Beef Cattle

There are many reasons to maintain strict breeding windows and shorter calving windows. A tight 60-day calving window can aid in programming cow nutrition, concentrate labor, and certainly create a more uniform, marketable calf crop. If you have a spread-out calving season, consider breaking cows...

Isn’t it fun to watch people that are good at handling cattle? I love it. We all aspire to be better stockman and handling animals correctly is a big part of that goal. Investing time in animal handling skills improves quality of life, safety, health, and performance… for both animal and human....

I have been traveling recently. I hop in the truck, load the navigation app, and off I go. Within seconds, I know exactly how to get to my destination and how long it will take. If I get off course, the app tells me how to get back on track. Finding your way in the cattle business would be easier...

Here are four tips for better managing pastures. Rest Keeps Roots Resting plants allows them to recover leaf tissue without robbing the root base. Continuous grazing will result in animals overgrazing as they will continue to graze down the most palatable plants. Overgrazing...

Grazing cornstalks is arguably the best cost-saving strategy Midwestern cattlemen can deploy. The cost of grazing cornstalks is low; first because the cows graze and harvest their own feed and second, because all costs to produce the plant for grain production are attributed to the row-crop...

It is that time of year again when producers are preparing to wean  calves. Weaning can be one of the most stressful events for both the calf and the cow. Minimizing outside factors that add more stress is key. Traditional or abrupt weaning, within hearing distance from the cow, fence-line...

Heat stress is a multifaceted issue that poses significant challenges to beef cattle producers, impacting animal welfare, health, and profitability. Understanding the complexities of heat stress and implementing advanced mitigation strategies becomes crucial. Causes of Heat Stress in Beef...

Dixon Springs Ag Center to Host Beef Day Illinois Extension and the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences are pleased to announce the annual Beef Field Day at Dixon Springs Agricultural Center will be on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. The program will feature Dr. Nevil Speer from...

Cattle producers have been watching pasture productivity underperform due to dry conditions. Lower forage availability in pastures and hayfields has farmers investigating alternative forage options. Protecting Pastures Supplementing stressed pastures with hay can help fill the forage gap. It is...