weather


Connect with
our community:

Follow us on twitterJoin us on Twitter


Quick links:

Share the EXTRA































lead-off picture for the page



Radale Tiner

Association Perspective

Maternal efficiency.

In most businesses, efficiency is the name of the game. Managers promote employees who are the most efficient at their job. We want employees who give more output with the least amount of input. Why should your cow herd be any different? In order for a cow herd to be profitable, it must contain efficient females.

When talking to breeders about cow herd efficiency, I get asked many questions. However, the No. 1 question that always gets asked is “How do I measure efficiency?” There could possibly be different criteria for a breeder from Montana vs. a breeder from south Texas. The American Angus Association has several tools that help us measure a cow’s efficiency. Read more.


Ag Producers Should Do Income Tax Planning
Before Year Ends

Items to note for planning 2013 returns.

Agricultural producers should do tax planning before the end of the year based on the information known at this time. Traditionally, producers try to do tax planning to limit their tax liability.

“In tax planning, it is best to start with year-to-date income and expenses and estimate them for the remainder of the year,” says Ron Haugen, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension Service farm economist. “Do not forget any income that was deferred to 2013 from a previous year.

“Depreciation also needs to be estimated,” he says. “It is best to try to spread out income and expenses so producers don’t have abnormally high or low income or expenses in any one year.” Read more.


Extreme Winter Weather

Colder, icy, harsh winter weather means producers need to be aware of increased livestock energy requirements to ensure their animals are able to withstand the extreme outdoor conditions, according to a forage expert from the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.


Even though the temperatures are forecast to rise slightly over the next few days, the rain that is predicted still means that producers need to be vigilant to ensure livestock are prepared for the weather, said Rory Lewandowski, agriculture and natural resources educator for the college’s outreach arm, OSU Extension. Read more.


Range Beef Cow SymposiumHealth Observations After Atlas

Veterinarian gives health status of
surviving cattle.

It had been two months since massive Winter Storm Atlas hit South Dakota and other areas of the Northern Plains as Russ Daly, Extension veterinarian for South Dakota State University addressed the Range Beef Cow Symposium audience in Rapid City, S.D., Dec. 4. Though there is no official number, losses of up to 20,000 head have been reported, he said.

Many factors contributed to the blizzard’s devastation. It hit early, and started with rain. Cattle were still in summer pastures and still had their summer hair coats. The rain soaked the cattle to the skin, and temperatures dropped dramatically. The wet summer hair reduced their lower critical temperature — the lowest temperature an animal can endure without burning energy to keep warm — to 59° F, he explained. With wind chills, temperatures reached 12°-16°. This meant cows needed to increase energy intake by 47%-94% just to maintain. It resulted in hypothermia. Read more.


What’s Inside …

In this December edition of the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, you'll find valuable articles devoted to the management, marketing, and health and nutrition of your beef enterprise. Select from the tabs at the top of the page to access this month's entire offering by category. A few select features include:


News Briefs …

The American Angus Association and its subsidiaries generate a wealth of information to keep members and affiliates informed of what's happening within the industry as well as with the programs and services they offer. Click here for easy access to the newsrooms of the American Angus Association and Certified Angus Beef LLC and the Angus Journal Daily archive recently made available in the API Virtual Library.


Your Health

 

Walk to Regulate Blood Sugar

Walking for 15 minutes after a meal may provide the best benefit.

Recent research, published in the June issue of Diabetes Care, shows that moderately paced 15-minute walks after meals works well at regulating overall blood sugar in adults with prediabetes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about 35% of adults have prediabetes — and many do not know it. In Michigan, that is about 2.6 million adults. Prediabetes means a person has a blood glucose (blood sugar) level higher than normal, but not high enough to be diabetic. Prediabetes can be diagnosed using a fasting blood glucose test (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) or hemoglobin A1c (A1C). Read more.


 

[Click here to go to the top of the page.]