week in May 2023. Higher gasoline prices tend to reduce travel as total costs for vacations and trips increase. Ultra-low-sulfur diesel has also come down from its high of $5.78 per gallon in June 2022.
Spanish:Considerations for Early Pregnancy Diagnosis and Early Weaning this Summer and Fall
With areas across the state either dealing with drought or wet conditions, cow management and limited forage resources may have producers considering options for early weaning and utilizing early pregnancy detection to help make culling and management decisions this year.
Spanish:How to Increase Water Access for Feedlot Cattle in Hot Weather
The use of shades in feedlots has made a big difference in the effects of heat on fat cattle, but a few other strategies can help keep cattle cool, enabling cattle to keep gaining, even in the dog days of summer.
Spanish:Nebraska Grazing Conference
The 2023 Nebraska Grazing Conference will be held August 8 and 9 at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney, NE. This year’s conference features speakers highlighting Grazing Lands Conservation, Emerging Issues in Grazing Lands, and Precision Livestock Management. The featured banquet speaker for the Conference is Curt Pate.
Spanish:Annual Forage Options for July or August Planting
If planting in July, warm season annual grasses are good options for forage production. They can be used to produce hay, silage, green chop, or grazing both during the summer or winter. However, if the desired use is winter grazing and the need is for high quality forage, then delaying planting until late July/early August and using cool-season winter sensitive species like oats may be a better fit. This article provides information on species selection and some key management considerations based on desired use.
Spanish:Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory Open House
The 24th annual University of Nebraska–Lincoln Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory (GSL) Open House will be held on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. This year’s Open House will be a hybrid format with our traditional in-person event held at GSL along with being live streamed online as a webinar.
Spanish:Barta Brothers Open House
The University of Nebraska is hosting an open house at the Barta Brothers Ranch on July 25th from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Barta Brothers Ranch is a 6,000-acre property donated to the University of Nebraska by Clifford and James Barta in 1996. The ranch has housed a variety of research projects over the years including studies on Sandhills’ biocomplexity and a 20-year-long grazing systems production survey. One of the newest research projects, commonly referred to as CAM (collaborative adaptive management), will be the primary focus of the open house.
Spanish:What does summer pneumonia look like in calves, and what to do about it?
Though the stress of calving season is behind us, cattle producers have to stay vigilant, because things like nursing calf pneumonia and pinkeye can take a lot of the fun out of baseball games and county fairs. Let’s take a quick look at summer/nursing-calf pneumonia.
Spanish:How much water do cattle need and what water problems should cattle producers watch for?
Water quantity and quality is critical to cattle health and performance. Hot weather and drought conditions can impact both water quality and quantity for cattle.
Spanish:How much water do cattle need and what water problems should cattle producers watch for?
Water quantity and quality is critical to cattle health and performance. Hot weather and drought conditions can impact both water quality and quantity for cattle.
Spanish:Nebraska Stocker/Yearling Tour Features Skavdahl Ranch Near Harrison
Sell cows or buy feed? That’s the question most ranchers face when drought hits. The best time to plan for drought is in a wet year, and one of the best ways to plan for drought is to build flexibility into a cattle operation.
Spanish:Pasture Grasshoppers
Much of Nebraska has had several years of below normal precipitation, which may allow grasshoppers to become a problem.
Spanish:Stable Flies on Pastured Cattle
Stable flies aren’t just an annoyance. They cause reduced average daily gain, and it may take as few as four flies per leg to cause economic injury. Animals bunching to fight stable flies damage forage, and on fragile soils, may create blow outs.
How do you know when you’re dealing with stable flies?
Animals fighting stable flies may display a variety of behaviors, including
Spanish:Face Flies on Pastured Cattle
Face flies can carry pinkeye and eyeworms, and cause millions of dollars of economic damage every year.
One to five face flies per eye per day can cause serious ocular lesions that mimic the symptoms of bovine pinkeye. Mechanical damage, whether sustained by face fly mouth parts, dust, weed, pollen, or excessive sunlight, predisposes the eye for infection and increases epithelial discharges.
Spanish:Will the Proposed Cattle Implant Labeling Changes Impact Feedlot Performance?
This article is a follow-up to “Highlights of Feedlot Implant Labeling Changes Coming June 2023” published in the May 2023 UNL Beefwatch newsletter by Alfredo DiCostanzo.
Spanish:Defend the Core, Grow the Core: Tackling Eastern Redcedar Encroachment in Nebraska’s Grasslands
What’s the problem?
Spanish:The University of Nebraska and USDA – AMS Cattle & Carcass Training Center Event
Join us on June 15-16, 2023, for a free two-day training event on Emerging Technology in the Livestock and Meat industries and CME Live Cattle and Carcass Specifications and Deliveries. We encourage stakeholders (cattle producers, feeders, processors, and allied industries) to join who are interested in the official quality grading of feeder cattle, fed cattle, and beef carcasses in the United States. This training event is collaborative with USDA – AMS and the Animal Science Department at the University of Nebraska.
Spanish:Do Heifers Have More Potential Value Than Steers?
When going out to tag calves, most cow-calf producers would prefer to find a new bull calf rather than a heifer. This is logical given that the bull calf, which in most cases will become a steer, will weigh more, and bring more money per pound when selling at weaning than his heifer herd mates born at the same time. In the feedyard, steer calves grow faster, are more efficient and finish at heavier weights, providing greater pounds to sell at harvest. Steer performance justifies the premiums paid for steers over heifers.
Spanish:Mapping is a Key Part of Spring Leafy Spurge Control Strategy
The bright yellow-green of leafy spurge can put a damper on the joy of spring green-up. The noxious weed is especially noticeable in early June. That’s also one of the best times to invest the time and money into controlling leafy spurge.
Unfortunately, a single treatment will not control leafy spurge once established, so continued monitoring and retreatment is needed. An effective strategy is pairing spring applications that prevent seed production with a fall treatment to control new growth.
Spanish:Dimensionar e instalar una estructura para sombra
Con el invierno desvaneciéndose a regañadientes en el espejo retrovisor, esos días calurosos de finales de primavera y verano no están muy lejos aquí en las planicies Centrales. Ciertamente, no es demasiado pronto para echar otro vistazo al papel que puede desempeñar la sombra en la limitación del estrés por calor en el ganado. Considere lo publicado en estudios supervisados por el Dr. Terry Mader (ahora especialista retirado en corrales de engorde de UNL).
Spanish: Spanish