Animal Sciences Commons^™

Feed Efficiency - How Should It Be Used For The Cow Herd?, Andrew J. Roberts, Rick Funston, Travis Mulliniks, Mark Petersen, Mike Macneil

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Improving cow herd efficiency is critical because approximately 70% of the feed inputs required to produce a slaughter animal are used for maintenance, the majority of which is utilized by the dam (Williams and Jenkins, 2006). To date, much of the efforts to improve efficiency in cattle have focused on different measures of feed efficiency (variations in amount of feed consumed and rate of weight gain) determined during the growing phase. While this approach provides pertinent information concerning efficiency during the growing phase, the relationship to cow efficiency remains to be determined. When considering the usefulness of feed efficiency as …

Calculating Unit Costs Of Production And Using The Information For Enterprise Analysis And Decision Making On The Ranch, Aaron L. Berger

Range Beef Cow Symposium

INTRODUCTION

Unit Cost of Production (UCOP) and Enterprise Analysis are tools that ranch managers have been encouraged to utilize in making decisions to improve profit. Managers who have adopted these tools have found them to be valuable in identifying opportunities and problem areas in enterprises on the ranch.

HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNIT COSTS OF PRODUCTION FOR USE IN RANCH MANAGEMENT DECISIONS

The late 1970s and 1980s were challenging times financially for farm and ranch businesses, forcing many to exit the industry. In the early 1990s, the National Cattlemen’s Association Integrated Resource Management (IRM) subcommittee developed Standardized Performance Analysis …

Feed Additives And “Subtherapeutics” In Cattle, Mike Apley

Range Beef Cow Symposium

First, what is a “subtherapeutic”?

The Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA/CVM) has a variety of approval classifications for antimicrobials in food animals. These include…

1. Improvement in rate of gain

2. Improvement in feed efficiency

3. Control of disease

4. Prevention of disease

5. Treatment of disease

The first 2 would fall into the “subtherapeutic” category by all of the definitions I am aware of. This is regardless of whether these applications have an effect on disease or not. Control and prevention of disease are considered therapeutic uses by the FDA/CVM and the American Veterinary Medical …

The Changing Structure Of Beef Production: Stockers, Calf Feds And Yearlings, Tom Brink

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Beef production is always in a state of flux. Nothing in this business stays the same for very long. The current situation is truly unique compared to anything we have experienced in the past. Demand is growing. Supply is shrinking. Cattle prices are rising and show no sign of stopping, despite reaching record highs this year. Production costs are also increasing. There are some very real opportunities in the cow-calf business and other producer segments. But financial risks exist as well. My belief is that the good outweighs the bad. Cow-calf producers could see some of the best profits during …

Importance Of Steak Origin To Restaurant Customers, Kimberly A. Varnold, Chris R. Calkins, B. Lynn Gordon, Wendy J. Umberger

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

Today, consumers are more informed about the origin of their food due to the desire to have confidence in the safety of their food. This need for information has lead to an increase in demand for even higher levels of safety and quality (Unnevehr, 2003). Currently, traceability and source-verification are considered indicators of beef quality and safety by consumers. Mennecke et al. (2007) found that consumers place a high precedence on any information that can relate to the origin and production of their food. Research also indicates there could be preference for U.S. beef, especially beef from the Midwest …

Global Beef Marketing Opportunities, Paul Clayton

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

Over the last several years US beef production has experienced significant growth in globalization. This globalization is sometimes hard to define but in general the US has seen US beef companies open businesses in foreign markets as well as foreign companies establish business in the US. The type of global beef businesses range from suppliers of beef genetics via semen and embryos to processors and distributors of finished high quality beef products. Likewise raw materials, feed and production technologies may be sourced all over the world. This paper will discuss several of the factors that describe this globalization. Fundamentally …

The Importance Of Maintaining Structure To Ring-Necked Pheasant And Waterfowl Production In The Upper Great Plains, Benjamin Geaumont, Kevin Sedivec, Christopher Schauer

