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Beef Tips

Grazing Crop Residues with Excess Downed Grain

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Jason Warner, cow-calf specialist

Each year, utilization of corn or grain sorghum residues following harvest by beef cattle represents an excellent opportunity to extend the grazing season into the winter thereby reducing the need to feed harvested forages.  This year, for various reasons, there have been reports across the state of downed grain in residue fields at levels greater than typically seen.  While it does require us to change our management approach, residue fields with high levels of grain on the surface of the field can still be grazed safely and economically. Continue reading “Grazing Crop Residues with Excess Downed Grain” →

When Price Risk Management Really Matters

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Jenny Ifft, Agricultural Policy; Brian Coffey, Livestock Economics and Risk Management; Glynn Tonsor, Livestock and Meat Marketing

Feeder cattle markets have reminded everyone just how quickly things can change. In early October, futures were flirting with record highs. Two weeks later, prices dropped nearly $40 per hundredweight—about $350 to $400 per head for a 900-pound feeder. Periods like this highlight why price risk management matters. Continue reading “When Price Risk Management Really Matters” →

Vitamin A Matters: Supporting Reproduction, Growth, and Immunity in Cattle

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Emma Briggs, beef production systems, Hays

Vitamin A deficiency in cattle can manifest through a range of clinical signs, including reduced feed intake, growth issues, night blindness, and reproductive failures like low conception rates and stillborn calves. Calves born to vitamin A-deficient cows can exhibit signs of a depressed immune system, making them more vulnerable to disease. Recent concerns about the rising incidence of stillborn and weak calves across the United States have led some nutritionists to emphasize the critical importance of vitamin A supplementation in beef cattle production. Continue reading “Vitamin A Matters: Supporting Reproduction, Growth, and Immunity in Cattle” →

How Do You Make a Pasture Shrink?

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Carol Baldwin, range specialist

How does woody encroachment affect cattle production? Each tree decreases the available forage and can produce seed for yet more trees to spread and grow, and in effect reduces the amount of land available for cattle production in a pasture. Even a pasture with only a few trees is at risk of future grazing losses as woody encroachment expands. Treating woody plants while they are small and easy to remove with prescribed burning protects against future production loss, maintains health rangelands, sustains native rangeland wildlife, and reduces wildfire intensity. As woody plants spread and mature, treatment costs escalate with the need for mechanical removal. Continue reading “How Do You Make a Pasture Shrink?” →

New Estrus Synchronization Planner App Available

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

The Estrus Synchronization Planner can help you schedule dates and times on a calendar to accurately implement a synchronization protocol and communicate these details with your team. The new version allows you to access the planner from your smartphone. The original Excel-based version and the multi-group version offer additional features, such as cost comparison and scheduling multiple groups of animals on the same calendar. You can review the options available here and use the tool that best fits your needs.

Forage and Feed Sampling & Testing: A Practical Guide

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Emma Briggs, beef production systems, Hays

Testing your forage and feed is one of the most valuable steps you can take to make sure your cattle are meeting their nutritional needs. By collecting good samples, choosing the right tests, and understanding the results, you can save money, improve animal performance, and avoid unexpected problems. Continue reading “Forage and Feed Sampling & Testing: A Practical Guide” →

Good News and Bad News on Prussic Acid

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist, Colby and John Holman, cropping system agronomist, Garden City

Plants in the sorghum family are known to be a potential risk for prussic acid (also known as hydrogen cyanide, HCN) poisoning. Many plants contain a compound known as dhurrin that, when exposed to enzymes, is converted to hydrogen cyanide. The hydrogen cyanide interferes with oxygen transport and, if enough is consumed, can quickly result in shortness of breath, convulsions, and death. Continue reading “Good News and Bad News on Prussic Acid” →

Knowing What’s In Every Bite: Understanding CRP Forage Quality

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Jason Warner, cow-calf specialist

If I asked 10 different producers this question: “How good of quality do you think is your CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) forage for grazing?”, I would expect that 9 would respond with something to the extent of “Not much better than trees!” or “About like corn stalks after harvest!”.  Maybe the other 1 person would say something like “Don’t waste your time!”.  The reason for the proposed question is because that is exactly what KSU Extension Agents and Beef Specialists across the state have been working on to better understand recently. Continue reading “Knowing What’s In Every Bite: Understanding CRP Forage Quality” →

The Impact of Degree of Doneness, Muscle Source, and Bloom Time on Cooked Color and Cooked Color Stability

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

This study examined the differences in color stability between three different muscles cooked to varying degrees of doneness by taking color readings at four different time points.

Steaks from longissimus lumborum (LL), psoas major (PM), and semitendinosus (ST) were cooked to medium rare (MR), medium (MED), or well done (WD) degree of doneness (DOD). Color was measured at 0, 3, 6, and 9 minutes to observe color stability changes. Continue reading “The Impact of Degree of Doneness, Muscle Source, and Bloom Time on Cooked Color and Cooked Color Stability” →