Beef cattle : article
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Four participants in the University of Missouri Division of Animal Sciences 2021 Leadership Academy took home $500 scholarships to MU’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Beef producers can use a window of profitability to make their farm business more bulletproof.
CARROLLTON, Mo. – Centenarian Wilda Cox knows hard work. She’s built barns, lugged 110-pound cans of milk, picked and husked corn by hand and bucked hay bales.But Cox endured no harder day than Oct. 31, 2022, when she sold the farm that had been in her family for more than a century.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Now is a good time for beef producers to take advantage of stronger than normal prices for culled cattle, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Wesley Tucker.
Missouri cattle producers can capture great value for their operations by attending grazing schools offered by University of Missouri Extension and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, says Tim Schnakenberg, MU Extension agronomy field specialist.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Extension 4-H State Meats Judging contest on Feb. 17 drew 48 competitors, said Don Nicholson, Missouri 4-H interim associate director.
Eldon Cole has served Missourians through MU Extension for 50-plus years.
A lot has changed in the 56 years that Eldon Cole has served as a University of Missouri Extension specialist, but one thing has remained incredibly consistent – Cole’s desire to build relationships with the Missourians he…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Despite suspending all face-to-face programming due to COVID-19, University of Missouri Extension recognizes the continued need to provide university research and knowledge to help farmers and consumers alike.
ST. ELIZABETH, Mo. – Despite 26 surgeries, 47-year-old Blaine Kemna farms every day.He remains an independent farmer and works with the Missouri AgrAbility Project and its partners.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ways to replace toxic tall fescue pastures keep improving as renovations move across the Fescue Belt from Missouri to Georgia.Five grazing schools in five states in March will clarify a complex system, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Widespread drought conditions during the 2018 growing season in most of Missouri resulted in hay and forage shortages, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Dhruba Dhakal.Dhakal offers some alternative/emergency forage options to feed beef cattle during fall, winter and…
SEDALIA, Mo.—Many Missouri producers are asking if it is safe to use soybeans for livestock forage. The topic was brought up repeatedly by attendees at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Start stockpiling fescue mid-August for healthier and more profitable cattle, says University of Missouri Extension forage specialist Craig Roberts.Stockpiling fescue saves time and money by reducing the need to feed hay.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – First-time buyers took charge in the Show-Me-Select replacement heifer sale at Kingsville, Nov 25.Average price for 241 bred heifers hit $1,968, a season high in the third of six fall sales. The heifers were from 13 consignors enrolled in the University of Missouri Extension heifer…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Growing supplies of meat and dairy products apply pressure on farm prices through 2017 into 2019. With big supplies, strong consumer demand brings good news for producers.The offsetting result can be prices near or above last year’s prices.
FRUITLAND, Mo. – In the fourth of six Show-Me-Select fall sales, replacement heifers brought an average price of $2,010 on 76 head.The heifers bred to calve next spring came from herd owners enrolled in the University of Missouri heifer development program. The heifers have improved genetics and…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Rebuilding a beef cow herd to capture record-setting high prices is more than saving heifers to breed.Dave Patterson, University of Missouri Extension beef specialist, said heifers need management – and new breeding technology.
SALEM, Mo. – With cattle prices at record high levels and many forecasts projecting relatively high prices for the next couple of years, some producers feel they can do no wrong. In times like these, even less-productive cows and mismanaged calves are likely to make a profit.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It’s pretty simple math: Too little grass + too many cows = too little cash.
“Calf processing prior to sale that reduces work for the buyer after sale potentially makes that calf more valuable at sale time,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Regional Livestock Field Specialist. The added value can lead to improved profitability of the cattle operation. Below, Davis provides…
ST. JAMES, Mo. – Cattle producers are invited to attend a field day at the Mingo Farm in St. James to learn how to use natural shade to improve their beef operation.
“Vitamins and minerals are a small portion of the diet, but important for normal cattle body function which results in optimum health, growth, and reproduction,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Regional Livestock Field Specialist. Davis will discuss strategies to promote optimum cattle mineral and…
MONETT, Mo. – Fourth-generation farmer Mike Meier knows change will help his family’s Century Farm survive.The rotational grazing and breeding system he uses for his dairy herd works. Now he wants to apply those principles to beef cattle. “At 56, I wanted to go in a different direction,” he says.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Have you ever considered diversifying production on the farm?Producing beef cattle and meat goats on the same farm may improve your financials, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Jennifer Lutes.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A winter cold snap arrives. Cow’s blood flow slows. Cows start limping. It’s time to check herds for fescue foot.The first report of the disabling disease has come to Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension fescue specialist.
