For cattle producers with cow-calf operations, you may also be interested in our October 2019 post on: Beef Bull Castration: Using Castration Banders, including the Callicrate SMART Bander. We also discuss our new approach of "delaying calf processing." Be sure to check it out! Thanks! Birth weight is a genetically heritable trait in beef cattle that has a direct impact on … [Read more...] about Estimating Calf Birth Weight
Late Term Abortion in Beef Cattle
It's devastating. A long, hard winter finally eases its grip, the snow begins to melt, and you find a dead calf on the ground. With today's calf prices and production costs, the financial aspect of a dead calf is a tough enough pill to swallow, but when added to the emotional toll, the abortion issue is not an enjoyable topic. We just found our first dead calf on the ground … [Read more...] about Late Term Abortion in Beef Cattle
Ranching Full Time on 3 Hours a Day
Ranching Full-Time on 3 Hours a Day Cody Holmes Acres USA, 2011 In Norwood, Missouri, a 1,000 acre ranch stands out from the rest. The grass is green and lush. More than a hundred species of plants are grazed by intensively managed herds of livestock, and the ground is fertile. The cows are low-maintenance and the ranch is low-input. Healthy food is produced here, and it … [Read more...] about Ranching Full Time on 3 Hours a Day
Does Agriculture HAVE to be BIG???
Chuck Jolley recently wrote an opinion piece on modern agriculture for Drovers Cattle Network, defending the large-scale farming model we have in most of America today. His basic point? Farming has become BIG, BIG, BIG, and has to remain BIG to supply food for the nation and the world. He defends the bigger-is-better mentality as a necessity. For instance, he describes the … [Read more...] about Does Agriculture HAVE to be BIG???
From Pasture to Plate: The Three Sectors of the Beef Cattle Industry
Like most mature industries, the beef cattle business is broken up into different segments in the production chain. Why? Because as the industry developed over the past century, it became more efficient for a particular business to focus on a smaller segment of overall production. Efficiency means lower cost and more productivity, which is why the beef business is segmented … [Read more...] about From Pasture to Plate: The Three Sectors of the Beef Cattle Industry