Cattlemen Articles
Farm Safety for Young Children
Accidents kill more children than disease, kidnapping, and drugs combined. Each year, an estimated 300 people under age 19 die and approximately 24,000 (65 every day) are seriously hurt on our nation’s farms. The rate of death is higher in agriculture than in mining, construction, or the timber industry, and children who live on farms may be exposed to dangers 24 hours a day. In Iowa, at least one out of every eight-farm injuries is to a child. The most common causes of these injuries are from slips and falls, animals, farm machinery, and all-terrain vehicles.
Simmental Breed
A History of the Simmental Breed
The Simmental is among the oldest and most widely distributed of all breeds of cattle in the world. Although the first herd book was established in the Swiss Canton of Berne in 1806, there is evidence of large, productive red and white cattle found much earlier in ecclesiastical and secular property records of western Switzerland. These red and white animals were highly sought because of their "rapid growth development; outstanding production of milk, butter, and cheese; and for their use as draught animals." they were known for their imposing stature and excellent dairy qualities.
Shoot-n-the Bull: Spring’s Coming!
As this cold winter starts to end, we need to be thinking about getting our plans set for the early spring season.
1. Hay season is just around the corner. Now is a good time to warm up the shop and get out the equipment manuals. Review the manufacturer’s recommendations for maintenance on your forage equipment. Sharpen or replace those blades on the cutter to properly cut grass or small grain. Grease all fittings. If any are missing, replace them. Check tire pressure on all equipment, inflate if needed, and replace faulty tires. Fill the baler up with twine. Replace any broken, lost, or bent spring teeth on the hay rake. Service the trailers and wagons and get them ready to roll. By spending the time now for maintenance and repair, we can prevent loss of valuable down time when we need to make hay while the sun is shining.
Product Review – ATVs & UTVs
Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) Outlander™ Max 800R
The Bombardier Outlander™ Max 800R comes equipped with many features to help you in your work or help you enjoy your play, like Air Control Suspension (ACS), a suspension system that lets riders customize their ride on the fly. There are also additions like dual-mode Dynamic Power Steering (DPS™), cast-aluminum wheels, a Garmin® touch screen GPS and quick-engaging Visco-Lok QE, and heavy-duty front and rear bumpers. For comfort and convenience you’ll find an ergonomic passenger backrest, steel racks with 300-pound (136 kg) capacity, and a convertible rack/seat system with totable storage box.
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
Corn for Biofuel Production
Corn (Zea Mays) is a popular feedstock for ethanol production in the United States due to its abundance and relative ease of conversion to ethyl alcohol (ethanol). Corn and other high-starch grains have been converted into ethanol for thousands of years, yet only in the past century has its use as fuel greatly expanded. Conversion includes grinding, cooking with enzymes, fermentation with yeast and distillation to remove water. For fuel ethanol, two more steps are included: molecular sieve to remove the last of the water and denaturing to make the ethanol undrinkable.
Current Potential for Use as a Biofuel
Shoot-n-the Bull: On Target Tips - Get Ready at Arm's Length
Winter is slowly moving forward. March will be roaring in like a lion very soon, so let’s prepare for spring calving season now because everyone wants a live calf on the ground when the time comes.
Here is a list of the basic items needed for better success when calving difficulties arise:
1. Use low birth rate bulls. This is the number one problem that contributes to dystocia in cattle. Do your homework nine months before, study EPD’s, and understand them. Do not ever purchase a “PRUDDY” bull.
2. Have birth mothers with plenty of room in their pelvis. Get someone to check them out.
Mixer Wagons
We know you want the best nutrition possible for your herd and your operation, but we also know that there are a lot of options out there when it comes to TMR (total mixed rations) mixers. We’ve compiled some options that are on the marketplace today – whether you’re looking for a mixer that can be hauled with a truck, a tractor, or one that’s in a fixed location, we want to help you make the best decision for your cattle and your situation.
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.
Avoiding Calving Problems
Beef heifers experience calving difficulty, or dystocia, more frequently than do mature cows. Dystocia is characterized by prolonged or difficult labor due to heavy birthweight and/or small pelvic area of the dam. Death of these calves, and sometimes their dams, is a result of injuries received during difficult delivery. This obviously reduces calf crop and potential profits. Cows that experience dystocia also have lower rebreeding rates than animals that have normal, unassisted deliveries. Consequently, producers should make every effort to avoid dystocia.
Causes of Dystocia. There are a number of factors that influence dystocia; fortunately most of them can be controlled through good management practices.
Distillers Grains: The Name Means Little
The recent boom in ethanol production is having widespread consequences within the various segments of the beef industry. One of those consequences is the volume and variable forms of the distillers’ grains, the byproduct of grain-based ethanol production that are available to cattle feeders. These distiller’s grains, as they are generally referred, come in various forms both dry and wet, and although most are corn based, they can and do come from a variety of other cereal grains.
