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male 4-H youth showing a black beef cow

Why Tattoo Your 4-H Livestock?

Proper identification of animals helps create an honest record keeping system. With current DNA blood typing procedures animals can be identified through parentage, but when it comes to everyday practices on the farm or ranch a good tattoo can be a huge time saver in the event of a lost ear tag.

two young males with their show goats at a competition

4-H Youth Experience in Animal Projects – Purposes

4-H Youth Development must place an importance on developing “youth experience” versus “contest participation and competition."

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?

an open bal hay feeder

Hay: Stop the Waste

In an effort to prevent increasing the winter feed bill, a new bale feeder design or feeding plan may need to be developed and put into action in order to manage hay waste this winter.

red cattle feeding at a small bunk

Limited Forage: What Are Some Alternatives?

Research has shown that a variety of feedstuffs can be utilized to meet the cows’ nutrient requirements with similar performance to hay or hay plus supplement ration.

rancher observing cattle at a feedbunk

Making Use of “Ugly” Feeds

Feed does not have to be perfect to be useful. The key to making smart feeding decisions is knowing what the imperfections are and adjusting accordingly.

small group of cattle resting near feed bunk

Liver Abscesses: The Unseen Profit Thief

Liver abscesses are a great example of an important value robber in feedlot cattle that’s not immediately apparent.

small group of cattle grazing on cover crops

Cover Crops & Livestock Integration: A Profit Opportunity for S.D. Farms

Cover crops have been gaining a reemerging acceptance over the last decade, with very few producers disagreeing about the potential soil health benefits of adding cover crops to their farming operation.

corn showing symptoms of drought stress

Using Drought-Stressed Corn as Forage

When drought has compromised tonnage of corn grain, silage producers may still retain part of its feeding value.

a sprawling soybean field with a farm in the background

Soybeans & Sunflowers: Alternative Cattle Forages

Alternative forages like soybean silage or hay, and sunflower silage, can help stretch conventional forage supplies and help avoid overgrazing pasture.