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June 25, 2024 Progressive Cattle digital magazine

July 25, 2024

Heavy cattle weights mostly offset tight cattle supplies

June 28, 2024

The relatively slow pace of slaughter in the first four months of 2024 contributed to the number of cattle on feed longer than 150 days on May 1 being the highest since May 2012.

Defining efficiency: BIF Symposium offers ideas, potential solutions to genetic questions

The Beef Improvement Federation held its annual symposium in June. Several speakers focused on the importance of moderation and environment-specific attention to detail in genetic selection.

June 27, 2024

Tyrell Marchant

Efficient. Sustainable. Profitable. Productive. Economical. They feel like buzzwords, yet they’ve maintained their lofty position in the cattle industry zeitgeist for long enough now that it’s impossible to shy away from the inevitability – and even merit – of defining and reaching for such ideals.

The challenge of marketing ‘sustainable’ beef

Sustainability often means different things at different points of the supply chain. Technology now exists that allows producers to meet consumers’ sustainability expectations while keeping ranches and feedlots economically and environmentally viable.

May 20, 2024

Bill Julien

As a beef producer, sustainability is defined as your continued ability to live comfortably, to maintain a way of life that you have chosen for yourself and to ensure that you can pass that way of life on to your children and your children’s children.

Prebiotic tools for heifer development

To make sure replacement females remain capable of performing at their reproductive and genetic best, gut health and immune strength should be top of mind.

July 5, 2024

Chris Cassady

Immediate income opportunities incentivize producers to sell their weaned calves, meaning a greater number of heifers are destined for the cattle feeding sector. Collectively, the cow herd hasn’t expanded as quickly as projected, ushering in amazing value for the replacement female.

Nutritional effects on the endocrine system during early gestation

Maintaining a cow’s dietary intake and quality throughout the periconceptual period has a cascading effect to improve her reproductive health and efficiency in both the short and long term.

June 25, 2024

Abe Scheaffer and R. Dean Fish

Early summer generally provides the highest-quality forage of the production cycle. Producers frequently assume most nutrient requirements are met, yet many nutritional and metabolic details are overlooked.

Get ready to rumble: The adventures of starting peewee calves

Younger stocker calves require a different nutrition plan than their older counterparts, but knowing the steps to take can maintain these cattle and your operation’s productivity.

June 20, 2024

Brian Fieser

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” While he was referring to strategy in the boxing ring, the same holds true for starting lightweight (sometimes called peewee) calves.

Ducks Unlimited shares interest with cattle producers across the U.S.

Ducks Unlimited has made concentrated efforts in the past decade to team up with cattle producers with the shared mission of improving and conserving North American grasslands.

April 2, 2024

Callie Hanson

The interests of waterfowl and cattle have a shocking number of similarities. What is good for the ducks is often good for the cattle and vice versa.

Beef cattle going high tech

Use of solar panels, virtual fencing and remote animal monitoring have brought producers the opportunity to save time and labor caring for their cattle, but there are some things technology can’t replace.

July 16, 2024

Denice Rackley

Have a livestock management concern? No doubt someone is working on tech to address it.

How innovation can sculpt an operation

May 13, 2024

Anna Sponheim

As the agricultural industry continues to provide higher yields using fewer resources, innovation and improvements made on family operations drive the changes necessary to feeding an ever-growing population. For one of these operations, located in Elkader, Iowa, innovation began with a camcorder in a hog barn.

Vaccine handling: It’s more important than you think

The following information will help you give the right vaccine to the right animal at the right dose, allowing the vaccine to work as intended. Giving mishandled vaccines to your cattle will not provide the disease protection you expect.

July 8, 2024

Jessica R. Newberry

It’s time to work cattle. You’ve gotten the vaccines and all you have to do is load syringes and you’re good to go, right?

The importance of strain variation in vaccines

Vaccination stimulates immunity specific to the strains in the vaccine you are using. If the strains of the pathogens challenging your cattle don’t match the strains in the vaccine, you may not get the protection you want.

May 30, 2024

Randy Shirbroun

Have you, or a cattle producer friend, ever encountered a situation where you vaccinated your cow herd against rotavirus scours but still had problems with rotavirus scours? What about experiencing a Histophilus somni (H. somni) break in pens of vaccinated feedlot calves? Or Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis)? Or pinkeye?

Managing heat stress in cattle

As we approach peak summer temperatures, understanding how heat affects your herd can help you find and implement heat mitigation techniques that will be the most practical and profitable to your operation.

