Livestock Systems

Nebraska is nationally known as the Beef State. Our team provides research-based information and resources to beef producers to help them provide an economical, safe, quality product to consumers while protecting and preserving Nebraska's vast natural resources.

Active in all 93 counties and at beef.unl.edu

Drought Resiliency for the Cowherd March 28 in Kimball

Drought resiliency for the cowherd and how beef producers can position themselves for the future.

The last few years drought conditions, input costs, inflation and volatile market conditions have challenged beef cattle producers.

Nebraska Extension will be hosting a program titled “Learning from the Past – Looking to the Future” Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the 4-H Building in Kimball. Don Adams and Ivan Rush, Professors Emeriti from the University of Nebraska will be discussing the following topics:

Calculating Annual Cow Costs Webinar Series

Knowing annual cow costs is the foundation for evaluating and making management decisions that can improve profitability for a cow-calf enterprise. Significant increases in input costs are challenging producers to examine cost of production and identify where there may be opportunities to adjust the production system. Calculating costs and breaking them into categories gives understanding into where there may be opportunity to make changes.

PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Managing early weaned calves

Karla Wilke, Cow-Calf Range Management Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center

This article and other research-based beef news are available on beef.unl.edu, Nebraska Extension’s beef cattle production website. Interviews with the authors of BeefWatch newsletter articles become available throughout the month of publication and are accessible at https://go.unl.edu/podcast.

PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Calving 101 – for those not directly involved in agriculture

Whether or not we work in agriculture, in rural Nebraska and other farming and ranching areas, agriculture provides us with some of the first signs of spring. We have all smiled at newborn baby calves bucking, head butting each other, and running with their tails sticking straight out. But those who aren’t farmers or ranchers, or otherwise involved in agriculture, might wonder what “calving season” is and why it is such a big deal to the men and women of agriculture. Driving by those playing calves, they might not realize all that goes into making sure those babies get a good, healthy start.

PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Windrow grazing annual forages to extend the grazing season

Aaron Berger, Extension Educator In many areas of Nebraska, drought conditions have resulted in reduced forage production on rangeland and pasture. This is resulting in a shortage of feed for many producers and a need for forage between now and when cornstalks are available for grazing. Windrow grazing annual forages allows producers to cut the crop at an optimum time for quality and increase harvest efficiency through strip grazing the windrows.

PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Will feeding silage to lactating cows give my calves scours?

Many cow-calf producers in Nebraska have become accustomed to using distillers grains as a source of both protein and energy to help meet the nutritional needs of lactating cows from calving until green grass is available. Due to the ongoing distillers shortage, many producers are considering including corn silage in the ration to help alleviate some of the energy shortfall in their hay resources. However, concerns have been expressed that silage in the diet will result in diarrhea or scours in their calves.