Water’s Role in Beef Cattle Production
Water is often overlooked as the most important nutrient for beef cattle.
Nutrition & Feeding
Proper nutrition involves providing a balanced diet to meet the energy, protein, vitamin, and mineral requirements of beef cattle to promote growth and health.
Articles
Establishing alfalfa following wheat
A late summer seeding of alfalfa following a spring wheat crop is a great option to maximize seasonal productivity and fits very well as a part of a diverse crop rotation. Aside from the usual considerations when performing a late summer seeding of alfalfa, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when planting alfalfa following a wheat crop: the potential for residual herbicide damage to alfalfa and the impact of volunteer wheat.
Preliminary forage recommendations for grazing solar sites
The explosive growth of solar sites, especially large, utility-scale (>100 MW) sites that require state approval, has put solar in competition with agriculture for land use.
Target Age and Weight When Breeding Beef Heifers
To maintain its size, a beef herd’s annual replacement rate typically equals the number of cows that exit annually due to death, marketing, or culling. A typical replacement rate of 15% has been suggested.
Hay Analysis Guide for Beef Cattle: Determining Winter Feed Needs
Winter feed costs typcially represent the largest portion of cow/calf expenses. A hay analysis is important to determine if hay will meet a cow herd’s nutrient requirements during winter. This factsheet will cover interpreting a hay analysis and to calculate winter feed needs.
Don’t overlook nutritional needs of 2-year-old cows
A frequently heard recommendation for beef farms is to separate the 2-year-olds and thin cows from the main herd during the winter-feeding period. Three-year-olds may also benefit from being in this group because they are still growing. This is important every year, and likely even more important during years of limited forage resources.
Options for feeding the beef cow herd when hay supplies are short
Management options that a spring-calving cow herd may consider to get through the winter feeding season when hay is in short supply. The examples given use general assumptions because options and costs vary from farm to farm and over time.
Finely ground corn raises risk of acidosis in finishing rations
Finishing rations in our part of the country are usually around 10% roughage, give or take, to get energy levels high enough to finish cattle that will meet packer expectations efficiently. Corn makes up much of the remainder of the ration, and this corn is most often coarsely rolled or cracked.
Corn silage opportunities and considerations for drought-stressed corn
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.
UPDATE: Implant use for beef cattle is changing in 2023
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.
