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Calf-Raising Success is All in the Details
Calf-Raising Success is All in the Details

Raising a heifer from newborn up to 20-plus months until she becomes a productive milk cow is more important than ever. Dairy producers are increasingly looking to heifer growers to lend a helping hand with the process.

Who “Nose” When a Calf is Getting Sick?
Who “Nose” When a Calf is Getting Sick?

If you want to stay ahead of calf health and catch sickness in its earliest stage, University of Minnesota Graduate Student Abbigail Prins offers a handy detection tip.

7 Ways To Prioritize Employee Retention
7 Ways To Prioritize Employee Retention

Want to keep your valued team players? Learning how to avoid these frustrating and deal-breaking mistakes can help.

Aggie Serves As Houston Livestock Show And Rodeo Veterinarian For 21st Year
Aggie Serves As Houston Livestock Show And Rodeo Veterinarian For 21st Year

Professor at Texas A&M's Large Animal Teaching Hospital leads a team of volunteers in caring for the 18,000 livestock animals at the annual event.

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NMC Webinar Addresses Feeding Trace Minerals to Enhance Udder Health

By participating in this educational offer, you can gain a better understanding of the role trace minerals play in immunity and udder health.

Montana Man Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Develop Giant Hybrid Sheep for Captive Hunting
Montana Man Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Develop Giant Hybrid Sheep for Captive Hunting

In a near decade-long effort to create giant sheep hybrids in the U.S. with the goal of selling the trophy species to captive hunting ranches, the defendant violated federal wildlife trafficking regulations.

VES-Artex Unveils New Cow Cooling Technology: Intelligent Soaker 2.0
VES-Artex Unveils New Cow Cooling Technology: Intelligent Soaker 2.0

VES-Artex has recently unveiled a new soaking system, Intelligent Soaker 2.0, which is designed to help alleviate heat stress while significantly reducing water usage on dairy farms.

A ‘Smart’ Examination to Improve Livestock Management Efficiency
A ‘Smart’ Examination to Improve Livestock Management Efficiency

Animal nutritionist studies precision livestock management technology to develop cost-effective and noninvasive methods of monitoring feeding behaviors that can make operations more efficient.

Facial Recognition Technology Meets the Cattle Industry
Facial Recognition Technology Meets the Cattle Industry

If you’ve flown internationally recently, you may have had a first-hand experience with facial recognition software.Now that technology has found its way to the dairy parlor.

USDA Issues Meat Labeling Final Rule
USDA Issues Meat Labeling Final Rule

Ag Secretary Vilsack hails voluntary “Product of U.S.A.” label as a vital step towards consumer protection and builds on efforts to bolster trust and fairness in the marketplace.

Wearable Technology is Not Just for People
Wearable Technology is Not Just for People

By integrating complex biosensors technology onto our farms, we are now capable of knowing more about our cows' bodies than ever before.

Livestock Industry Mourns Loss of Dr. Angela Baysinger
Livestock Industry Mourns Loss of Dr. Angela Baysinger

Dr. Angela Baysinger, DVM, passed away on March 8. Baysinger was well known throughout the pork industry for her contributions to veterinary medicine and empowering those around her every day.

How to Measure Pasture-Feed Intake for Cattle
How to Measure Pasture-Feed Intake for Cattle

Cows have a job, and that job description will vary from ranch to ranch. Have you taken time to write down what cows need to do to earn their keep?

Boosting Calf Health Following Calving
Boosting Calf Health Following Calving

Ensuring cows are in an adequate nutritional status (body condition score of 5 or 6) and not overfed can help reduce concerns of dystocia and plays a role in determining the quality and quantity of colostrum.

Evaluating Cow Efficiency and Fit During Calving Season
Evaluating Cow Efficiency and Fit During Calving Season

A cowherd of optimum mature size and milk level relative to a given production environment creates the potential to increase revenue in the form of increased reproductive efficiency.

5 Practices for A.I. Breeding Success
5 Practices for A.I. Breeding Success

The use of A.I. has come a long way since its first use in dairy cattle during the late 1930s. While the technology has vastly changed, the basic principles still remain and practice can help keep skills current.

BSEs can Add Dollars to Producer Pockets, Thanks to Improved Calf Weaning Weights
BSEs can Add Dollars to Producer Pockets, Thanks to Improved Calf Weaning Weights

Turning out a subfertile bull means some cows in the herd won’t get bred or bred in a timely manner. Both problems are costly, says Chance Armstrong, DVM, Auburn University. Check out the two scenarios he outlines here.

