Living in rural South Dakota, we have an advantage of social distancing ourselves from others. However, there are normal activities we are used to doing that will need to be adjusted for everyone’s safety this year. As you plan your spring livestock work, here are some things to keep in mind and practice for your own safety and the safety of your community members.
We would like to share some advice on measures to follow due to the problems that are affecting the world population today, including all of us.
Measurement of the actions and efforts of everyday life on the farm or ranch leads to better management and efficiency. Many farmers and ranchers keep many records. Utilization of the records for improved management would be the next step to take to improve efficiency.
Communication has always been a key in any farm operation. In today’s environment, clear communication with your employees is more than crucial due to COVID-19 impact.
An Excel based spreadsheet for corn, soybean, spring and winter wheat producers.
Yardage cost is the non-feed cost per head for every day that an animal is fed harvested feed in some form of confinement. Yardage is usually associated with calves and yearlings in the feedlot, but this concept can apply to drylotted or wintering cows as well.
Because water quality can vary considerably between production sites, it is important to identify the qualities of water that impact the growth performance of nursery pigs.
As the snow melts, we are going to be left to deal with mud at a minimum and extensive flooding as a possible worst-case scenario. While we can’t control the pace of melting or the possibility of additional precipitation, we may be able to take a few steps to mitigate the negative impacts.
SDSU Extension tool for producers to track the critical management factors that affect reproductive success in beef cattle.
Reproduction is one of the biggest drivers of economic success. Cows stressed by cold, wind, snow, and mud will put energy resources into body condition maintenance and lactation prior to recycling.