The highlights of this year’s KSU Cattlemen’s Day were the tour of the Feed Intake Measurement Facility given by Dr. Bob Weaber and the necropsy demonstration given by DVM A.J. Tarpoff.  The take away I want to reiterate to any livestock producers is that a post-mortem exam is crucial in determining the cause of death...Read More

The two most common issues that occur as a result of rumen metabolism when feeding ruminant animals are bloat and acidosis.  Bloat is the result of gases not being able to escape from the rumen.  It can occur on a forage-based diet due to rapid fermentation of soluble protein and readily available carbohydrates resulting in...Read More

Soil microbes are all the buzz these days, but what about rumen microbes?   Currently, it is very common to go to a ruminant nutrition meeting and hear about feeding the microbes first.  This is especially the case with the NRC Nutrient Requirements of Beef using the microbial protein and bypass protein system.  There are...Read More

Phewy! Smell that? From an early age, we are often told the old phrase “That’s the smell of money!” Although this phrase is often used to indicate cattle profits, the manure in those pens also holds a wealth of resources that can help enrich and strengthen your soil. Once used routinely in integrated farming systems,...Read More

Stockpile forages to prepare for a drought can mean more than just buying hay. I checked the current drought monitor and found that southern Nebraska and southern Wyoming are abnormally dry. Furthermore, Kansas, Colorado and the Dakotas are experiencing various levels of drought.  The current outlook through April is promising for the Dakotas, but dry...Read More

Integrated agriculture can benefit beef producers. Intensive, specialized crop production has several widely agreed upon downfalls.  These specialized systems tend to have stationary yields all while profitability is widely dependent on a global market over which we have little control.  Dependence on these practices  leads to reliance on fertilizers due to nutrient depletion  in the...Read More

The other day I received a phone call from a dairyman who said he was attempting to feed from the waste stream and he sent in two samples.   The first sample was mixed juice pressings, which consisted of a random assortment of spinach, cucumbers, ginger, carrots, apples and more. The second sample was citrus pulp,...Read More

Typically, livestock water access and quality are considered during the summer months when heat stress is a concern.  I am choosing to address this topic during the cold winter months because as the temperature drops, below the thermal neutral zone animals consume more feed to increase metabolic heat production and water intake requirements increase with...Read More

How many of us producers have a shovel in our pickup? When was the last time we used that shovel to thoroughly examine our soil?  Are we able to determine what a truly healthy soil looks like? Grab a shovel and take a look at your soil. Check out your soil profile. Does the shovel...Read More

Here in Nebraska, down corn has been an issue for cattle producers who want to graze corn stalks.  Due to a late harvest and high winds, many corn fields have ears of corn just lying on the ground.  Cattle are selective grazers. They will pick the high energy, high starch grain over the high fiber,...Read More

Grazing cover crops can be a cost-effective way to achieve multiple productions goals.  Cover crops can provide ground cover to prevent erosion, improve soil health over time, and provide nutrition to beef cattle.  However, cover crops are not a fool proof feed.  Turning cattle out onto cover crops to graze without proper feed tests can...Read More