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Consider Pregnancy Checking Cattle Early

Although winter feed costs represent 60 to 70 percent of the expense of maintaining a beef cow, less than 20 percent of U.S. beef producers perform a pregnancy check in their herds.

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  • Jan. 30, 2012
    Article

    Paternity Testing Alone Won’t Pay For Itself

    Bulls in multi-sire breeding pastures sire a widely divergent number of calves, yet the cost of paternity testing calves through DNA still runs higher than the value of sorting the Romeos from the wallflowers....More
  • Jan. 1, 2012
    blog

    Reproduction Is A Key To Improving Ranch Profitability

    “In today’s changing and volatile input markets, it is critical that, as individual producers and as an industry, we examine the economic efficiency of our production systems and be prepared to modify some of the rules of thumb that have guided decisions in the past.”...More
  • Dec. 23, 2011
    blog

    Scorecards Are Where You Find Them

    This week I talked with a feedyard manager who was studying some recent closeouts. They weren’t reading real well. If the cattle had not outperformed projections both in the feedyard and on the rail, it would have actually been pretty bleak....More
  • Dec. 9, 2011
    blog

    What Constitutes A Good Bull?

    Not surprisingly, bull prices – just like the rest of the industry’s pricing structure – are seeing a major increase. It wasn’t that many years ago that a $5,000 bull was considered to be a rare commodity....More
  • Sep. 1, 2011
    article

    What Do Genomic-Enhanced EPDs Contribute?

    Say you have a group of 10 flush-mate Angus bulls. They all have the same EPDs because they’re all full brothers. Those EPD estimates are derived from the EPDs of the parents and, because no data on the calves has been collected, aren’t very accurate....More
  • Jun. 1, 2011
    article

    Sexed Semen Can Make Economic Sense

    Some folks look at the higher price and lower conception rates associated with sexed semen and assume it’s too costly. That conclusion is not only wrong, but it misses the reason for using sexed semen....More
  • Apr. 5, 2011
    blog

    Genomics An Important Tool When Buying Bulls

    Bull sales continue to fill up the spring calendar as cattlemen search for their next herd sires. Nationwide, year-to-date figures show bulls are bringing an average of $3,258/head - that’s $467/head more than this time last year, according to Bryce ......More
  • Mar. 25, 2011
    article

    Factors That Affect The Breeding Ability Of Bulls

    Not all bulls are created equal. So how do you maximize your chances of putting a powerhouse rather than just a pretty boy to work in the breeding pasture...More
  • Mar. 18, 2011
    article

    Seeking Genetic Answers To Vaccine Response

    Cattle producers often assume that vaccinated animals all develop immune response. In reality, however, some individuals build strong immunity, others don’t respond at all, and others fall somewhere in between....More
  • Mar. 1, 2011
    blog

    Selecting For Herd Bulls

    It's that time of year again. Your mailbox is overflowing with sale catalogs and private treaty mailers. Your inbox is working overtime to receive all the emails from friends with news about record bull sales. Your phone is ringing off the hook about ......More
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Editor's Picks
  1. SDSU Research Says Grazing Winter Pastures In Early May Is OK  
  2. Reaching Out To Meat Hipsters  
  3. Patience Is The Key In Recovering Drought-Stressed Pasture  
  4. Brazil Is Using Reproductive Technology To Leapfrog The U.S.  
  5. Super Bowl XLVI And Agriculture  
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