By Rick Machen, PhD The US beef industry is experiencing record high prices for calves, feeder and fed cattle. Cow prices are rising rapidly and expected to surpass 2014-15 replacement female prices. La Niña weather patterns are shifting to El Niño. Great Plains soil moisture conditions are improving; the current U.S. Drought Monitor map has improved appreciably (except Kansas and …
By Julia Herman, DVM, MS, DACVPM Beef Cattle Specialist Veterinarian, NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Every day cattle producers are taking steps to protect their families, animals, and operations from various risks. These risks could include inclement weather, poor nutrition, predators, viruses and microbes, contaminated water, among many others. The cattle production system in the U.S. does an …
By Rick Machen, PhD Here in the extreme southern end of the Great Plains, annual rainfall typically follows a bimodal pattern; April, May, and June are the spring ‘wet season, while August, September, and October host the late summer/early fall rains. The bulk of the forage cows depend on is warm season perennial grasses, so the spring rains are essential …
INTRODUCTION Many of the historical southern Texas Panhandle ranches were established in the late 1800’s. With a long-standing commitment to western heritage, they embody ranching traditions, with a focus on raising high quality cattle and working ranch horses. The host ranch of this case study consists of native rangeland with no cultivated ground. Important landowner considerations include natural resource management …
by Dave DeLaney, KRIRM Practitioner in Ranch Management Whether in response to restocking due to drought, or simply a change in operations to take advantage of the uptrend in the current beef cycle, those of us at the Institute thought this might be a timely subject to address. Of all the strategic decisions the commercial cow-calf operator has to make, few …