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

Privately owned lands serve a crucial role in maintaining wildlife populations. Perhaps that is because approximately 60 percent of the land in the United States is privately owned (Lubowski et al. 2006). While many private landowners are aware that how they use their lands will impact wildlife, some private landowners are looking for ways to maintain wildlife populations at increased levels for both aesthetic and economical purposes. In recent years, expenditures associated with hunting have boosted many local economies as well as benefiting private landowners (Benson, 1989; Das and Rainey, 2009). As such, landowners who are concerned with both …

Factors Influencing Generational Transfers Of Farm/Ranch Assets, Dave Goeller

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

The University of Nebraska began educating farmers and ranchers in the area of farm business succession planning over 25 years ago. During that period over 1,000 Nebraska farming businesses have received assistance transferring their farm business from one generation to the next. Early efforts focused on the farm financial aspects of the transition process, however, because of farmer evaluations, educational efforts have shifted focus to communication skills and the importance of the business succession planning process.

Trends in United States agriculture over the past 25 years indicate the importance of farm business succession planning and the urgency created by …

Weaned Calf Growing Options: How Do We Economically Produce A 1,000 Lb Steer For Feedlot Entry, Terry Klopfenstein

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The cattle industry thrived for 50 years on cheap corn. However, cheap corn appears to be “a thing of the past”. Because of the unique ability of the ruminant to use forages and fibrous byproducts, the cattle industry has an opportunity to adjust nutrition programs away from “cheap corn” to forages. I believe there are two important myths that need to be discussed. Myth 1 is that forage gains are cheaper than feedlot gains, therefore we should put as much weight as possible on cattle using forage. We produced 1020 lb steers off grass on September 15 at a backgrounding …

Land/Enterprise And Ownership Transfer, Lucy C. Meyring

Range Beef Cow Symposium

YOUR ESTATE PLAN MAY BETHE DEATH OF YOU YETI!!!

*****The average age of America's farmers and ranchers is SS

*****There are twice as many farmers over the age of 6S as under the age of 35

*** **Half of agricultural land is owned by folks older than 75

*****69% want to pass their farms or ranches on to their children

*****Only 3-5% of farm and ranch families in Colorado have a complete estate plan

*****The Family Farm Institute reports that only a third of all family businesses succeed in the second generation and a mere 15% survive to the third …

Marketing Something Old, Not New

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Every single time I have Dr. Nathan Bryan on the radio he inspires me to write about the work he is doing. Bryan is one of only a couple dozen dietary nitrate researchers in the world and yet the work they do may be the most important in relation to understanding aging and improved human health. The really frustrating part regarding this information is that a few squeaky wheels attempt to create a negative image about nitrates in some meat products when, globally, consumers are actually nitrate deficient.

Dr. Nathan Bryan is a biochemist and researcher in Houston at the …

Cow Side Of Producing A 1,000 Lb. Feeder, Cow Size And Expenses, Ken Olson, Justin Waggoner, John Jaeger

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

Do relationships exist between cow size, nutrient requirements, and production capability? We can assume that a bigger cow will require more nutrients. What are the characteristics of that relationship? Is it a direct response wherein a cow that is 10% bigger than another will require 10% more nutrients, or is there economy of scale, so to speak? Can we assume that a bigger cow will be more productive? Is it automatic that bigger size means faster growth so we can expect the calves of bigger cows to grow faster? We will explore these relationships.

Cow Size

It is commonly …

Genomics For The Rancher: How Does It Work And What Does It Mean?, Jack C. Whittier

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

I am continually amazed at the tools we have in today’s world to assist in making better and better decisions. This is true in most aspects of our lives – from communications to computers; from entertainment to eating; from politics to travel; and many, many more components of what we do and how we live. The digital age has created an information explosion, and livestock production has not been left out of this progress.

