Galloway Cattle at a Glance
Submitted by shelley on Wed, 06/17/2009 - 8:32am
The Galloway breed has been in North America for over 150 years. At one time it populated the Plains states, back in the days when cattle were exposed to the rigors of the environment with little assistance their owners. The Galloway thrived in these circumstances, because that is the story of the breed’s development. They were the cattle on the British Isles that were left on their own in the roughest of
locales.
Trucker’s Tale: Reduces stress through humane cattle handle
Submitted by shelley on Fri, 06/12/2009 - 2:57pm
From the ranch to the processing yard, beef calves endure high levels of stress dealing with new, foreign environments that can ultimately affect beef quality and the producers’ bottom line. And while for most cattlemen, it’s always a satisfying feeling to get the calves loaded onto the trailer and watch the truck fade into the horizon, many producers harbor some degree of anxiety until they know the cattle have reached their destination safely.
Can Commercial Cattlemen Make AI Pay?
Submitted by shelley on Fri, 06/12/2009 - 2:46pm
Suppose you gathered up exactly one hundred cow-calf producers representing a true cross-section of the commercial industry. And just suppose you asked all among the crowd who currently use artificial insemination in their operations to raise their hands. It’s likely there would be no more than eight hands waving in the air. There would be even fewer if you asked how many producers were practicing AI on mature cows. The simple fact is that most commercial producers shy away from AI. Of those that do use AI, most use it only for breeding replacement heifers.
Dexter Cattle – “The ideal breed for small acreages”
Submitted by shelley on Wed, 05/20/2009 - 8:46am
We here at the American Cattlemen have posted this article to inform you of The Dexter Cattle Breed. This story is brought to you by American Dexter Cattle Association. The native home of the Dexter cattle was located in the southern part of Ireland where they were bred by small landholders and roamed about their shelter less mountainous districts in an almost wild state of nature.
Grass Finished Beef
Submitted by shelley on Fri, 05/08/2009 - 12:27pm
Raising grass-fed beef, says Will Harris, is not a get-rich-quick proposition. But he quickly adds, "No surprise there-the cattle business is not a get-rich-quick proposition."Harris has seen the cattle business both from the conventional side and from the birth-to-table, pasture-raised end. His farm, White Oak Pastures, has been in the family for 143 years; he says that helped him when he made the decision in the mid-90s to transition into grass finishing. "I have the advantage of raising cattle on the same farm that I was raised on," he says, "and that my father and his father were raised on, so the old ways had not left us completely...we did some things, and knew some things, that relied heavily on that historical data."
Cost Challenges to Cow-Calf Producers
Submitted by shelley on Fri, 05/08/2009 - 12:21pm
USDA’s Economic Research Service spelled it out last February. In a quarterly report on farm income and costs, ERS said, “The current economic downturn has weakened beef demand, offsetting the positive effects of lower grain prices. Prices paid for feeder steers in 2009 are expected to remain almost exactly the same as in 2008.” ERS predicted cash receipts for cattle and calves in 2009 would move slightly upward to a nominal record high of $50.2 billion, but the weak demand would keep feedlots from increasing placements, and cow slaughter would continue to run above usual levels as producers cull cows to increase herd efficiency. In short, 2009 was expected—for the first time in a dozen years—to put many cow/calf operators in negative earnings territory.
Profile of a Cattleman
Submitted by shelley on Fri, 05/08/2009 - 12:12pm
An old saying holds that anyone, no matter what their background, can grow up to be President. They’re usually talking about President of the United States—and perhaps last year’s election is proof—but the saying also applies to the National Cattleman’s Beef Association. Consider Gary Voogt, of Marne, Mich. “My father was a factory worker—a tool and die worker,” reflects Voogt, who became head of the NCBA at this year’s annual convention in Phoenix. “My mother was in charge of the house. She never worked; she raised five kids.” And they didn’t live on a farm. It wasn’t until after Voogt graduated from Michigan Tech with a B.S. in Civil Engineering that he got involved in production agriculture, although he’d had some exposure to farming.
Cattlemen’s Directory of Cattle Breeders & Livestock for Sale
With American Cattlemen you can access our directory of cattle breeders and cattle for sale. This directory contains over 500 cattle breeders from across the United States, as well as those offering various types of livestock for sale. Both our web site and magazine contains the latest information on farm equipment, profiles of successful cattlemen and informative features for cattle breeders.