With cattle markets falling, livestock specialist Zac Erwin with MU Extension in Adair County discusses some feed options to hold cattle longer in this video on the Missouri Livestock Symposium Facebook page.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Prolonged heat stress this year may bring a smaller calf crop next year. Herd owners are seeing cows known to be pregnant coming back into heat to be rebred.
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- In the prolonged summer drought, farmers noticed that grass stayed green longer in their hayfields than in their pastures.While hayfields kept growing, pastures turned brown. Cows ran out of grass to graze.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – In dry weather with short pastures, Missouri cow-herd owners face tough culling decisions. One way to match cows’ needs to available grass is to sell cows.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Stunted, stemmy pastures unable to support grazing cattle have potential. Depend on fall rains to bring fall regrowth, says University of Missouri Extension forage agronomist Craig Roberts.
Most people don’t think of grass as poison, but dry weather and drought can turn a pasture dangerous.
COOK STATION, Mo. – For people, cowpats are smelly obstacles, but some creatures call them home.“To dung beetles, a dung pat is an ephemeral island in a hostile sea of grass,” said University of Missouri research associate Kent Fothergill at a recent dung beetle field day at MU Wurdack Farm in the…
STOCKTON, Mo. – “Early wean calves to reduce cow herd nutrient needs to match drought-limited feed resources,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. In addition, early weaning can improve calf performance because calves are put on a more nutritious diet…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Beef-cow herd owners will learn new ways to raise better calves at three University of Missouri meetings in March. The sessions lead producers from proven breeding to new uses of DNA.MU Extension animal scientists David Patterson and Jared Decker will lead the ReproGene Meetings.
PURDY, Mo. – Twenty years ago, Charles Fletcher of Edgewood Dairy and Creamery attended a University of Missouri Extension grazing school. It would change the future of the family dairy operation.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineering specialist Teng Lim advises poultry and livestock producers to be aware of an approaching deadline that could affect their operations.
CLEVER, Mo. – Load ’em up and ship ’em out.
That’s the advice University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Andy McCorkill gives on “crazy cows.” He spoke to livestock and forage producers March 7 at the Christian County Livestock & Forage Conference at Clever, Missouri.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Rain makes grass grow. That’s good for grazing livestock, but makes haying difficult.Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist, sees unusual potential for cattle producers.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Women livestock farmers can help build their business through Facebook in a few minutes each day, says Amber Henry of Henry Meat Co. of De Soto. She also serves on the Jefferson County University of Missouri Extension Council.
COLUMBIA. Mo. – Shortage of cattle forage forces some Ozark herd owners to chop trees to feed leaves. That method was used in big droughts of the 1930s and 1950s.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Newly made spring hay finally being baled in June may be toxic for cattle. Hold off on feeding new hay, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist.The longer the hay can be stored after baling, the less toxic it becomes.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fifth-generation rancher Eric Bailey joins University of Missouri Extension as state beef nutrition specialist.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - Flies cost the cattle industry more than $500 million each year, causing slowed weight gain, reduced milk production and diseases such as pinkeye and anaplasmosis. Effective fly control may require combined use of products, said a University of Missouri Extension livestock…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Reports of “fescue foot” causing loss of cows are coming in, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist.
STOCKTON, Mo. – Add legumes to grazing pastures to improve cow performance, soil health and forage production, says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist in Cedar County.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri beef producers have it good when it comes to feed resources, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension nutritionist.
STOCKTON, Mo. – St. Clair County Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, University of Missouri Extension, and Missouri Forage and Grassland Council will hold a school on management-intensive grazing May 9-10 in Osceola.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Rain-delayed haymaking leads to poor-quality feed for livestock next winter. Supplemental feed will be needed to make balanced rations, says University of Missouri Extension forage specialist Rob Kallenbach.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Temperatures drop, sunshine dims and pastures stop growing. That’s when cow nutrition becomes critical, says Justin Sexten, University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist.More hay was baled in 2013 than in the drought of 2012. But quantity doesn’t equal quality. Much of the hay…
FARMINGTON, Mo. – The Farmington Show-Me-Select replacement heifer sale is the newest of six fall sales statewide. Consignors are building reputations with their fourth sale, Dec. 8.The 120 bred heifers averaged $1,790, with a sale top of $2,450. Other long-standing sales topped that.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Making quality beef for more farm profits becomes predictable by using genetic testing.Meetings across Missouri will review current breeding technology and explain new genomic tools.University of Missouri Extension specialists plan meetings in Maryville, Kingsville, Macon,…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – One option for consumers buying meat is to purchase directly from the producer. A new University of Missouri Extension publication offers guidelines for buying all or part of animal from a livestock producer and having the meat processed and packaged.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Japan says “Whoa, go slow” on imports of frozen beef from the United States. To safeguard their own beef farmers, Japan raised tariffs on U.S. beef from 38.5 to 50 percent.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – During the summer, farm management involves a lot of day-to-day decisions. Use these news and notes from University of Missouri Extension as you and your team keep farm work on course.Review crop insurance policies before replanting
Add legumes to grazing pastures to improve cattle performance and forage production, says University of Missouri Extension Regional Livestock Field Specialist Patrick Davis. Frost-seed clovers and lespedeza now. They grow well with cool season grasses in Missouri and improve spring and summer…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Adding poultry litter or nitrogen to toxic fescue pastures grows more grass, but also boosts toxins in the grass.