Another amazing aspect of today’s world is the vast knowledge being uncovered and refined in the world of biology and science. Gregor Mendel, an Austrian …

50 Years Of Applying Reproductive Technology To Breeding Cattle, George E. Seidel, Jr.

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Prior to the mid 20th century, reproductive management of both beef and dairy cattle consisted primarily of purchasing a bull every 2 years from a neighbor thought to have a herd with above average genetics. That description is still embarrassingly close to the truth for the majority of beef cattle herds in North America. The one striking difference is that bulls being purchased currently are, in fact, usually above average genetically. One result is that the amount and quality of beef produced per cow or per unit input of feed, labor, etc. have increased dramatically, at least partly due to …

Range Beef Cow Symposium Xxii, Ted Schroeder, Jim Robb, Aaron Berger

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Presented by Cooperative Extension Services and the Animal Science Departments of The University of Wyoming, Colorado State University, South Dakota State University, University of Nebraska.

Contents NOTE: All links below are to PDF files. (Links to UNL Beef site active as of May 2012; files are also permanently archived in the UNL DigitalCommons site)

Industry Issues

Policy Affecting the Cattle Industry

Senator Mike Johanns, Nebraska

Public Issues (PDF 78KB)

Trent Loos, LoosTales

Positioning the Range Beef Herd for the Next 25 Years

Implications of the Ethanol Industry for Cow-Calf Producers (PDF 317KB)

Ted Schroeder, Agricultural Economics, KSU

Current Inventory - …

Do Livestock And Ecosystem Services Compete? A State-And-Transition Approach, John Ritten, Maria Fernandez-Gimenez, Emily Kachergis, Willow Hibbs, James Pritchett

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Rangeland managers are charged with managing complex social-ecological systems. While they must be concerned with economic sustainability, they are often under pressure to provide public benefits as well. As the public becomes aware of the additional services these diverse ecosystems provide, land managers are becoming pressured to provide ecosystem services in addition to livestock production. However, there are few tools that provide the type of information rangeland managers need to understand the trade-offs of managing for different ecosystem services in order to make these complex decisions.

In 2010, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Forest Service (FS), and …

Implications Of The Ethanol Industry For Cow-Calf Producers, Ted C. Schroeder

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

The ethanol industry in the United States has expanded very rapidly and is a major user of feed grain, especially corn. In 2011, some 40% of US corn production is expected to be used for ethanol production. At the same time as the ethanol industry was expanding, other market events were also occurring that collectively resulted in corn prices more than doubling from 2006 to 2010. Corn price increases, all else constant, directly reduce calf and yearling prices as these animals become more expensive for feedlots to feed. The result, cow-calf producers realize lower returns on their cow enterprise. …

Making Safe, Affordable And Abundant Food A Global Reality, Jeff Simmons

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

A growing wave of food insecurity threatens more than 1 billion people around the world.1 Global food costs are growing to dangerous levels, reaching record highs in January 2011. And these prices are expected to persist, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

We are at a crossroads. In the past two years, the global economic recession has decreased consumer buying power and increased food insecurity. In the next two years, tight supplies and rising food prices may stretch an already extended system to the breaking point. No longer is the number of hungry people steadily …

Vaccination: What The Heck Am I Doing?, G. L. Stokka

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The use of vaccines and vaccination in general can be a very confusing topic. There are literally hundreds of different vaccines available for use by beef producers, with multiple antigens and differing levels of effectiveness and safety. Veterinarians serve a critical function in making proper recommendations based on individual herd objectives and assessment of risk of exposure and economic loss. However, there is a lack of objective peer reviewed literature to assist the practitioner and beef producer in this area. The purpose of this paper is to bring some sense of philosophy, science and logic to this topic. Management keys …

Planning Ahead To Save Aums And The Cow Herd In Times Of Forage Shortage, Jerry D. Volesky, Don C. Adams

