Articles
Preconditioning Calves: Establishing Your Reputation
Preconditioning is a management practice that many producers implement to increase buyer interest and add value to their feeder calves by building the health status of calves and training them to feed bunks and waterers post weaning.
Life Cycle of a Laying Hen
Learn about the various stages in the life of a hen in this edition of Small Flock Nuggets.
No Bad Eggs! Internal Egg Quality
Learn how to determine if an egg is “good” or “bad” and what attributes determine egg quality in this edition of Small Flock Nuggets.
Fall Pasture Weed Control
If your pastures have an abundance of biennial or perennial weeds like spotted knapweed, wild parsnip, thistles, Canada thistle, and horsenettle, then fall is a good time to get a handle on these tough to control weeds.
Castrating Beef X Dairy Calves
There are various castration methods, and it is recommended that castrations be performed in calves at the youngest age possible, preferably within three months of age. Using a proper castration procedure on a young calf can add more beef value at the time of marketing.
Disbudding Calves
Horned cattle are discounted in beef markets. Using polled genetics is the best way to avoid having to remove horns. Beef genetics are often polled, but cross breeding with dairy cattle may result in horns. Monitor beef or beef x dairy crossbred calves during their first six weeks of life for the growth of horn buds and disbud immediately as they are identified.
What is Included in a Preconditioning Program?
Respectable preconditioning programs focus on health AND nutrition. The goal of these programs is to help calves succeed during their next phase of production at the feedlot, stocker, or heifer development facility.
How much meat should a beef animal yield?
The UW-Madison Division of Extension provides resources to better understand and calculate the amount of meat to expect from a finished animal.
Do You Have Enough Forage? Four Steps to Figure Forage Inventory
Now is the time, before the snow flies, to take inventory of your farm’s forage supply and determine how well it meets the herd’s needs. Knowing your feed inventory and needs early allows you to purchase now, rather than wait to purchase during the winter when forages are usually priced higher.
Pinkeye Vaccination Programs
Moraxella bovis is the bacteria responsible for summer pinkeye. Research has identified a non-summer pinkeye that is associated with carrier animals and its lesions do not need physical trauma or summer flies and UV light to precipitate them.