Shoot-n-the Bull
On Target Tips
Let’s Start The New Year At Ground Level
Here are twelve ways to improve your cattle operation that will pay good dividends for the coming year.
Winter Watering - Generations of Innovations
I had a one of a kind Grandpa. Well, maybe we all say that about people that we admire who have lot of knowledge. Sometimes we would get to work together in the corncrib with Grandpa and my uncles on the day the corn sheller would come to Grandpa’s farm. This was a great workout because my job was to rake the ears of corn in the gigantic corncrib into a drag that would take the ears of corn to the sheller. The corn sheller would shell the corn off the cobs. The corn would go into wagons and the cobs would go into a pile that looked like a mountain to me - or maybe I was just really little. The remaining cobs were used for many purposes in those days.
Countless Reasons to Attend 2011 Cattle Industry Convention
Everywhere you turn there is another good reason to attend the “Rocky Mountain Round-Up,” the 2011 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Denver, Colo., Feb 2-5.
On one front are the high caliber speakers lined up to address attendees at the event’s general sessions. The Opening General Session Feb. 2 will feature Richard Picciotto, Fire Department of New York Chief and the highest ranking firefighter to survive the World Trade Center Collapse on Sept. 11, 2001. Chief Picciotto is the author of Last Man Down, which chronicles his harrowing experience that day. He will provide a gripping, first-person account of the catastrophe and emergency response.
Product Review – Ag Software
You don’t need us to tell you how far technology has come in a relatively short time. These days just about every record you can think of is logged digitally so it can be organized according to individual needs. Tracking your actions from years past can be useful in making an informed decision about what you’ll do in the future in any business, and the cattle business is certainly no exception. Following are some software products to help you run your operation more smoothly and help your bottom line, too.
Ag Biz Solutions LLC
Corn Fed vs Grass Fed
Promoters and producers of grass fed beef have made a lot of claims about its nutritional and environmental benefits. One web-based marketer states, “100% grass-fed meats, from any kind of critter, are the most perfect food for man. Grass-fed meats will supply 100% of your body's nutrient requirements in perfect balance. Grass-fed meat is the ONLY food type you can eat exclusively and still have optimal body function.”
And the Winner is......
Colleen Schroeder of Schroeder Brothers Farm of Camp Douglas LLP from Camp Douglas Wisconsin. She is the winner of the Colorado Hay Probe that was donated by UDY Corporation. Check out their website for to see their selection of Hay Probes and other products. http://udycorp.com/
GAP ZAPPER BRINGS THE NEWEST TECHNOLOGY TO THE CATTLE GUARD INDUSTRY
Just roll out the GAP ZAPPER and attach it to an existing electric fence system or to a stand-alone fence charger for a permanent or portable livestock and/or wildlife guard. The GAP ZAPPER is a flexible rubber mat, made of two layers: the bottom layer is nonconductive rubber and the top layer, made of a specially compounded rubber, has the ability to conduct electricity. The GAP ZAPPER sends out an electrical charge to curious animals and keeps them on the right side of your fence line. The GAP ZAPPER withstands all vehicular traffic except tracked equipment. If you need to move tracked equipment, the GAP ZAPPER can be quickly rolled up and moved out of the way. Of course, you can walk across the GAP ZAPPER if you have on rubber- or vinyl-soled shoes.
Highland Breed
The Highland breed has lived for centuries in the rugged remote Scottish Highlands. The extremely harsh conditions created a process of natural selection, where only the fittest and most adaptable animals survived to carry on the breed.
Originally there were two distinct classes: the slightly smaller and usually black Kyloe, whose primary domain was the islands off the west coast of northern Scotland; the other, a larger animal generally reddish in color, whose territory was the remote Highlands of Scotland.
Today both of these strains are regarded as one breed-the Highland. In addition to the red and black of the original strains, dun, brindle, silver and white are also considered traditional colors.
Supplemental Incomes
There are still nearly a million cattle farms in the United States, according to the 2007 Census of Agriculture—but more than three-quarters of those farms have fewer than 100 head, and they average only about $16,000 a year in annual receipts. Many cattle ranchers have full- or part-time jobs in town…but others have found they can generate added income right on the farm.
Beef Cows, How Big is Too Big?
The genetic revolution in the beef cattle industry has brought us tremendous increases in productivity. The bulk of these improvements have been realized through improved rates of gain. The U.S. cattle industry enjoys one of the shortest cycle times, the time from when a calf is born until it is harvested, than any of the other top ten beef producing nations. We are now producing more pounds of beef with fewer cows and in the grand scheme that is more efficient. However these increases have come at a cost to our cow/calf production systems.