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Introduction

Drought is a recurring phenomenon with potential to significantly impact the livestock industry. During the past 14 years, the majority of livestock producers in the Great Plains and western states have experienced some level of drought ranging from moderate to extreme or even exceptional. Many grazing experts recommend developing a ranch drought plan to reduce their drought risk (Nagler et al. 2007). Most of these plans are specifically customized to an individual operation and include both short-term and long-term strategies and objectives. Producers with a drought plan actively monitor resources; build ecological, financial, and social resilience into their operations; …

Assessment Of Genome Integrity With Array Cgh Of Cattle Transgenic Cell Lines Produced By Homologous Recombination And Somatic Cell Cloning, G. E. Liu, Y. Hou, J. M. Robl, Y. Kuroiwa, Zhongde Wang

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Transgenic cattle carrying multiple genomic modifications have been produced by serial rounds of somatic cell chromatin transfer (cloning) of sequentially genetically targeted somatic cells. However, cloning efficiency tends to decline with the increase of rounds of cloning. It is possible that multiple rounds of cloning compromise the genome integrity or/and introduce epigenetic errors in the resulting cell lines, rendering a decline in cloning. To test these possibilities, we performed 9 high density array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) experiments to test the genome integrity in 3 independent bovine transgenic cell lineages generated from genetic modification and cloning. Our plan included the …

Angler Survey Of The Connecticut River, Justin P. Davis

EEB Articles

The Connecticut River is the largest and most diverse inland fishery resource in the State of Connecticut. Significant improvements in water quality over the past 30 years have led to progressive increases in recreational use, presumably increasing fishing pressure on some species and possibly decreasing overall fishing quality. To address this concern, the Inland Fisheries Division (IFD) of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) conducted an angler survey on the entire portion of the Connecticut River within the state during March-October of 2008-09. The survey used a similar design as a smaller-scale survey of the river’s …

Effects Of Lactobacillus Acidophilus And Yucca Schidigera On Finishing Performance And Carcass Traits Of Feedlot Cattle, Cody A. Nichols, Karla H. Jenkins, Judson Vasconcelos Vasconcelos, Galen Erickson, Stephanie A. Furman, Richard S. Goodall, Terry Klopfenstein

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A finishing trial evaluated effects of feeding a direct-fed microbial product(Nova-Cell®) and a saponin feed additive (Ruma Just®) as a 2x2 factorial in steam-flaked corn-based diets containing 11% wet distillers grains (DM basis). No interaction was observed between Nova-Cell and Ruma Just (P > 0.13). Feeding either Ruma Just or Nova-Cell had no impact (P = 0.20) on final BW, DMI, ADG, or F:G. Neither Nova-Cell or Ruma Just affected (P = 0.10) HCW, 12^th rib fat, or LM Area. Marbling appeared to be improved (P = 0.03) when Ruma Just was added to the finishing diet.

Nutrient Composition Of Spoiled And Non-Spoiled Wet Byproducts Mixed And Stored With Straw, Jennifer R. Yelden, Crystal D. Buckner, Kelsey M. Rolfe Rolfe, Dana I. Christensen, Terry Klopfenstein, Galen Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Wet corn byproducts were mixed with straw and stored in 55 gallon barrels for 56 days to simulate bunker storage. The spoilage process caused a decrease in fat content and an increase in pH, NDF, ash, and CP. Covering with plastic or distillers solubles reduced the amount of spoilage and the change in nutrient composition.

Effect Of Ejaculation Frequency On Spermatozoa Survival In Diluted Semen From Pleven Blackhead Rams, Stanimir Yotov, Ivan Fasulkov, Nasko Vassilev

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The effect of ejaculation frequency on spermatozoa survival in diluted Pleven Blackhead ram semen was investigated. Thirty-two ejaculates were examined. From each ram 4 ejaculates were collected at 10-min intervals in the morning and in the afternoon. Semen parameters, namely, color, density, transparency, volume, concentration, motility, and abnormal sperm, for each ejaculate were determined. The sperm motility was assessed from the moment of dilution up to 60 min at 10-min intervals, then again at 90 min and 120 min. The semen characteristics were determined by means of "Motic Image Plus" equipment and the data were processed statistically. Sperm volume and …

