MANAGEMENT...
SPECIAL SECTION
Herd Genetics: Selection Decisions for Your Next Calf Crop
Matching Genetics to Production Goals
Doug Parrett, University of Illinois beef cattle Extension specialist, says the profit equation in the beef business encompasses many production stages. Cattle must be low-cost to maintain, reproduce with a high level of efficiency, grow rapidly, and produce a palatable, high-quality product consistently. In the 21st century, it will be important for producers to develop cattle with the end product in mind, he adds.
Parret offers all beef cattle producers — large and small — suggestions for utilizing the best genetics to produce a desired beef animal. Read more.
Genetic Selection Skills Need Sharpening?
Statistics are only as good as the understanding of the person using them. And for seedstock or commercial producers working with expected progeny differences (EPDs) and dollar value indexes ($Values), being reminded once in awhile about what all the numbers mean and how they can be used in the Angus genetic selection process doesn't hurt. Read more.
What Does the Future of Genetic Selection Look Like?
According to geneticist Ronnie Green, Pfizer Animal Genetics, the impact of emerging DNA technology will startle many within the beef cattle industry. The industry stands at the front end of the most significant era of transition in genetic selection, he said. Read more.
Researchers Examine Effects of
Breeding for RFI in Heifers
With feed costs such a significant portion of beef production, animal scientists at Kansas State University (K-State) recently finished a study on heifers that were sired by bulls chosen for their genetic merit for residual feed intake (RFI). Read more.
Understanding a simple recessive
The adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” could never be more true than during a discussion about inheritance of recessive genes. Visualize how a simple recessive trait is inherited through this classic example. Read more.
Kris Ringwall
The stress and strength of the prairie
Beef production on the prairie takes place within an environment that is not always kind. In fact, the prairie environment might aptly be described as harsh.
Producer expectations do not always hold up, stressing us to the point that our joy of life may be compromised in our misery. In the end, we need to survive the stress to get to our strengths.
The bottom line relative to beef cattle management is achieved by overcoming the failure to accomplish what it was we each set out to achieve. How we handle the failures and ensuing stress really charts our ability to survive.
This year, spring is having a particularly difficult birth. Struggling would be a mild term. Needless to say, spring will arrive. Read more.
7 Ways To Sink Your Family Beef Operation
From his 32 years of counseling farm and ranch families, the University of Nebraska's Ron Hanson shares the most common mistakes that lead to failure. Read more.
A variety of grazing practices and pasture management systems can be used to improve pasture productivity, extend forage availability or reduce pasture acreage requirements. Consider the costs associated with rotational grazing management, adding fertilizer and feeding stored feeds for a limited period. Read more.
Ron Torell
Back to Basics
Fertilization of meadow foxtail
Flood meadows are an extremely important forage resource for beef cattle and hay producers. More than 3 million acres of flood meadows exist in the western United States, with these lands producing the majority of winter feed for beef cattle.
Initially, these native flood meadows were composed of a mixture of rushes, sedges, grasses, and forbs. However, in an effort to increase forage yields, an introduced grass species, meadow foxtail, was introduced into many meadows in the western United States. This highly competitive grass has since become the predominant grass species in high-elevation flood meadows throughout the West. Consequently, research was conducted to determine the most appropriate level of nitrogen fertilization to economically increase forage yield. Read more.
BIF Symposium Nears
Sacramento, Calif., will provide the backdrop for the 2009 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Annual Research Symposium and Annual Meeting April 30-May 3. The California Cattlemen's Association and the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association will host the event.
Angus Productions Inc. (API) will provide complete coverage of the symposium online via sponsorship through Biozyme Inc.'s generous support of the Angus Foundaton. Visit www.BIFconference.com for a schedule, including committee agendas, prior to the meeting. During and after the meeting, visit the site's newsroom for summaries, PowerPoints, proceedings, photo galleries and audio of the conference.
Angus Advisor
Click here for April herd management tips from cattle experts across the nation. Advice separated by region.