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Two cattle eating forage in a snowy field.

Winter Mineral Nutrition for Beef Cows

Winter supplementation often focuses heavily on meeting protein and energy requirements of cows and tends to leave mineral nutrition as almost an afterthought. In reality, meeting all nutrient requirements, including energy, protein, minerals, vitamins, and water are equally important.

small group of mixed calves

Does Cold Weather Contribute to Pneumonia in Calves?

Prolonged winter cold has some fairly obvious effects on cattle of all ages.

Supplies for starting sourdough bread.

Sourdough Starters

Everyone loves a fresh slice of warm sourdough bread. But what is the science behind that crisp and chewy baked good?

a thicket of tall, green to brown grass planted in a garden

Native Plants: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a native, warm season prairie grass that has slowly found its way into the popular ornamental grass market.

A group of calves in a feedlot with ample bedding.

Managing Cattle Through Winter Weather Conditions

Winter weather conditions often present challenges to cattle managers in the Northern Plains. Although we can’t alter the weather, there are management steps that can be taken to help maintain cattle health and performance.

up of people having a discussion in a re-purposed firehall.

Why Third Places Are Vital to Rural Communities

From community centers to small businesses, third places are social spaces outside of one’s home that support connection, economic growth, and civic engagement in rural communities.

Left: Black beetle with a red head on soybean leaf. Right: Green soybean leaf with small holes near the center and edges.

Monitor Soybean for Redheaded Flea Beetle Feeding

An additional soybean defoliator to monitor this week is the redheaded flea beetle. Although these beetles are typically not a serious soybean pest, large populations can result in considerable defoliation.

Three beetles. From left: Black colored blister beetle on a purple flower. Gray colored blister beetle on a green alfalfa stem. Orange-brown colored blister beetle feeding on a sunflower head.

Blister Beetles Are Active in South Dakota Alfalfa

Blister beetles have been spotted in several alfalfa fields in South Dakota, which means it’s time to start scouting to determine how many are present.

Green soybean leaf with small holes near the center and edges.

Redheaded Flea Beetles in Soybean

While scouting soybean this week, we noticed an uptick in redheaded flea beetle activity. In the fields that we scouted, defoliation levels were still very low at less than 5%.

Launching the Grazing Toolbox Episodes!

In this episode of Cattle HQ, we are launching the Grazing Toolbox and visiting with the curators Parker Witt and Kim Ricoardo to highlight this grazing series.