April 23, 2024

Remy Wyatt

Heat stress in cattle is a critical concern for producers, particularly in the warmer months. As temperatures rise, so does the risk of heat stress, which can significantly affect cattle’s health, productivity and welfare.

Wildfire smoke exposure, potential consequences and how to help affected cattle

Recent research confirms that smoke exposure can lead to decreased feed intake and metabolic performance in cattle. When possible, stressful activities like vaccination and transport should be avoided in times of wildfire pressure.

July 12, 2024

Juliana Ranches

Exposure to wildfire smoke might elicit an inflammatory response, potentially leading to reduced cattle performance.

Preconditioning: Worth the input or not?

One of the most important factors in the preconditioning equation is a solid vaccination program, which often leads to feeders being willing to pay more for calves.

July 4, 2024

Cindy Mansfield

Since the purchase price of calves is currently high, there can be a wide price spread between the purchase price of cattle that came from a good vaccination and health program versus cattle that have not.

Tips to manage stressors and minimize BRD

A common summer challenge is dealing with BRD. Mitigating risk is a critical component of a larger BRD battle plan. Risks can range from new cattle entering the herd to stressors caused by handling, nutrition and environment.

July 10, 2024

D. L. Step

Summer can present a variety of challenges and stressors to beef cattle that can lead to bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Mitigating risk is a critical component of a larger BRD battle plan.

Irons in the Fire: Panic and chill

July 24, 2024

Paul Marchant

It’s probably never wise to overreact or panic, yet I find those responses are all too often my default mode. If I took a little time to think about it, I’m sure I could come up with several dozen examples through the years where my initial answer to some unexpected circumstance was some minor form of hysteria.

Across the Fence: Making plans

Making plans is sometimes different than executing plans.

July 24, 2024

Marci Whitehurst

When the kids were little and we needed a babysitter to go on a date, it took effort. After we finally found a night that worked for someone to come, inevitably something happened. An irrigation ditch flooded. We got snowed in. The kids got sick. The dog got hurt. Usually, though, the cows got out.

I don’t know what I’m talking about

July 25, 2024

Tyrell Marchant

At a recent minor league baseball game, my wife and I found ourselves seated next to a lovely young couple who were pretty obviously baseball novices.

South Central: When should calves be weaned?

July 22, 2024

Jason Banta

Weaning is part of cow-calf production, and it can occur at different times for numerous reasons. There is varying terminology associated with weaning depending on age of the calf, the weaning location (ranch of origin or trailer) and dictionary versus industry definitions.

West: The importance of hay testing

July 22, 2024

Tyler O'Donnell

Testing hay can help reduce chances of nitrate poisoning and can improve your feed program.

Midwest/North: Is mowing pasture a good thing?

July 22, 2024

Travis Meteer

Often, farmers are seeking a yes or no answer to mowing pastures … and hopefully validation of their current practice. Unfortunately, the answer is somewhat dependent on previous pasture management and the chosen grazing system.

Southeast: Time to consider stockpiling

July 22, 2024

Katie Mason

It is well known that the single-greatest expense in a cattle enterprise is feed and forage production. One way to reduce cost is to decrease hay feeding days.

Our Publications

Progressive Cattle

July 25, 2024

Digital edition

June 25, 2024 Progressive Cattle digital magazine

News & business

Heavy cattle weights mostly offset tight cattle supplies

Management

Defining efficiency: BIF Symposium offers ideas, potential solutions to genetic questions

Topic articles

The challenge of marketing ‘sustainable’ beef

Prebiotic tools for heifer development

Nutritional effects on the endocrine system during early gestation

Get ready to rumble: The adventures of starting peewee calves

Ducks Unlimited shares interest with cattle producers across the U.S.

Beef cattle going high tech

How innovation can sculpt an operation

Vaccine handling: It’s more important than you think

The importance of strain variation in vaccines

Managing heat stress in cattle

Wildfire smoke exposure, potential consequences and how to help affected cattle

Preconditioning: Worth the input or not?

Tips to manage stressors and minimize BRD

Departments

Irons in the Fire: Panic and chill

Across the Fence: Making plans

I don’t know what I’m talking about

Regional Roundup

South Central: When should calves be weaned?

West: The importance of hay testing

Midwest/North: Is mowing pasture a good thing?

Southeast: Time to consider stockpiling

Eight tips for beef business employee recruiting in 2025

The buffet of sustainability

AI and dairy farming

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