The Cattle Connection 2014

There is no doubt that the drought of 2012 and the weather extremes of 2013 have stressed pastures. Maintaining a productive stand in your pasture is crucial for animal performance, holding feed costs down, and making the most of the productive soil you have invested in. Frost seeding clover...

Corn silage is popular as a forage source for dairy cows due to its high energy and digestibility. It should have a light, pleasant smell with only a slight vinegar odor. Knowledge of the silage process often explains why some silage may be of poor quality. Once ensiled, the material starts to...

Cattle prices are holding at record levels so far this fall. As we head into bred heifer sale season, there appears to be a lot of interest from producers eager to re-invest profits. Prices for heifer calves have been elevated, however some have taken lofty steer checks and saved heifers back for...

There has long been a sentiment among producers that in cold years, calf birth weights are increased. There are many inherent challenges in proving whether this is actually true. Differences in bull as well as nutrition are the biggest hurdles. Research that evaluates this question is...

A frequent question for early summer time is "Should I clip my pasture?" In most cases, the farmer is seeking a yes or no answer…and hopefully validation of their current practice. Unfortunately, the answer is somewhat dependent on your previous pasture management and current grazing system. If...

The last couple weeks have been host to cool, wet weather. Resulting from that weather, muddy conditions have been very persistent. Not only is mud a hassle for farmers conducting daily chores, but it can also negatively affect cattle performance. Remember back to the last time you walked through...

A long, harsh winter coupled with a slow start to spring has left many producers frustrated with where to put cows. Calving cows do not do very well in muddy lots that are already piled high with used bedding from the winter. Nor do pastures do very well with lots of foot traffic as they try to re-...

The Illinois Performance Tested (IPT) Bull Sale was the lead-off event of the 2014 Illinois Beef Expo held on Feb. 20 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. The sale had the highest overall average in the 46 year history at $3,840 on 51 lots. "This sale has developed into one of...

If you haven't heard… cattle prices are pretty good right now. This coupled with the retreat in corn price last fall and lowering feed costs, has cattle producers looking for their long-promised "good times". For nearly three years, the talk of herd expansion has been suggested only to be silenced...

As we have a few weeks under our belt in the 2014 grazing season here at Orr Beef Research Center, it is apparent that the similarities to last year are numerous. The persistence of cold weather has caused a delay in pasture growth Pastures are wet, low in dry matter and very lush Some drought...

As feed and commodity prices fall and cattle prices continue to hold firm at record levels, the incentive to add pounds with "cheap" feeds is present. Proper heifer development hinges on achieving a desired weight before breeding…yet not over-developing heifers to the point they are not prepared to...

Winter was one for the record books. Spring has started cool and damp and we have seen little growth of grass so far. For these reasons, it is important that cattlemen let grass get a good start this spring before grazing. Managing pastures early is arguably more important than later in the year....

As I have stated in previous posts, proper mineral nutrition relies on a balance. This is critical to avoid mineral interactions. Mineral interactions can result in one mineral restricting the bioavailability of another. Thus, reducing the amount of that mineral absorbed by the animal. This can...

Overgrazing is the failure to match animal grazing to forage growth and production. In most cases, cattle or any grazing animal is allowed to continuously harvest a plant without allowing the plant to feed itself. Many times overgrazing causes reduced pasture stands and forces the cattlemen to feed...

Cattle markets are setting new records, feed costs are falling, and cattlemen are anxious to stabilize and rebuild numbers. Forecasted profits for the cow/calf producer are the highest they have been in decades. While I would like to end this column right here and tell you all to go buy a new...

Calving season is either here or fast approaching for many Illinois cattlemen. I would just like to share a few tips that I have gathered through some of our winter meetings. Perhaps the most important tip is to have a good relationship with your local veterinarian. Sometimes the difficult...

Prussic acid poisoning is caused by hydrocyanic acid. As a cyanide compound the substance can quickly kill animals. Death can occur within minutes of ingestion in some cases. Cyanide interferes with the oxygen-carrying function in the blood resulting in asphyxiation. Symptoms include staggering,...

Pedigree, scrotal measurement, EPDs, accuracies, actual weights, $ values, DNA tests.... and you haven't even looked at the bull yet. There is no doubt that sire selection can be a daunting task, but economic indexes may be the tool to help simplify your selection process. Economic indexes are a...

Record high calf prices provide incentive for cattle producers to deploy management strategies to increase pounds at weaning. A couple common strategies to add pounds would be implants, creep feeding, early weaning, and backgrounding. Implanting calves is a good option for producers that are...

Increasing profit is the ultimate goal of any business, and the cattle business is no exception. In effort to maximize profit, cattlemen have to be focused on producing the greatest amount of premium product without sacrificing production efficiency. The ability to produce more pounds of a high...