The decision of selecting what bull to mate to each cow or heifer has long lasting genetics effects in the herd. Sire summaries provide information on traits that are economically important to cattle producers. Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) predict the genetic potential of future offspring of a particular bull, cow or heifer.

High feed costs and limited forage inventories are reasons to consider using pregnancy diagnosis if it is not part of your current herd management. Several pregnancy diagnosis methods are available to beef producers. The real value of pregnancy diagnosis is not finding pregnant cows, but open cows. Identifying open cows early presents an opportunity for herd managers to make decisions.

Tools are available to help corn growers and dairy and livestock producers negotiate a fair price for corn silage.

It may seem a bit premature, but now is the time to ensure enough hay or forages are put away for winter.

Preconditioning beef calves prepares them for a successful weaning and life after they leave home. The goal of your farm’s preconditioning program is to build a health and nutrition plan that meets the buyer’s expectations and includes tasks your farm can achieve.

This study investigated the effectiveness of cooking processes that incorporated hydrated-surface lethality steps for ensuring the reduction of Salmonella on the surfaces of meat and poultry products cooked using short-time, high-temperature impingement oven processes.

Many Wisconsin dairy farmers are breeding some of their dairy cows to beef. The calves from these matings are not raised as dairy replacements but are either raised by the dairy for beef or sold to a variety of calf and cattle operations. Dairy and dairy-beef calves that are sold as pre-weaned (wet) are particularly vulnerable to disease challenge as their young and immature immune system increases their susceptibility to disease.

As spring calving wraps up, it’s time to turn our attention toward breeding season.UW-Madison Extension offers tips for cow-calf producers to implement breeding soundness exams on their bulls.

Dr. Young Dal Jang, assistant professor in Department of Animal and Food Science at UW-River Falls, presented this topic at the 2020 Badger Swine Symposium.

Karly Anderson, master’s student in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and animal welfare lab coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, presented this topic at the 2020 Badger Swine Symposium.