Cattle
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.
Crossbreeding Beef Cattle
Why Crossbreed?
Crossbreeding beef cattle offers two primary advantages relative to the use of only one breed: 1) crossbred animals exhibit heterosis (hybrid vigor), and 2) crossbred animals combine the strengths of the various breeds used to form the cross. The goal of a well-designed, systematic crossbreeding program is to simultaneously optimize these advantages of heterosis and breed complementarity.
Heterosis or hybrid vigor refers to the superiority in performance of the crossbred animal compared to the average of the straightbred parents. Heterosis may be calculated using the formula:
% Heterosis = [(crossbred average - straightbred average) ÷ straightbred average] x 100
Ways to Reduce Stress in Cattle and Horses
New things are both frightening and attractive. If you place a flag in the middle of a field, the cattle will be curious and come up to investigate it. However, if that same flag was suddenly shoved in the animal’s face, it would react violently due to fear. New things are attractive when the animal is allowed to voluntarily approach them, but they can be very scary if they are introduced too quickly. Researchers have discovered that an animal’s brain has separate emotional circuits which motivate it to either go into fear mode or seek and approach mode. The circuit works like a switch and it can be in either the seek position or the fear position.
Corriente
The Corriente can be traced back to the first cattle brought to the new world by the Spanish as early as 1493. These cattle were hardy breeds chosen especially to withstand the ocean crossing and adapt to their new land. They were brought to the West Indies and south Florida, as well as to Central and South America. Over the centuries the descendants of these cattle bred for different purposes - milk, meat and draft animals. They also adapted through natural selection to the various regions in which they lived. Eventually, their descendants spread across the southern U.S. and up the coast of California.
Galloway Breed Offer Positives for Cattle Producers
The Galloway breed of cattle with a genetic background that goes back to the coastal lowlands of Scotland has been a choice for cattle owners in the United States since they were first brought to this country in the mid-1800s. “They were tougher than nails,” says Debra Vance public relations director for the American Galloway Breeders Association (ABGA). “Plus, they display great versatility with superior beef production, feeding efficiency and ease of calving.”
Young Rancher Needs
Traci Bruckner has a lot of experience with beginning cattle operations. As assistant director of the rural policy program at the Center for Rural Affairs, the Wayne, Neb. native helped lobby for the beginning farmer and rancher provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill; she’s also served on USDA’s Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Advisory Committee 2007-09, and at one time she and her husband had their own cow/calf operation.
Hereford Breed
The Hereford has long been the icon of the cattle industry. Their breeding is seeped in tradition and has steadfast supporters. Large framed, red bodies with their trademark white faces, Herefords populate cattle pastures the whole world over. One would be hard pressed to find a more resilient and overall outstanding breed of beef cattle, which has so thoroughly conquered the beef business.
Of British origin, the Hereford evolved from the native red cattle of western England. These early animals were much larger than their easier fleshing, modern counterparts. Always a hardy breed they were able to efficiently convert grazing into body mass making them exceedingly popular in their region and attractive to all cattlemen.
First woman to major in animal husbandry at OSU named 2010 Master Breeder Award recipient.
Oklahoma State University has named Minnie Lou Bradley, the first woman to major in animal husbandry at the institution, as its 2010 Master Breeder Award recipient.
In 1986, believing beef was not only tasty but also a great health food, Bradley and her daughter Mary Lou launched B3R Country Meats, a beef merchandising program that grew into a company recognized worldwide for natural Angus beef.
Although the meat company was sold in 2005, the expanded 10,000-acre ranching operation situated in the Texas panhandle continues under the management of Minnie Lou, Mary Lou and Minnie’s son-in-law, James Henderson.
FFA – Past, Present and Future
On May 3, 2010, National FFA Advisor Dr. Larry Case announced he will retire at the end of the year. Case has been a fixture at national FFA conventions and in the world of agricultural education since his appointment as National FFA Advisor and Program Specialist for the U.S. Department of Education in 1984. A former FFA member from Stet, Missouri, Case started his career as an agriculture teacher in 1966. When he says farewell on Jan. 1, 2011, his last day with FFA, he will have devoted 45 years of his life to agricultural education. We asked Case to give us his viewpoint on the past, present and future of FFA and how he envisions the future of farming.
Cattle Carbon Footprint
In 2006, a report by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization claimed domesticated livestock produces 18% of the world’s anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Animal scientists—and the FAO itself—have been trying to clean up the damage ever since.