Chasing the Elusive Second Calf
Chasing the Elusive Second Calf

Growing, lactating cows have greater nutrient requirements and smaller rumens than mature cows making it difficult for them to meet their nutrient needs with the same diet as the cow.

This 87-Year-Old's Powerful Business Sense Helped Create a Booming Meat Processing Business in Iowa
This 87-Year-Old's Powerful Business Sense Helped Create a Booming Meat Processing Business in Iowa

Edgewood Locker got its start in rural northeast Iowa in 1966. The business now spans over three generations, and it's largely thanks to Joan Kerns who helped start the family business that's now seen phenomenal growth.

Images From the Smokehouse Creek Fire
Images From the Smokehouse Creek Fire

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photographer Sam Craft was in the Texas Panhandle documenting the aftermath of the largest wildfire in Texas history, and the aid and support for fire victims.

BSEs help Veterinarians Provide a $7 ROI for every $1 Cow-Calf Producers Invest, on Average
BSEs help Veterinarians Provide a $7 ROI for every $1 Cow-Calf Producers Invest, on Average

Bulls passing all four parts of a BSE are set up for reproductive excellence. The best achieve a 60% to 65% conception rate every 21 days on healthy, cycling cows, says Dr. Chance Armstrong. Subfertile bulls are costly.

Take a Buddy with You to the Bunker
Take a Buddy with You to the Bunker

Feed-out of new-crop corn silage has begun on most dairies, and it appears this crop may be more prone than normal to silage collapses.

Wildfire Battles Continue Over Weekend for Texas, Oklahoma
Wildfire Battles Continue Over Weekend for Texas, Oklahoma

After burning for more than six days, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma was only 15% contained Sunday morning. Drifting sand now poses a threat to rural roads.

Tips for Selection of Replacement Heifers
Tips for Selection of Replacement Heifers

Selecting heifers that will have the optimum mature size and milk level to fit our production system, breed quickly, wean a calf annually and have longevity is important for the success of your ranch.

The Number One Secret to Motivate and Empower People
The Number One Secret to Motivate and Empower People

What does an incredible leader, filled with so much knowledge and wisdom, who has had his hand in the tremendous growth and advancement of an organization like Milk Source, teach employees?

Wildfire Burns 71,000 Acres in Central Nebraska
Wildfire Burns 71,000 Acres in Central Nebraska

Nebraska officials say a mower ignited a wildfire that burned roughly 110 square miles of central Nebraska grasslands.

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Facility Focus: The Best Way to Better Manage Group Maternity Pens for Calmer Calvings

Though maternity pens can sometimes feel chaotic to manage, there are additional ways to help minimize stress and create a calmer calving environment for both cow and calf.

Smokehouse Creek Fire is Officially the Largest in Texas History
Smokehouse Creek Fire is Officially the Largest in Texas History

While the Smokehouse Creek Fire rapidly became the state's largest in history, four other wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle area. (Additional images contained in story.)

Hay, Feed, Fencing Supplies Needed to Support Panhandle Wildfire Victims
Hay, Feed, Fencing Supplies Needed to Support Panhandle Wildfire Victims

Donations of hay, feed, fence supplies, cow feed and milk replacer are needed to support livestock owners impacted by the wildfires that have scorched ranchland across a large portion of the Texas Panhandle.

Wildfires Raging in Texas, Oklahoma Panhandle Region Threaten Residents and Livestock
Wildfires Raging in Texas, Oklahoma Panhandle Region Threaten Residents and Livestock

Devastating wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle region and the Smokehouse Creek Fire has already become the second largest in Texas history, consuming at least three-quarters of a million acres.

APHIS Bolsters Animal Health Surveillance for Unexplained Mortality Investigations
APHIS Bolsters Animal Health Surveillance for Unexplained Mortality Investigations

A new collaborative effort is helping fund rapid investigations of unexplained morbidity or mortality events in animals – unexpected deaths or illnesses that could signal emerging animal disease threats.

Sexten: Lessons From the Dairy Industry
Sexten: Lessons From the Dairy Industry

Since 2011, dairy cows evaluated using genetic testing has doubled every five years to exceed 1 million annually. That reduced sire generation interval to the point where genetic improvement is at the biological limit.

The Growing Role of the U.S. Feedlot Industry
The Growing Role of the U.S. Feedlot Industry

The feedlot inventory as a percentage of the total inventory has increased over time, and the declining number of feeder cattle means there are not sufficient feeder cattle to maintain feedlot inventories this year.