Male Field Crickets Infested By Parasitoid Flies Express Phenotypes That May Benefit The Parasitoids, Oliver M. Beckers, William E. Wagner

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Parasites can cause changes in the phenotypes of their hosts that may benefit the parasite, the host, or both. To understand the evolutionary dynamics of host–parasite interactions it is necessary to first examine the effect of parasitic infestation on the host phenotype and whether the host or parasite benefits from these changes. The fly Ormia ochracea parasitizes the variable field cricket, Gryllus lineaticeps, and it uses male song to locate hosts for its lethal larvae. Adult flies preferentially orient to male songs with faster and longer chirps. We tested the effect of larval infestation on two types of host traits. …

Lakes As Buffers Of Stream Dissolved Organic Matter (Dom) Variability: Temporal Patterns Of Dom Characteristics In Mountain Stream-Lake Systems, K. J. Goodman, Michelle A. Baker, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Lakes within fluvial networks may affect dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics in streams by dampening spring DOM snowmelt flushing responses and/or by increasing summer DOM production. We assessed the temporal variability of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and DOM characteristics (specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA254); DOC:dissolved organic nitrogen (DOC:DON)), as well as DOC export in seven paired lake inflows and outflows in the Sawtooth Mountain lake district, Idaho. We hypothesized that lakes would decrease stream DOM temporal variability and increase DOM export as a result of autotrophic production. We correlated DOM variability with landscape factors to evaluate potential drivers of DOM …

Ultimate Biochemical Oxygen Demand In Semi-Intensively Managed Shrimp Pond Waters, Bartholomew W. Green, George H. Ward

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Three independent studies were conducted to quantify ultimate biochemical oxygen demand (UBOD) and the corresponding decomposition rate constant for production pond (average 21.5 ha each) waters and effluents on six semi-intensively managed marine shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) farms in Honduras. Samples were collected during the rainy season in studies 1-3 and during the dry season only in study 1. Pond water samples were collected during the culture period and/or at harvest. The dry season 30-d biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₃₀) of pond waters across all farms was 26% lower and UBOD was 54% lower, but the decomposition rate …

Use Of Dry-Rolled Corn, Dry Or Wet Distillers Grains Plus Solubles As An Energy Source In High Forage Diets For Growing Cattle, Nerissa A. Ahern, Brandon L. Nuttelman, Crystal D. Buckner Buckner, Terry Klopfenstein, Galen Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

One hundred twenty crossbred steers were used to determine the energy value of distillers grains relative to corn in high-forage diets. Diets included dry distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS), wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) or dry-rolled corn (DRC), with sorghum silage, grass hay, and supplement. Each block of steers, by design, had similar dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) across treatments. In this study, WDGS and DDGS contained 120% and 114%, respectively, the energy of DRC when fed in forage-based diets.

Impact Of Distillers Grains Moisture And Inclusion Level On Greenhouse Gas Emissions In The Corn-Ethanol-Livestock Life Cycle, Virgil R. Bremer, Adam Liska, Galen E. Erickson Erickson, Kenneth Cassman, Kathryn J. Hanford, Terry Klopfenstein

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Updated meta-analysis of cattle performance equations were incorporated into the Biofuel Energy Systems Simulator (BESS) to more accurately evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) benefit of corn ethanol relative to gasoline. Partial drying or complete drying of wet distillers grains (DGS) reduces the feeding value of DGS for cattle and increases ethanol GHG emissions. Feeding wet DGS provides the optimum GHG benefit relative to gasoline, with associated ethanol emissions being 40% of gasoline. Ethanol production with dried DGS results in about 60% of the GHG emissions of gasoline when dry DGS is fed to feedlot cattle, dairy cows, and finishing swine.