Skip to main content

Livestock

All Livestock Content

Round hay bales wrapped with net wrap in a stack.

How Will You Make Hay This Year?

With plenty of spring moisture, hay season will be here before you know it. Have you considered the type of binding material you will use to put up hay this year?

Mother cow with calf in a dry, drought-stressed rangeland.

Early Registration for 2021 Range Beef Cow Symposium Ends Nov. 1

October 25, 2021

The two-day meeting will be held Nov. 16-17 at the Monument (formerly the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center) in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Wildlife and the Bottom Line

As the fall harvest wraps up and this year’s calf crop is weaned, many producers may be nervous about what their paychecks will look like for 2016. In tough market conditions, it can be tempting to try to squeeze just a bit more production out of the land.

A green front-end-loader pulling a hay mower with a flushing bar.

Haying With Wildlife in Mind

Anyone who has spent time cutting hay knows that hayland can be a magnet for wildlife in late spring and early summer. Hay fields are often considered an “ecological trap” for wildlife; that is, they appear to be high quality habitat for nesting or feeding due to tall, dense grass and legumes, but often lead to increased mortality once harvesting is under way.

A rancher sitting at a laptop near a cattle pen.

Simplifying the Replacement Heifer Dilemma: To Buy or To Raise?

Purchasing or raising replacement females represents a significant investment for cow/calf operations and the impact may be felt for years after.

A cow and her calf touching noses

Heterosis and its Impact

Heterosis is not new to the livestock industry and its benefits have been well documented.

black angus bull at pasture

Bull Selection

Bull sale season is upon us and those who are in the market for a new herd sire face a choice that will impact their herd for many years.

a creep feeder unit in a pasture. Photo by Alice Welch, USDA

Considering Creep Feeding

Despite what Mother Nature seems to think the summer months are approaching and for some that means rolling out the creep feeder and for others considering whether creep feeding is a necessary investment.

Two beef heifers standing in a pasture. One is red, the other black and white.

Replacement Heifer Calculator

Excel decision aid to assist producers decide whether to raise or purchase replacement heifers.

Mixed cattle in feedlot

Effects of Nutrition Changes Following Artificial Insemination

When considering heifer development strategies, it may be important for a producer to consider nutritional stress from changes in the diet following breeding.