COLUMBIA, Mo.–While crop insurance has been popular for a long time, producers have largely overlooked similar safety nets for livestock. But that may be changing, says a University of Missouri Extension agriculture economist.
MEXICO, Mo. - Older farmers and young farmers strapped for capital are teaming up in increasing numbers to form livestock lease alliances.“Leasing land is common. Why not cattle?” said University of Missouri Extension agribusiness specialist Mary Sobba.
FAYETTE, Mo. – Left on their own, cows make a mess of grass they should eat. When managed by the farmer, pasture carrying capacity goes up by 25 percent. More cattle are fed on fewer acres.The why and how of management-intensive grazing will be taught at the University of Missouri Extension Center…
Drought has led to historic declines in cattle numbers in Missouri. As weather and cattle price become favorable for cattle herds to rebuild, add value to a cattle operation through heifer development. This article will discuss cattle management strategies of the Missouri Show-Me-Select (SMS)…
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – Beef herd owners serious about improving fescue pastures—and their beef herds—can learn how in a March 6 meeting at the University of Missouri Southwest Research Center, Mount Vernon.
Are you a cattle producer that has a small number of cattle but wants to experience feeding cattle in the feedyard, evaluate your cattle’s feedyard performance, and determine whether your cattle meet certain targets at slaughter that influence their profitability? Then consider enrolling steers in…
HALLSVILLE, Mo. – Life lessons learned in 4-H continue to help the president-elect of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Greg Buckman.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension specialist Teng Lim advises poultry and livestock producers to be aware of a Nov. 15 deadline that could affect their operations.
UNION, Mo. – Cattle producers are invited to the first-of-its-kind Direct Marketing Beef School, offered Aug. 17-18 in Union, Mo., by University of Missouri Extension livestock specialists.The two-day training follows four successful Beef Feedlot Schools over the past two years, said MU Extension…
HERMITAGE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension offers cattlemen a bus tour of cattle operations in Kansas and Oklahoma Aug. 6-9.MU Extension livestock specialist Patrick Davis said the tour offers an opportunity to learn to manage herds better to make them healthier and more profitable.…
ALBANY, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension began a three-year project in March to help beef producers improve whole-herd record-keeping.
VIENNA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will hold a free cattle grading workshop 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, March 17, at South Central Regional Stockyards in Vienna.
BUFFALO, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offer an evening workshop on warm-season grasses and cost-share programs on July 31.The pasture tour begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Ron Locke farm near Buffalo.
WELLSVILLE, Mo. – Matthew Spiers wants to convert cropland to pastureland for grazing.Through a joint effort by University of Missouri Extension and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Spiers plans to build a rotational grazing system so he won’t have to rent more pastureland to…
New exhibition rules issued by the Missouri Department of Agriculture late last year for showing cattle and swine at county fairs and exhibitions go into effect this year. University of Missouri Extension specialists say the changes encourage healthy animals.
University of Missouri Extension’s Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program had a successful year in 2023 for both buyers and sellers, even with some impact on fall sales from drought.
SPICKARD, Mo. Bred beef heifers, replacements at the University of Missouri Thompson Farm cow herd, lined up at feeding looking like peas in a pod. They came from 20 years research on fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI).
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Many consumers want to buy locally produced beef, and University of Missouri Extension economists can help producers deliver.Beef producers who want to finish their cattle on their farms now have access to new resources from MU Extension beef specialists to determine their finishing…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drought continues to plague growers and livestock producers in parts of Missouri, especially in the southwest corner of the state, raising concerns about feed availability.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There’s a new University of Missouri Extension guide to discuss one of summer’s old pests.