Cattle Fencing Resources
It seems that cattle fencing is always a tedious job. Not only if you are fixing fence does it probably mean you were chasing cattle in the not too distant past but it also means you will probably have to buy new fencing supplies, re-think the way the fence was originally designed or for larger jobs find labor to help you build back the fence properly. To help create the best possible fence as quickly and affordably as possible see our list of some of the best cattle fencing resources out on the web.
Ranchers’ Guide to Custom Cattle Feeding
Custom cattle feeding refers to sending cattle to a commercial feedyard that specializes in feeding and managing cattle until they are ready for slaughter. A rancher should consider this practice as a marketing alternative or for market timing purposes. Custom cattle feeding can be used as a tool to increase the dollar return to a cow-calf or stocker program. However, there are times when it may be better to simply sell feeder cattle or calves. The rancher should consider custom cattle feeding at any time when it is likely to increase his net return.
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.
Grow nature’s power plant and realize tremendous growth potential with Gamagrass
Do you want to solve your pasture productivity problems? Gamagrass may be the solution you’ve been looking for. It’s adaptability to a wide range of climates and soils (upland to bottom, sandy to clay) earn it a place in your operation. The tremendous regrowth potential of gamagrass and consistently high forage quality provide the key to unlock your maximum pasture profits.
Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides (L.)L.) is a native, perennial, warm-season bunchgrass. This tall, robust grass has long been recognized as a highly productive forage grass of the eastern prairie with a photosynthetic rate that is among the highest reported in scientific literature for any species.
Preserving Family History
State Aerial Farm Statistics is an aerial photography company that’s been in business since 1952.
Mr. Gale Astles, president of State Aerial, was at one time, a sales representative for the company going door-to-door selling aerial photos. In 1962, with his vision of what State Aerial could become, Mr. Astles purchased the company. Subsequently, each year he would continue to expand the reach of the company by adding new counties and states to his flying schedule. This involved the further purchase of additional airplanes, professional cameras, lenses, etc. and the hiring of more pilots to photograph the new territories. The following year, additional sales staff was recruited to send into the newly flown counties and states.
No more mechanical float switches or timers needed!
“Goodbye” to old forms of storage tank level control, “Hello” to a better way!
Advanced Power Inc’s electronic tank level controller! Meet the AC-ALC. (Advanced Level Control) One of the best forms of water storage tank level control on the market! Simply wire in your AC power supply into the unit. Wire your AC pump into it as well. Run the grey wire to your tank, attach to edge and place the ends at the level you wish to maintain. When water comes against the ends it shuts the power to the pump off, and when water falls away it restores the power and turns the pump on. In most instances it works well in freezing weather when a float can be a problem to use.
Red Poll Breed
Pure beef cattle breeds exist and thrive only to the extent that they can produce profits for their owners, across many environments, many markets and changing times. Since the development of the commercial beef industry in the United States, many breeds have come and gone. Long-term profitability is rare in the US beef industry. Red Poll cattle have been profitable for their owners ever since first arriving in the United States in 1873. For over 137 years, Red Polls have been working and profiting on America's Family Farms.
Management of Imported Fire Ants in Cattle
Imported fire ants are now a major pest problem throughout the southeastern United States, including in cattle production operations. No methods have been developed to successfully eradicate fire ants, but research may ultimately provide a method to eliminate this pest. Biological control can potentially suppress fire ant populations but will never achieve absolute control. The appropriate fire ant control methods should be determined by the problem that the fire ants cause in a particular area.
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.
A Guide to Managing Pasture Water “Stabilized Stream and Pond Access Sites”
The Need to Manage Pasture Water
By properly managing your pasture water, you not only provide high-quality water to maintain the health and productivity of livestock on your farm, but you also contribute to maintaining the water quality downstream – water that is used for livestock and human consumption, as well as recreational activities like fishing and swimming.
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.
New Kuhn Gyrorake
Kuhn North America, Inc., of Brodhead, Wisconsin, is excited to announce the release of a new Gyrorake, the GA 8121. This new model is well suited for farm operations that bale large quantities of dry hay and are looking for larger working widths of 24’ 3” to 26’ 3”.
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.
Effective Pest Control Strategies Critical Component in Overall Strategic Program
During the past couple of years we have seen the economy negatively impact the profitability of many cattle operators across the country. And, while the outlook has been slowly improving, there is still a combination of factors that have many on edge. However, by continuing to implement sound cattle management practices and be as proactive as possible in their comprehensive pest control strategies, operators will weather the storm and they and their cattle will thrive despite the challenges.
Herd Health Management Practices
Photovlotaics then, now and in the future
Photovlotaics or PV power has been around for a good many years in some form or another. It is commonly referred to today as solar power and is distributed in the form of PV modules, which are also referred to by another commonly used name: solar panels. It is most typically priced by the watt and there are many different panel sizes and different wattages and voltage configurations.