First Veterinary Schools to Open in Arkansas
First Veterinary Schools to Open in Arkansas

Arkansas State University and Lyon College are both in the accreditation process of adopting the first-ever veterinary schools in the state.

Four Steps Veterinarians Can Take To Help Producers Transition To Beef-On-Dairy
Four Steps Veterinarians Can Take To Help Producers Transition To Beef-On-Dairy

Beef-on-dairy numbers in the U.S. will reach up to 5 million head – roughly 15% of the cattle harvested annually – as early as 2026. The sexed-and-beef model of production will play a prominent role in the process.

Veterinary College to Open in Puerto Rico
Veterinary College to Open in Puerto Rico

The veterinary school will accept its first class this fall. All courses and student services will be provided in English.

The Basics of Wheat Pasture Frothy Bloat
The Basics of Wheat Pasture Frothy Bloat

Cattle grazing small grains pastures this time of year are susceptible to bloat which is influenced by environment, weather, forage growth stage and forage quality.

What Producers Need to Know About Coccidiosis
What Producers Need to Know About Coccidiosis

Here's information on life cycles and best preventative measures. Often, outbreaks of the disease follow severe weather.

Despite Mild Winter, Spring May Bring Forage Challenges
Despite Mild Winter, Spring May Bring Forage Challenges

Unusual winter weather conditions have created benefits for some ranchers, but that could change and ranchers should consider whether winter feed supplies are enough to stretch into spring in case of delayed turnout.

National DHIA Names Veterinary Student Scholarship Recipients
National DHIA Names Veterinary Student Scholarship Recipients

Erika Oosterheert, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, and Alexandra Trulsen, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, are the 2024 National DHIA Veterinary Student Scholarship recipients.

Promoting Fertility and Milk Fat Production at Turnout 
Promoting Fertility and Milk Fat Production at Turnout 

As cows transition from a controlled winter ration to grazed grass, the rumen has to adapt to the differing and more-variable forage source.

AABP Recent Veterinary Graduate Conference Provided 'Keys to Unlocking Longevity'
AABP Recent Veterinary Graduate Conference Provided 'Keys to Unlocking Longevity'

The 213 recent graduates in attendance learned how to use their skills to increase their longevity in bovine practice. The event also featured 31 speakers, 40 exhibitors plus AABP leadership and VIPs.

America's Heifer Shortage is Preventing Expansion. Is the Big Money for Beef-on-Dairy a Factor?
America's Heifer Shortage is Preventing Expansion. Is the Big Money for Beef-on-Dairy a Factor?

Higher prices for beef calves are incentivizing dairy producers to breed crossbred bull calves

Q&A With a Veterinarian: Bovine Lameness
Q&A With a Veterinarian: Bovine Lameness

Bovine lameness is one of the costliest animal health issues to the beef industry and it’s also a major animal welfare concern that we can mitigate.

How Much Water do Cows Really Need During Cold Weather?
How Much Water do Cows Really Need During Cold Weather?

Dehydration is an added stress for cows in cold weather. Help cows deal with winter stress and maintain their body condition by ensuring they have adequate water.

Employers Pivot Focus to Retention Strategies
Employers Pivot Focus to Retention Strategies

In recent years, agricultural employers consistently emphasized talent acquisition, but there has been a noticeable shift towards prioritizing retention as the primary focus in 2024.

He Started Out as a Milker Nearly 30 Years Ago. Now, He's the Manager and a Leader in Technology at Wisconsin's Largest Family-Owned Dairy
He Started Out as a Milker Nearly 30 Years Ago. Now, He's the Manager and a Leader in Technology at Wisconsin's Largest Family-Owned Dairy

Chris Szydel began working as a milker at Pagels Ponderosa nearly 30 years ago. Today, he's the herd manager of both the Pagel Ponderosa and Hilltop Farm dairies and oversees three different parlors and 65 employees.

Feedlot Cattle Health Summits Scheduled for Scott City, KS, and Kearney, NE
Feedlot Cattle Health Summits Scheduled for Scott City, KS, and Kearney, NE

Production Animal Consultation (PAC) will host two beef industry summits in April, allowing people from the beef industry to gather and exchange ideas.

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When to Assist with Calving

Deciding when to offer assistance for a calving cow is a judgment call and good judgement is the result of experience. Here are tips to help make the determination.

Humane Euthanasia of Cattle
Humane Euthanasia of Cattle

Euthanasia of an animal that is suffering from irreversible disease or injury is a primary responsibility for cattle producers and veterinarians.