Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences
Advocates For Agriculture: Discovering Your Influential Power, Troy Hadrick, Stacy Hadrick
Advocates For Agriculture: Discovering Your Influential Power, Troy Hadrick, Stacy Hadrick
Range Beef Cow Symposium
One doesn’t have to watch any type of media source for very long these days to come across a story that is very negative towards agriculture. Specifically, animal agriculture has become a favorite target for many reporters, animal rights groups, and even some consumers. It seems that many of them chose not to even include the thoughts of actual farmers and ranchers when talking about agriculture. Instead they turn to the internet or other non-ag sources for their information. So with so much negative attention being placed on food production, what do we do as producers to combat this situation? …
Extensive Heifer Development Systems, Richard N. Funston, Jeremy Martin, Andy Roberts
Extensive Heifer Development Systems, Richard N. Funston, Jeremy Martin, Andy Roberts
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Studies in numerous species provide evidence that diet during development can partially control physiological changes necessary for puberty (Frisch, 1984). Energy balance or plane of nutrition influences reproductive performance in heifers and cows (Butler and Smith, 1989; Randel, 1990; Robinson, 1990; Short and Adams, 1988; Swanson, 1989). Numerous studies have reported inverse correlations between postweaning growth rate and age at puberty (Arije and Wiltbank, 1971; Ferrell, 1982; Short and Bellows, 1971; Wiltbank et al., 1966, 1969, 1985) and pregnancy rates in heifers were shown to be dependent upon the number displaying estrus prior to or early in the breeding season …
Animal Rights As A Mainstream Phenomenon [Shortened Version For Reading In Australia], Bernard E. Rollin
Animal Rights As A Mainstream Phenomenon [Shortened Version For Reading In Australia], Bernard E. Rollin
Range Beef Cow Symposium
The last 50 years have witnessed a dazzling array of social ethical revolutions in Western society. Such moral movements as feminism, civil rights, environmentalism, affirmative action, consumer advocacy, pro- and anti-abortion activism, homosexual rights, children‘s rights, the student movement, antiwar activism, public rejection of biotechnology, have forever changed the way governments and pubic institutions comport themselves. This is equally true for private enterprise: to be successful, businesses must be seen as operating solidly in harmony with changing and emerging social ethics. It is arguable that morally based boycotting of South African business was instrumental in bringing about the end of …
Common $Ense Heifer Management, Patsy Houghton
Common $Ense Heifer Management, Patsy Houghton
Range Beef Cow Symposium
The replacement heifer is a mixed blessing for cow-calf operators. On one hand, she represents the future profitability and genetic improvement of the cow herd; thus her selection and development are of paramount importance to the continued success of any cow herd. On the other hand, the replacement heifer is an inconvenience at best. She is essentially non-productive for the first two-and-a-half years of her life; thus she places a significant drain on a rancher’s cash flow, making her easy prey for mismanagement. Nevertheless, proper growth and development of the replacement female from birth until she produces her first calf …
Impact Of Method Of Heifer Development And Post-Ai Management On Reproductive Efficiency, George Perry, Julie Walker, Cody Wright, Ken Olson
Impact Of Method Of Heifer Development And Post-Ai Management On Reproductive Efficiency, George Perry, Julie Walker, Cody Wright, Ken Olson
Range Beef Cow Symposium
An important part of any production system is the reproductive performance and costs associated with developing replacement heifers. The cost of developing replacement heifers has a tremendous impact on the profitability and sustainability of cow-calf operations, and reproductive failure costs the U.S. beef and dairy industries approximately $1 billion annually (Bellows et al., 2002). Heifers need to calve by 24 months of age to achieve maximum life-time productivity (Patterson et al., 1992), and heifers that lose a pregnancy or conceive late in the breeding season are likely to not have enough time to rebreed during a defined breeding season. In …
Profitable Cow And Heifer Pregnancy Rates, Jack C. Whittier
Profitable Cow And Heifer Pregnancy Rates, Jack C. Whittier
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Wow! What a challenging topic. Why is it challenging? Because there is not one right answer; nor is the question easy to define or analyze. However, there are some underlying principles that I believe apply in most situations. I will spend most of my time on those principles with the hope that you as a cattle manager can use these principles to make good decisions.