The Importance of Low Stress Cattle Handling
Improving cattle handling practices provides many advantages. Cattle that remain calm during handling have improved weight gain and are less likely to have dark cutting meat. Dark cutting is a serious quality defect where the meat is darker and drier than normal and it has a shorter shelf life at the grocery store. Another advantage of adopting low stress cattle handling methods is to reduce injuries to both people and cattle.
Cattlemen & Politics
How many cattlemen can say they might have launched a politician’s career? That’s the story offered by Kevin Carstensen, an Odebolt, Iowa cattle feeder who’s been promoting producer interests in the political arena since the early 80s. One of his first public actions was to testify in front of the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission on measures designed to protect the state’s waters; afterwards, he says, “I sat down in Steve King’s construction company office and related some of my experiences with the EPC and the DNR, and he to this day attributes that three-hour conversation we had one afternoon in his construction office of getting into politics.” King, of course, is now U.S. Rep Steve King (R-Iowa).
Ethanol Impact on Feed Prices
Fueled by its desire for conflict, and a well-funded and organized public relations blitz by food and livestock industries, the media has spent a great deal of time in the past two years trying to portray an epic battle between America’s need for renewable alternatives to gasoline and its role as breadbasket to world.
Growing Cattle on Pasture
Growing stocker cattle on pasture is an intermediate growing phase within the beef production system. Steers or heifers (stockers) grazed on pasture are generally a low cost way of growing light-weight cattle, 300 to 500 pounds, into feeder cattle weighing 750 to 800 pounds. Profitable stocker production requires that the producer understands the factors that impact efficient, low-cost weight gain. The three main factors that determine profitability are: price received when selling the cattle, cost of cattle, and cost of gain. For brevity’s sake we’ll focus on the cost of gain.
Choosing the Right Vet
Most cattle producers have experienced needing to find a new veterinarian at some point in their life. Whether you just moved to an area, your veterinarian has moved or retired, or you simply want to make a change, this decision is one that is a very important one to make.
Grass Fed Beef
They still represent a tiny share of the overall beef market, but the number of grass fed cattle producers has been steadily increasing. One of the reasons consumer demand for grass fed beef has been growing has been the nutritional component; on its web site, the American Grass fed Association boasts, “Meat, dairy products, poultry and eggs from animals fed grass diets, rather than grain-based diets, are higher in beta carotene (Vitamin A), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and Omega-3 fatty acids.”
2009-2010 Midland Bull Test "The final weights"
The 2009-2010 Midland Bull Test has 1100 bulls on test, comprised of 12 breeds. The top performing bulls of each breed will sell April 7-9, 2010 at the bull test station, Columbus, Mont. On Wednesday, April 7th we will sell Salers, Gelbvieh, Charolais and Simmental. Red Angus, South Devon, Murray Grey, Hereford and Braunvieh bulls will sell on Thursday, April 8th. All Angus bulls will then sell on Friday, April 9th.
2009-10 Midland Bull Test
The 2009-10 Midland Bull Test is coming to a close and the sales are approaching quickly, being on April 7th, 8th, and 9th. The top 70 to 80% of each breed will be selling at the Midland Bull Test Sale facilities. We are very excited about the set of bulls selling this year with high quality are numerous herd bull prospects selling in each and every breed represented. There are video clips of each sale bull on our website, www.midlandbulltest.com, available for your viewing. The sales will also be broadcast live over Frontier Stockyards. This news release is highlighting the RFI test results on the second group of bulls that went through the trial this year. The results have been exciting to say the least.
LSU Junior Heifer Show Names Champions
Beefmaster Breeders United6800 Park Ten Blvd., Suite 290 West San Antonio, TX 78213 210/732-3132 • www.beefmasters.org Contact: Cody Ann Bainter, Communications & Marketing Specialist or Jeff Natho, JBBA Coordinator 210/732-3132 • cbainter@beefmasters.org or jnatho@beefmasters.org
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Louisiana junior members earned honors at the 2010 LSU Junior Heifer Show &Showmanship in Baton Rouge, La. on Feb. 18.
LSU Junior Heifer Show Names Champions LSU Livestock Show Results
LSU Livestock Show Results Late Junior Bull Calves
Champion – Armoni exhibited by Krista Bordelon; Avoyelles 4-H
Reserve Champion – Kajun Black Shadow exhibited by Kirsten Midkiff; Beauregard 4-H
Third – C982049 exhibited by Orwinnetta Williams; Acadia 4-H
LSU Junior Heifer Show Names Champions Ft. Worth JBBA Show Results
Judge – Terri Barber 193 Entries Summer Heifer Calves 1) Heart Breaker ‐ Nate Allen Compton 2) 920 – Ethan Saye 3) Butterbean – Collin McMaster Spring Heifer Calves 1) No Name – Jordon Hall 2) Cajun Cookin – Connor Reed 3) Jo Gertrude – Natalie Walsh
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