Information about raising all types of beef in Wisconsin: production and business management, beef quality assurance, housing, well-being, nutrition, and reproduction.
Beef cow-calf producers are feeling the pinch of low pasture and hay yields due to drought conditions across the state. Corn silage is another feed source that can be used to help meet the herd’s nutritional needs.
Using the right equipment when vaccinating your cattle requires the right tools. The correct syringes and needles must be used in addition to a well-designed and functioning headgate to restrain cattle so injections may be safely administered in the neck area.
For decades, livestock producers have moved animals on and off the farm by way of sale, leasing, renting, and between other facilities or pastures owned by the farm. With these movements comes the risk of the introduction or spread of disease.
The frequency of hauling cattle varies from farm to farm. Some farms haul on a regular basis and others only a few times a year. In either situation, breaking down alongside the road — or even worse, in a traffic crash — while hauling cattle is not on anyone’s bucket list.
In the increasing discussions about how to address climate change there are conflicting claims about the need to address methane (CH4) emissions. Some people argue that methane emitted by cows is a primary cause of climate change. Others argue that methane from beef and dairy production is not of much concern because of its relatively short duration in the atmosphere.
Properly cleaning, sanitizing, and storing multi-dose syringes and transfer needles will reduce contamination from many viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The steps described here use only tap and distilled or deionzed (purified) water and do not render the equipment sterile.
Rainfall through the heart of the Midwest and for most producers across Wisconsin has been a topic to avoid this past spring and summer. Hot summer days were not usually followed by stormy afternoons and much-needed rainfall.
Rainfall has been scarce in Wisconsin this growing season with most parts of the state in moderate to severe drought. While some parts of the state have recently received some much-needed rain, forage yield has already been reduced and we don’t know what the rest of the growing season will bring.
Maintaining a successful reproductive program in our modern dairy and beef operations requires dedication. While it is rewarding to hear a pronouncement of pregnancy, there is not much the manager can do with that information.
Since the 1950’s, the FDA has approved several steroid hormone implants for use in beef cattle. These implants are used in all production phases from nursing calves through the finishing phase and are labeled for sex, age, or stage of production.