PALMYRA, Mo. – The last sale set records for six fall sales of Show-Me-Select heifer replacements. The average price per head was $2,118 on 224 head of bred heifers at F&T Livestock Auction, Palmyra, Dec. 9.
“Pasture is the cheapest feed resource in a cattle operation,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist.
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – Forty-four performance and genomically tested bulls averaged $3,678 on Oct. 25 at the Springfield Livestock Marketing Center, said University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Eldon Cole.
Recordkeeping is important to make management decisions for optimum cattle operation productivity and profitability. Therefore, cattle producers should consider purchasing the 2024 shirt pocket size record book called the “Redbook” to aid in their record keeping practices. These books are…
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — It wasn’t the best of springs for baling hay.“Stockpiling fall forage can stretch your hay supply by delaying how early you start feeding hay, plus reduce your harvesting costs,” says Pat Miller, University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist.
STOCKTON, Mo. – Patience pays off for cattle producers who wait for fescue to grow some before turning cattle out for spring grazing, says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Patrick Davis.
TRUXTON, Mo. – Strip-grazing milo (grain sorghum) is a money-saving alternative winter feed plan for cattle, according to University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Rusty Lee.“Winter feed expenses are the killer of profits,” said Lee. “It’s the top reason for whether a cattle producer…
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Cow-calf herd owners can send more pounds of beef to market by feeding calves after weaning. It’s called backgrounding to prepare calves for the feedlot.Speaking at the Missouri Livestock Symposium in Kirksville, Dec. 2, Eric Bailey asked producers to think bigger.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A University of Missouri Extension beef nutrition specialist counsels farmers to prepare for grass tetany season in March.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Cows need to conceive and calve early to earn their keep.University of Missouri Extension beef cow-calf specialist Jordan Thomas says managing for a short or even an “ultra-short” calving season should determine which cows get to stay on the farm. Late-conceiving cows should go to…
“Proper identification is key to management of cattle for optimum production and profitability,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Regional Livestock Field Specialist. Identification is important in tracking cattle performance.
“This is the time of year to begin proper management to reduce grass tetany incidence in your cattle operation,” says MU Extension Regional Livestock Field Specialist Patrick Davis. Grass tetany is related to mineral imbalances in cattle and if not prevented can lead to sickness and death. …
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - High commodity prices provide an opportunity for landowners to increase their income by converting pasture to crop production. This has created urgency among cattlemen to secure grazing land for their cattle and other livestock, said a University of Missouri Extension…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifers averaged $2,427 with a top price of $3,500 at the spring sale at Fruitland (Mo.) Livestock Auction, Saturday, May 7.“This sale was quality over quantity,” said Erin Larimore, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist, Jackson.
Stockton, Mo.- As cattle producers look to replenish their cattle herd look to the Fall SW MO Show-Me-Select™ (SMS) Replacement Heifer Program Sale on November 17th at Joplin Regional Stockyards. The program will be selling approximately 90 head of spring-calving SMS Certified bred heifers. The…
“With lush grass growth coming in the spring, it is time to manage cattle and implement mineral supplementation strategies to reduce the incidence of grass tetany in your cattle operation,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. Cattle grass tetany symptoms…
After two years of droughts in Missouri, hay supplies are low, with many producers feeding hay during the summer months and lacking the pasture growth to get the tonnage comparable to previous year’s hay crops. Many producers in southern Missouri reported 50%-75% reductions in first-cutting hay…
LINN, Mo. – Livestock producers and horse owners can learn how to make “Hay That Pays” at the University of Missouri Extension regional hay school Oct. 14 in Linn.The event runs 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Community Christian Church, 1598 U.S. Highway 50, Linn.
CUBA, Mo. – Beef herd owners profit from fewer calf death losses, steers grading USDA prime and cows staying in the herd longer. Improved herd performance comes from adding genetics to management.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – When drought boosted corn and soybean prices, beef-herd owners faced new challenges. They can’t rely on traditional feeds as low-cost supplements for winter forages.“Producers must look at every alternative this winter,” says a University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist.
FARMINGTON, Mo. – In the first sale of the year, April 20, the 150 Show-Me-Select replacement heifers averaged $1,555 per head. The bred heifers will calve this fall.The Farmington Livestock Auction is the newest in a statewide network of guaranteed heifer sales. This was the first of four spring…
FRUITLAND, Mo. – The 135 bred heifers averaged $1,787 with a top of $2,400 at the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sale, Friday, May 4.The second sale of the spring season averaged $252 more than the first sale of fall-calving heifers, April 20 at Farmington. Two more sales are set at Joplin, May…