Beefmaster Cattle Offer Many Reasons To Be A Breed Of Choice.
Beefmaster cattle are a combination of Zebu, Hereford and Shorthorn that has been in existence since the early 1950’s. They are a unique combination of Bos Indicus and Bos Taurus breeding that allows them to excel in any environment. Today they can found from Wisconsin to Texas, California to Florida and every place in between. The Beefmaster Foundation herd excels in the cold environment of Colorado and about 50% of the registered animals are found in the hot, humid environment of Texas and Florida. The three breed combination has built in heterosis that will further be enhanced in mating them with the industries commercial cattle population.
Is Moldy Silage Syndrome Affecting Your Herd?
The 2011 harvest season is here, and many cattle producers are now reaching the bottom of last year’s crop in their silos or pits, however they may want to consider the quality of that silage before they feed their herds. While last year’s harvest appeared to be cleaner than the previous year’s crop, some producers are finding that after it was all packed and stored away, it wasn’t as safe as it seemed.
No Forage Left
At just under 119 million tons, the 2011 U.S. hay crop is forecast by USDA to be the shortest since the drought year of 1988. Yields are down from 2010, but by less than 6%; it's kind of like the man with one foot in boiling water and the other in a bucket of ice - while the Southeast Plains crop has been devastated by what Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon calls the "most severe one-year drought on record," there's a lot of hay in places where it's typically harder to grow. The problem is getting it where it's needed.
Texas Ranger, Texas Rancher, The Passion of Nolan Ryan
Baseball fans see Nolan Ryan in the owner’s box at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. They know him as part owner, president and chief executive officer of the Texas Rangers. Or perhaps the legions of fans see Ryan in their cherished memories - the seven no-hitters, the 27 major league seasons, the all-time strikeout record, or the 324 wins. Ryan understands that people excel in those things for which they have great passion. When he explains his success in baseball or ranching, he uses that one word more than any other.
Breed – Gelbvieh
Several societies for improved breeding of the cattle were founded. The societies aimed at improvement through standardizing the indigenous breed by selecting the best bulls, purebreeding for a single color and improvement of performance in work fitness and milk production. In 1897, the Breed Society for Yellow Franconia Cattle for Middle and Upper Franconia Cattle for Middle and Upper Franconia in Nurnberg was founded. It was followed by the Breed Society for Gelbvieh in Lower Franconia, based in Wurzburg and founded in 1899.
Since World War II, Germany used a stringent selection program to repopulate its cattle herds. Only three percent of the registered cows were used to produce potential bulls. These cows were selected on structural soundness and conformation.
On Target Tips
Spring Work
A couple weeks ago we vaccinated our Red Poll cattle as well as wormed, weaned, and castrated most of the bulls. Fall calving allows us to get the herd up, work them, and turn the cows back out for summer grazing.
Our protocol is very simple:
1. Cows are weighted, their hip height is measured, and a body condition score is determined.
2. Cows are palpated for the last time to confirm pregnancy dates.
Cattlemen’s Directory of Cattle Breeders & Cattle 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 cattle equipment, profiles of successful cattlemen and informative features for cattle breeders.
