On 5-14-2013, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry amended and passed their 2013 Farm Bill by a vote of 15 to 5. This legislation will move to the Senate floor for debate and amendment. The Farm Bill passed by the Senate Ag Committee funds beginning farmer and rancher training, rural small business loans, grants and loans for small town water and sewer systems and value-added enterprise grants for family farmers and ranchers. This bill also provides a sodsaver provision, which preserves grazing land, protects hunting opportunities and conserves vital soil resources.
Scheduled for June 13, the annual University of Tennessee Beef and Forage Field Day will focus on how to help beef cattle producers manage production costs. The event will be hosted by the UT East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center and UT Extension Eastern Region. Attendees will learn about production and management issues including surveying forage stands, renovating pastures, fencing laws and how supplemental feeding can affect bovine fetal development. For more information visit, http://east.tennessee.edu or call 865-974-7201.
The USDA recently awarded $19.5 million to support research education and Extension activities associated with climate solutions in agriculture aimed at the impacts of climate variability and change on dairy and beef cattle. Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma received $9.6 million over five years to better understand vulnerability and resilience of Southern Great Plains beef in an environment of increased climate variability, dynamic land-use and fluctuating markets.
We’ve got a great beef industry going, Mother Nature’s crankiness aside. It’s evolved so much from the days after the buffalo that those ol’ cattle barons wouldn’t even recognize it. Sure, we have some hurdles to overcome; everyone’s lane has a few. But we’ve got so much to be proud of as a holistic team from ranch to town; together we’re producing great tasting, safe, wholesome and affordable beef for an appreciative and trusting consumer. On top of that, over the generations we’ve become excellent stewards of the land in our care; family values remain important to us; and we’re passing on the independent, proudly patriotic spirit of the American rancher.
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Process Verified Program, that is
- by Merridee Wells
- Photo by Sage Pool
Process Verified Programs, or PVP’s as they are commonly called, are another of the many new-fangled phrases which are becoming commonplace in our cattle industry today. Breed associations draw them like a gun while marketing programs dazzle you with their PVP requirements and the auction companies brag on their value-added benefits.
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Make sure your cows are nutritionally ready
- by Gilda V. Bryant
- photo by Lucie Wiese
Minerals are important for herd health, reproduction and efficiency during winter. However, that is only part of the picture. Extra protein and energy are vital during cold, wet weather. Producers should also be aware of forage and by-product supplementation quality, as well as body condition scores.
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- by Dr. Arn Anderson, DVM
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A drive through the unloading pen with seven-foot tall pipe fence, double gates with two latches and two chains, a trained technician and a seven-foot perimeter fence; this litany of security measures clicked off in my brain as I ran toward my truck instinctively yelling “loose bull!”. Only moments before, 747, a dog-gentle 2200 lb, five year-old Limousin bull, had calmly walked off the trailer and into the large animal hospital. He had come for an exam to determine the cause of his lethargy and malaise.
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- by Corinne Brown
- photo by Amy Dugosh - Attagirl Photo
The M&M team in the steer doctoring at the Ring of Fire Ranch Rodeo in Boerne, Texas. That’s James Fitzgerald doing his crowd-pleasing Superman impression.
During a time when most Texans were stretched to the max by wildfires or drought, it’s encouraging to know that some folks down in the south part of the state responded by doing what they do best - getting on with the game and forming a brand new ranch rodeo association. Founded in 2010, this past October 22, 2011 marked the second annual finals of the newly formed South Texas Ranch Rodeo Association in Cotulla, Texas.
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Your secret weapon? Ionophores
by Melissa Albertson
photo by Malloree Barnes
As you consider all the different products available to help increase the performance for your herd, you can’t ignore the proven benefits of feeding ionophores: improved feed utilization, increased gain, prevention and control of coccidiosis, and cost effectiveness. Even so, while ionophore use is extremely common in feedlot finishing diets, they still are an underutilized product in grazing operations.
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