Latest News From Education

Estimating forage usage by cows is an important part of the task of calculating winter feed needs. Hay or standing forage intake must be estimated in order to make the calculations.

The first 10 days were hell, says Kyle Baade, a Nebraska pork producer. After that, if a visitor showed up, he says they would have no idea the farm had any issues. Here's his PRRS story and how it changed his life.

Because newborn calves have very little body fat to help them stay warm, calf jackets can help them preserve energy, protect immunity and improve daily gain.

How can we create a sustainable future for animal agriculture? By building it together, says AAA. The 2023 Stakeholders Summit theme has been set, and speaker proposals and applications are open.

Weight at calving not only determines first-lactation performance, it pretty much sets in stone the heifer's lifetime performance and a herd’s overall performance, according to Gavin Staley, DVM. 

During periods of cold or wet weather, newborn calves (less than 2 days of age) should be checked every few hours with a thermometer and any calf with a below-normal temperature, even if it appears OK, should be warmed.

Creating a herd where all the individuals are healthy and normal increases your chances of economic success.

Grazing regrowth on irrigated alfalfa fields is likely in fall grazing plans for many producers. However, alfalfa has several challenges to grazing from animal and plant health perspective.

Merck Animal Health announces that Orbenin-DC (cloxacillin benzathine intramammary infusion) dry cow treatment is now available in convenient 144-syringe pails.

Today is World Mental Health Day. Here are some resources that can help you and other people you know and care about!

Compared to Holsteins, is calving time with crossbreds more difficult in terms of calf weight, stillbirth, gestation length, or dystocia?

Elanco Animal Health is addressing reproductive factors for the cow-calf herd during a one-hour webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. Central. The program is approved for 1 hour of continuing education (RACE credit).

Effectively treating calves for scours could be as easy as feeding them something that virtually every dairy farm has on hand: colostrum.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners Foundation gives veterinary students financial help.

As drought continues, cattlemen may liquidate part of their herds. If these sales exceed normal sales, the tax rules could allow them to elect to defer these excess sales, says CPA Paul Neiffer.

And just like that, it’s time for fall processing. Let’s look closely at what to give weaning-aged calves for a leg-up in their next stage of life.     

Merck Animal Health has awarded $90,000 in scholarships to 18 bovine veterinary students based on their academic achievements, career goals, work experience and interest in veterinary medicine.

Veterinarians can enhance their relationship and business with producers by identifying ways they can be more efficient. Two good starting points: management of the parlor and the parlor environment.

National Dairy Herd Information Association is accepting applications for $1,500 scholarships that will go to third- or fourth-year college of veterinary medicine students.

Researchers at Virginia Tech University have investigated what effects infusing extra acetate or propionate, or lowering the pH, would have on thermodynamics of VFA in the rumen.

Check out the "Easy Button" offered by the USRSB for starters. It's a quick self-assessment tool, with options for cow/calf and feedyard operations. You're probably already using some of the recommended practices.

Proficiency is an aspirational state that requires technology to measure, manage and optimize, according to the National Institute for Animal Agriculture.

This is the story of one dairy producer's struggle with the impact of stray voltage on her cows and family. She wants her family's experience to be something veterinarians and dairy producers can learn and benefit from.

America's dairy industry has been robust the last several decades. Now, larger average dairies are producing more beef-dairy crossbred calves that are much higher quality for producing beef.

Updates from the Dairy Cattle Welfare Symposium 2022

Trust In Beef is pleased to introduce a series of collaborative value chain program partners in a new video series. In this video, meet rancher and USRSB 2021/22 Chair Steve Wooten of Kim, Colo.

Monitoring calves’ body temperature is a critical metric to maintaining their health, and is especially valuable if temperature changes can be detected early.

With much of the US cow herd in some form of drought the odds of thin cows heading into weaning season are high. This month let's look at practical approaches to wrangling the challenge of dry pastures and thin cows.

The average cost of feeding a steer to finish weight was 25% higher for cattle marketed last week and is projected to be 31% higher for cattle placed on feed last week at roughly $600 per head.

While Lung Ultrasound is the cornerstone of any good Calf Herd Health Program, there are many other benefits to getting your herd vet in your calf barn on a regular basis.

Shrink is a concern because it reduces sales weight, but abnormal levels of shrink is often used as a health indicator for cattle arriving in receiving facilities at stocker operations, grow yards, and feedlots.

As expenses increase and producers evaluate more-efficient management techniques to lower production costs, one alternative may be to incorporate swath, or windrow grazing.

Recycled bedding has the potential to help dairies save on their bedding costs and provide more efficient manure management.

Blister beetles are appearing in large numbers in Missouri and entomologists warn the beetle's toxin, called cantharidin, can cause animals to become sick and even die.

Dairy farms are a hustling and bustling place. Last year, the Berning family in Illinois opened their dairy farm barn doors and offer Farm Camp for kids of all ages. Camp includes farm chores, scavenger hunts and more.

Ticks have become a common topic of conversation in the cattle industry. NCBA and the USDA will host a two-day webinar to answer looming questions about the expanding Asian Longhorned Tick population.

Intensive or ‘mob’ grazing allows for higher stocking densities, but does it provide benefits to soil health and biodiversity? UNL researchers share their findings after an eight-year study.

Neospora is the most commonly diagnosed cause of abortions in cattle both domestically and worldwide.

Nitrates and prussic acid build up in forages to levels dangerous to livestock during drought. Consuming such forages can cause illness and even death to livestock.

Feeding waste milk to calves captures high-quality nutrients and adds value to a product that otherwise would be discarded. But recent research sheds light on concerns about the practice.

Dr. Shaw Perrin, DVM and assistant professor at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, offers recommendations on how to best assist down cows, along with some practices to avoid.

Early weaning can help reduce the pressure on drought-stressed pastures, but ranchers should evaluate feeding, management, and marketing options prior to weaning.

With beef prices soaring and milk prices in favorable conditions, producers are keeping a keen eye on cows who are not pulling their own weight.

A new study involving the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University is paving the way forward in controlling a devastating and costly cattle disease: bovine anaplasmosis.

Flies can cost producers approximately 20 lbs. of lost weight gain. Planning now to prevent and control both face and horn flies can help put your beef producers pounds and dollars ahead this fall.

“Flies are hard to control. And a lot of times, we can't control them adequately with only one modality. We need to use a variety of options,” says Tony Hawkins, DVM.

Hot, dry conditions have taken a toll on pasture growth this year. What should cattle producers consider to conserve grass in these dry areas?

Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can produce toxins that are harmful to livestock, wildlife and people.

Join us for a conversation with cattlemen at 3 p.m. CST, Wednesday, July 27, to learn how they’re managing through the situation. 

Brendan and Elaine Martin's clinic, Valley Herd Health, just celebrated its seventh birthday. The business has grown steadily due to a key focus on customer service. They also have two additional agri-businesses.