Archive for December 2019

As consumers glean more information about where their food comes from, producers need to focus on how they manage their farm or ranch. Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification is a good place to start, said Josh White at the Angus convention in November.  The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association executive director of producer education and sustainability…

The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) has announced its second Factory Farm Detox, a campaign it hopes will encourage Americans to “eliminate factory-farmed foods” during a week-long consumer challenge. ASPCA wants consumers instead to choose what it calls “more humane and sustainable alternatives.” ASPCA says those alternatives have “meaningful…

Coastal Maine has a lot of seaweed, and a fair number of cows. A group of scientists and farmers think that pairing the two could help unlock a way to cope with a warming world.   The researchers — from a marine science lab, an agriculture center and universities in northern New England — are working…

Cull cows represent approximately 20% of the gross income of any commercial cow operation. Cull beef cows represent 10% of the beef that is consumed in the United States. Therefore, ranchers need to make certain that cow culling is done properly and profitably. Selling cull cows when they will return the most income to the…

In 2014, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) established guidelines for the dehorning and castration of calves. On a regular basis, the AABP reviews and updates its guidelines to make continual improvements over time and to make sure they incorporate the latest scientific evidence and recommendations. In 2019, the AABP separated the guidelines for…

This final newsletter for 2019 is a good time to encourage cattle producers to reflect on the past year as you think ahead to the coming year.  No matter how you judge the past year – good, just okay or disappointing – there is value in taking some time to analyze the reasons for the…

The editors at AgWeb.com are looking at experts’ projections for a variety of commodities in 2020 to help you succeed and be profitable in the coming year. Here’s a look at what analysts are expecting for the upcoming year in the protein segments. Tighter Cattle Supplies Will Boost 2020 Prices Mother Nature threw enough obstacles…

Cattle sold on a dressed basis in the north on Friday at $195 to $196 per cwt., $3 to $4 higher than last week. Many southern feedyards were asking $123 on Friday, but sales occurred at $122, or $2 higher. A few cattle traded early in the week at $121. February live cattle futures closed down a…

The value of seeding alfalfa into corn silage might not be obvious, but John Grabber, a research agronomist with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, says this system is designed to solve several shortcomings with corn silage and alfalfa rotations. “Corn silage and alfalfa are often grown together in rotations to provide forage for livestock, but one…

How Much Hay Will A Cow Consume? Estimating forage usage by cows is an important part of the task of calculating winter feed needs.  Hay or standing forage intake must be estimated in order to make the calculations.  Forage quality will be a determining factor in the amount of forage consumed.  Higher quality forages contain…