Animal health and production : article
COLUMBIA, Mo. – National Animal Poison Prevention Week, March 17-23, 2024, is a time for pet owners to assess what plants and products can potentially poison their animals, identify signs they’ve been poisoned and learn how to prevent pet poisoning.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There’s a new University of Missouri Extension guide to discuss one of summer’s old pests.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri’s new Food Processing and Safety Lab helps people who make and sell processed foods ensure they are safe.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With harvest wrapping up, it is the time for producers to review their farm’s current net income and look to next year’s projections. This is also a time to explore new ways to increase on-farm revenue and evaluate new or existing lease agreements.
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.
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…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pork producers need to know what to do if a vesicular disease strikes their operation.The Seneca Valley virus (SVV) disease is on the upswing in the United States, says Corinne Bromfield, University of Missouri Extension veterinarian.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pigs can’t cool themselves through sweating and need special attention during heat waves, says University of Missouri Extension swine nutrition specialist Marcia Shannon.Pigs take priority over any other animals on the farm when temperatures rise, Shannon says. Pigs have few…
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.
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 written plan to respond to disease outbreaks for your livestock operation is like insurance. You hope you never need it. You may never need it. But if there is an outbreak, the economic survival of your livestock operation might depend on having that plan.
HUMANSVILLE, Mo. – Martin Prairie Farms near Humansville treats dairy cows like guests.The family-owned dairy farm north of Humansville in Hickory County dedicates itself to top-of-the-line herd nutrition and care, says University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist Reagan Bluel.
“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…
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. – A farm’s approach to marketing often affects whether the operation has the potential to sustain itself for the long term.
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…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There were 147 bred heifers sold in the Nov. 17 Show-Me-Select replacement heifer sale at Kirksville Livestock LLC. Average price was $1,872.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – New sire selection rules for Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifers improve reliable calving-ease genetics.“Bulls used in the heifer program will carry DNA-tested EPDs (expected progeny differences),” said Jared Decker, University of Missouri Extension geneticist.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Beef herd owners from four other states took home replacement heifers from the Show-Me-Select sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards, Nov. 17.The 315 heifers—future mama cows—averaged $1,867, with top prices at $2,200 per head.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– With a few simple steps, farmers with heated livestock buildings might be able to cut their energy expenditures substantially at little or no cost.
The biggest loss of energy is through the ventilation system, says University of Missouri Extension energy specialist Don Day.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Seeding winter annual small grain offers fall grazing for beef cow herds short on grass and hay.“Lots of calls are coming in,” said Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist. He offers encouraging words and cautions.
NEW LONDON, Mo.– Spring is here, but parts of Missouri still aren’t through with winter weather.A University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist notes that snow makes it harder for animals to find available forage, and cold weather increases their nutrient needs.
When buying a bull, it is important to look at performance and genomics and select bulls that meet your herds needs. One sale that incorporates this information into its sale offering is the 102 nd SW MO All Breeds Performance Tested Bull Sale.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – New forage research gives reason to not graze toxic fescue grass too short. The bottom 2 inches of infected grass holds highest levels of the alkaloid causing problems for grazing livestock.The findings guide ways to manage fescue’s toxic impact, says Craig Roberts, University of…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With high costs of feed for wintering cows, herd owners should consider adding monensin to grain supplements for winter forages. The additive, trade name Rumensin, controls coccidiosis, a disease caused by intestinal parasites.
The Missouri Show-Me-Select (SMS) Replacement Heifer Program educates cattle producers on heifer development strategies in the areas of management, reproduction, and genetics to create a reliable source of quality replacement heifers. On November 17th at 7:00 p.m.
MOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo. – Brothers Dwight and David Fry remember the day that they decided to build bedded pack barns for their dairy cows.
ASH GROVE, Mo. – “Cows and horses think alfalfa looks like candy, smells like candy and tastes like candy,” says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Andrew McCorkill.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – This could be a noisy summer for southeastern and western Missouri. A brood of 17-year periodical cicadas will emerge in northwestern Missouri (Kansas City and St. Joseph), and a brood of 13-year periodical cicadas will surface in southeastern Missouri (Cape Girardeau).
“Cattle producers are dealing with varying degrees of drought and forage resources,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension livestock field specialist. Some cattle producers have received adequate rain and are recovering from the 2022 drought through rebuilding forage and cattle resources.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As winter feeding season continues with a forecast of Arctic weather in February, cow herd owners face dwindling hay supplies.Eric Bailey, University of Missouri beef nutritionist, gives the short answer: “Feed less, need less.”In practice, that takes management decisions and…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – One small breach of protocol can lead to a disease outbreak and financial loss for livestock producers.An MU Extension team teaches livestock producers throughout Missouri to follow protocols that protect animal and human health, food and the environment.
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Montgomery County farmer Harry Cope will talk about how he “moves the feedlot from the barn to the field” at the Missouri Livestock Symposium, Dec. 7-8 at Kirksville Middle School. University of Missouri Extension sponsors the free event.
COLUMBIA, Mo. - It is said that turkeys are so stupid that they’ll look up when it rains and drown. Well, they’re not quite that stupid, but pretty darn close. The domesticated turkey will panic at the least little thing.
HARTVILLE, Mo. – Denis Turner keeps his southwestern Missouri heifer replacement operation simple.For the most part, it is one man for 500-1,000 heifers at Turner’s Heifer Haven, a pasture-based operation where Turner raises heifers for others.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Two sales of bred heifers in one day start the fall season for Show-Me-Select Replacements. Sales on Nov. 17 are first of six. Those are Joplin Regional Stockyards in Carthage and Kirksville Livestock, LLC.Kirksville starts at 6:30 p.m., while Carthage starts at 7 p.m.
In this video news story, University of Missouri researchers use GPS technology to understand the complexities of a cow's appetite. This knowledge may help livestock producers graze cattle more efficiently.
The spring grass hay crop was extremely poor across many regions of the state. Beef cattle producers are turning to alternative feeds in order to find winter forage for their herds. Baled corn stalks are going to be one of the more available forage sources for many producers. A discussion of their…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – So far, it’s a bad hay year. Cool weather, lack of sun and dry soil slowed grass growth.Dry matter per acre is about one-third of what we expect this time of year, says Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri Extension forage agronomist.He spoke to regional extension specialists in a…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – All bull semen is not created equal, but Peter Sutovsky has found a way to level the bovine-fertility playing field.Research from the University of Missouri reproductive scientist identifies faulty sperm and takes them out of the equation for artificial insemination (AI) of cattle.