Feeding The World, Challenges And Opportunities For The U.S. Beef Industry, Clint Peck
Feeding The World, Challenges And Opportunities For The U.S. Beef Industry, Clint Peck
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Nobody ever said the beef business was going to be easy. But, who knew even 10 years ago how complicated it would be to raise a calf and get it sent off to market. Few could have predicted there would be raging debates over animal welfare and animal rights or “food vs. fuel.” Not long ago the most intense pressure facing cattle ranchers came while slugging it out for market share with chicken. For 20 years we lost so much market share to a burgeoning and highly-integrated poultry industry that we began shifting the nucleus of the U.S. beef industry …
Integrating Information Into Selection, Connee R. Quinn
Integrating Information Into Selection, Connee R. Quinn
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Integration: To make into a whole by bringing all parts together. As ranchers we intuitively know the unique resources that make up the whole of our operations and use these resources to cost effectively produce a product. Ranch resources can be simply categorized into forage, genetics and people and the rancher‘s commitment to good management practices. Add to that, information or knowledge management, management of relationships and, of course, managing for the end product. The glue that holds these parts together is the rancher-- the heart, the passion of the operation.
Impacts Of Calf Nutritional Management On Quality Grade, Scott Lake
Impacts Of Calf Nutritional Management On Quality Grade, Scott Lake
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Why is quality important? An enormous amount of research and money have been invested in determining the impacts of just about every management practice on the effects of marbling. Marketing and management practices have been developed around the choice/select spread. But the question begs to be asked, “Is marbling important?” Regardless of the choice/select spread or any other premiums received due to carcass quality, the answer to that question should be a resounding “YES”, for no other reason than the importance of a quality eating experience from consumers. The 2005 National Quality Beef Audit reports that the #1 concern of …
New Beef Products Research, Chris R. Calkins
New Beef Products Research, Chris R. Calkins
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Muscle profiling research conducted in the early part of this decade by the University of Nebraska and the University of Florida for The Beef Checkoff was highly successfully. This research led to the development of the flat iron steak, the petite tender, and the ranch cut from the shoulder clod and has been credited with increasing the value of market cattle by $50 - $70 per head. In 2007, over 92 million pounds of flat iron steaks, 40 million pounds of petite tenders, and 37 million pounds of ranch steaks were sold into foodservice. Although difficult to track, additional sales …
The Two Best Decisions I Have Made, John Maddox
The Two Best Decisions I Have Made, John Maddox
Range Beef Cow Symposium
You might be surprised when I tell you the two best decisions made on our ranch, are much easier to come up with than the two worst decisions. Now, not even for a second, do I believe that I haven’t made some big mistakes. A matter of fact some of them have been real dousies. And there have been so many big mistakes somehow prioritizing them in order to come up with two of the worst is not only difficult but they are painful to recollect! So lets start with the best decisions.
Managing Annual Bromes In The Northern Great Plains, Lance Vermeire, Matt Rinella, Jennifer Muscha
Managing Annual Bromes In The Northern Great Plains, Lance Vermeire, Matt Rinella, Jennifer Muscha
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Annual bromes periodically have substantial impact on rangelands in the northern Great Plains. The often rapid increases in annual brome populations and there negative effects on forage and animal production are justified cause for concern. However, population increases are predictable and management tools have been successfully identified for short-term control. Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory is examining new applications of established methods and testing whether careful timing and integration of control methods may be key to long-term reduction of annual bromes.
U.S. Beef Demand Drivers And Enhancement Opportunities: A Research Summary, James R. Mintert, Glynn T. Tonsor, Ted C. Schroeder
U.S. Beef Demand Drivers And Enhancement Opportunities: A Research Summary, James R. Mintert, Glynn T. Tonsor, Ted C. Schroeder
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Large shifts in domestic beef demand have had substantial impacts on the beef industry. Before the late 1970s, growth in the U.S. economy and rising consumer incomes contributed to beef demand increasing for a sustained period. In response to growing product demand, the beef industry increased in size. However, starting about 1980, domestic retail beef demand weakened and subsequently declined every year through 1998. The long-run decline in retail beef demand contributed to a reduction in cattle industry size, particularly in relation to competing meat sectors such as poultry and pork. In 1999, following nearly 20 consecutive years of decline, …
Establishing Priorities And Sticking To Them, Douglas Olsen
Establishing Priorities And Sticking To Them, Douglas Olsen
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Douglas Olsen farms and ranches in Banner County, located in the Nebraska Panhandle. Douglas and his father, Arthur, operate Olsen Ranches, Inc., a fourth generation family business with a Hereford/Red Angus commercial beef cattle operation that retains ownership of the cattle through harvest and a predominantly no-till farming operation raising wheat, corn, millet, peas, alfalfa, barley, and oats. Olsen Ranches, Inc. is the primary reference herd for the American Hereford Association National Reference Sire Program, participating in this program since 1999, and also served as one of the test herds for the National Cattlemen’s Tenderness Project.
