Fetal programming explained. Rick Rasby, University of Nebraska, and Layne Anderson, Purina Animal Nutrition, talk about why cowherd nutrition and cattle feed in late gestation matters....More

With high feed prices expected to continue at least until the 2013 harvest, what can producers do to get the best value for each beef cattle feed dollar spent? Three simple steps to maximize return on your cattle feed expenditures are: 1) work with a nutritionist; 2) investigate alternative feed ingredients; and, 3) put a plan in place....More

Some farmers are beginning to graze drought-stressed corn stalks as a source of cattle feed and are encountering nitrate toxicity problems. Remember that nitrate accumulates in the stalk and is more concentrated in the lower stalk than the leaves and upper stalk....More

Rising beef cattle feed costs are undoubtedly one of the largest challenges currently facing the ranching sector. That’s especially true for the coming winter following the widespread drought of 2012, which has created some serious hay and forage shortages throughout the country....More

USDA’s Crop Progress report this week indicates that winter wheat planting is progressing at a very normal pace.That’s good news for the beef industry, which sorely needs to see the wheat crop progress normally in order to provide pasture for calves and, as was the case last year, a good number of cows given the poor pasture conditions in much of the country....More

Iowa State University Extension specialists suggest a forage test of beef cattle feed is only as good as the sample assayed; they recommend sampling forages by “lot.” This may be a field or cutting, but is always a distinct entity....More

A tough drought is forcing many U.S. beef producers to scramble this fall to find alternative sources of winter beef cattle feed, as hay has become rare and/or prohibitively expensive. One potential source is cornstalk grazing, which researchers say can save over $1/day/cow compared to feeding expensive hay....More

“Profitability of nontoxic endophyte-infected tall fescue-based stocker programs was, at a minimum, three times greater than toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue-based stocker programs in any scenario.” That’s the conclusion of a four-year study – “Impact of Clover Additions to Toxic or Nontoxic Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue on Animal Performance and Economics of Stocker Programs” – conducted by researchers at the University of Arkansas (UA) and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation at Ardmore, OK....More

As cow-calf producers prepare for the coming winter months, feed availability will likely remain a concern. Hay prices have increased sharply in the last two years following significant drought conditions in the Southern Plains (2011) and in the Midwest and Great Plains (2012). By far the most dramatic impact has been on the supply of alfalfa, a high-quality feed ingredient with superior levels of protein and energy (see chart)....More

The law ofunintended consequences, which is often cited but rarely defined, says that the actions of people, and especially governments, always have effects that are both unanticipated and unintended. Beef producers know something of that. For them, perhaps a different definition is appropriate: Those who try to do the most good under misguided pretenses end up doing the most harm....More

Producers who trucked in supplemental forages from further north last year will likely be out of luck this season thanks to the expansive drought. Instead they are turning to alternative cattle feed options....More