Bovine Respiratory Disease & Diagnostic Veterinary Medicine (Managing Respiratory Diseases In The Herd), Donald Montgomery
Bovine Respiratory Disease & Diagnostic Veterinary Medicine (Managing Respiratory Diseases In The Herd), Donald Montgomery
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Year in and year out, diseases of the respiratory system are a major cause of illness and death in cattle from 6 weeks to two years of age. Sadly, this is as true today as it was 30 years ago despite development of new and improved vaccines, new broad spectrum antibiotics, and increased fundamental knowledge as to the cause of disease. WHY? I don‟t have the answer and I doubt if anyone does. As a pathologist, I often see firsthand the devastating effects that bacteria can have in the lungs of cattle that die from respiratory disease complex or shipping …
Integrating Information Into Selection, Loren Berger
Integrating Information Into Selection, Loren Berger
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Berger’s Herdmasters is located on the southern edge of the Sandhills near North Platte, Nebraska and is home to our composite seedstock operation with a base of approximately 350 head. Our business is focused on the production of hybrid bulls consisting of Red Angus X Simmental and Angus X Simmental, plus we do have some high percentage Angus bulls (both Red and Black) that are designed to be used on heifers. Our operation conducts an annual bull sale on the second Saturday in February and continues to see expansion each year. This year’s offering will consist of around 180 bulls …
Selecting For Efficiency, Nick Hammett
Selecting For Efficiency, Nick Hammett
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Why is efficiency so important to the beef industry? "Efficiency impacts unit cost of production, thereby having the potential to increase beef's competitiveness in both the domestic and global marketplace, to improve industry profitability, and to enhance long-term sustainability of the industry." (Ritchie, 2001). In simple terms, from a producer’s standpoint, efficiency can make you more money by lowering costs, increasing returns, or both. But, only if measured, interpreted and implemented correctly.
Livestock And Vegetation Responses To Stocking Rate And Grazing System, Justin D. Derner
Livestock And Vegetation Responses To Stocking Rate And Grazing System, Justin D. Derner
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Vegetation and livestock responses from a 25 year (1982-2006) grazing system and stocking rate study in the northern mixed-grass prairie at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, High Plains Grasslands Research Station near Cheyenne, Wyoming are presented here. This study was longest known grazing system X stocking rate study in North America and was one of the few studies to use the same stocking rates for grazing system comparisons. Results from this study have been used to further development of, and validate, rangeland models for tactical (within-year) and strategic (across years) decision support tools for producers.
Rumen Physiology For The Rancher, Ivan G. Rush
Rumen Physiology For The Rancher, Ivan G. Rush
Range Beef Cow Symposium
The ruminant animal has two unique features – it chews its cud and has four distinct compartments in the stomach. More importantly the ruminant can convert forages that are comprised by large quantities of cellulose, that is poorly digestible by non-ruminants, into high quality protein (muscle) that provides excellent eating experiences and nutrients for humans. Rumen Physiology is the study of the mechanical, physical and biochemical function of the rumen. When I first enrolled in an animal nutrition course I felt this area was unnecessary in order to feed cattle. All I wanted to learn was does the cow need …
Bull Management And Nutrition, Julie Walker, George Perry, Russ Daly, Ken Olson
Bull Management And Nutrition, Julie Walker, George Perry, Russ Daly, Ken Olson
Range Beef Cow Symposium
Proper management and nutrition of bulls is essential to ensure cow/calf producers maximize reproductive efficiency and genetic improvement of the calf crop. In addition, the herd bull influences overall herd fertility more than any other single animal, and loss of fertility by a bull can cause substantial loss to a potential calf crop. Each cow produces one calf per year; however, bulls should contribute to the calf crop by 25 to 60 times via siring 25 to 60 calves. Additionally, bulls influence their daughters’ production in the cow herd. Therefore, bull selection can be the most powerful method of genetic …
Two Best And Two Worst Decisions, Kory Bierle
Two Best And Two Worst Decisions, Kory Bierle
Range Beef Cow Symposium
My name is Kory Bierle and I am from a family ranch just east of Midland, South Dakota, on the Bad River. The name of our ranch is the Madsen Ranch. We use that name because it was my mother’s family that settled and started the place. My great-great-grandfather showed my great-grandfather where a good place for a ranch would be, and we’ve been there ever since. My house is just a few yards from where the original log house was. The gal that talked to me about participating in the Range Beef Cow Symposium this year said that, from …