Beef Tips

Author: Sandy Johnson

Beef Demand Matters!

By Glynn Tonsor, livestock and meat marketing specialist

As society continues to transition from the pre-pandemic period and the many shocks that have occurred over the past couple years, it is easy to overlook a simple but critical fact – strong demand for U.S. beef has been supporting cattle prices!  Published research points to cow-calf producers in particular accruing proportionally larger economic impacts from beef demand changes.[1]  Accordingly, demand strength in recent years has supported feeder cattle prices and growing concerns in mid-2022 around beef demand strength are similarly worth monitoring, Continue reading “Beef Demand Matters!”

Consider Application Rates and Costs Before Ammoniating Wheat Straw

Justin Waggoner, Ph.D., Beef Systems Specialist, Garden City

Cattle producers often utilize crop residues such as wheat straw to sustain cows during drought conditions. However, the use of these forages is often limited by their low nutrient content and digestibility. The feeding value (crude protein, and dry matter digestibility) of straw may be enhanced by treating straw with anhydrous ammonia. Traditionally, a 3% application of anhydrous ammonia (dry weight) has been recommended (60 lbs anhydrous ammonia/dry ton hay). However, research conducted a K-State demonstrated that lower application rates (1.5% dry weight or 30lbs anhydrous ammonia/dry ton hay) produced proportionally greater improvements in both crude protein and in-vitro dry matter digestibility. Continue reading “Consider Application Rates and Costs Before Ammoniating Wheat Straw”

Livestock Risk Protection – What is price insurance worth?

By Jennifer Ifft, agricultural policy extension specialist and Sandy Johnson, Extension Beef Specialist, Colby

Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) is price insurance that pays out when market prices for feeder cattle (or fed cattle) are lower than expected. For example, if a producer calves in March and sells weaned calves around September, they can purchase LRP in March and “lock in” September futures prices. If by September, actual prices are lower than expected, they may receive a payment, or indemnity.   Continue reading “Livestock Risk Protection – What is price insurance worth?”

Interseeding Sorghum-Sudangrass into Perennial Cool-Season Western Wheatgrass Pasture

Conversion of pastureland into cropland has occurred at a rapid rate on the Great Plains. A reduction in total acreage of pastureland from this conversion has resulted in a decline of total numbers of beef cows in the same region. One method to mitigate the decline in cow numbers is to increase the carrying capacity of the remaining pastureland acres. To achieve this goal, a study was conducted to introduce warm-season annual grass species into perennial cool-season grass pastures to increase dry matter production during the mid-summer time period that perennial cool-season grasses would be most dormant. Continue reading “Interseeding Sorghum-Sudangrass into Perennial Cool-Season Western Wheatgrass Pasture”

Considerations for Pasture Turn-out

by Walt Fick, Extension Rangeland Specialist

It has been a late spring in 2022 across most of Kansas. Lack of fall and winter moisture has delayed plant growth this spring. Cool-season pastures of tall fescue and smooth brome are normally producing adequate forage for grazing by April.  Turn-out on our native grasslands dominated by warm-season grasses varies across the state from mid-April to mid-May. Lack of sub-soil moisture, persistence of drought, and cool temperatures have slowed green-up in many areas of the state. In the last report from the U.S. Drought Monitor over 79% of Kansas was experiencing abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions (Fig. 1). Continue reading “Considerations for Pasture Turn-out”

Relationship of Precipitation to Rangeland Forage Production

by Keith Harmoney, Range Scientist, Hays

Shortgrass rangelands at the Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center–Hays near Hays, KS, have been used for grazing research since the 1940s. Various studies during this period have monitored different aspects of rangeland plant composition, forage production, and grazing animal weight gains, and in many years all three. For studies with similar stocking rates, rangeland production was compared with annual precipitation or specific monthly combina­tions of precipitation data for 40 years to find the best relationships between the times of year precipitation is received and end of the growing season forage production. We first shared some of this data in the 2013 Roundup Report using 36 years of data. Continue reading “Relationship of Precipitation to Rangeland Forage Production”

Livestock Risk Protection Insurance Similar to Put Option

By Jennifer Ifft, agricultural policy extension specialist

Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) is a livestock price insurance product that is like a put option. Buyers and sellers of commodities use futures markets to “hedge” or protect their anticipated profit margin from unexpected price changes. Producers can hedge feeder cattle prices with either futures or options. We will use the example of a producer who is calving in April and plans to sell around November.[1]

Continue reading “Livestock Risk Protection Insurance Similar to Put Option”

Safely Manage Used Sharps

Spring born pairs are often vaccinated prior to pasture turnout. One of the important things to do whenever livestock are vaccinated or receive other injectable treatments is to make sure to properly dispose of used needles and surgical blades. Loose needles thrown in the trash present health and safety risks for those in your operation and beyond.  Continue reading “Safely Manage Used Sharps”

Proper Semen Handling Maximizes Fertility

By Sandy Johnson, Extension Beef Specialist, Colby

Many factors influence the success of an artificial insemination (AI) program. The male component of the fertility equation can often be overlooked. What was once the highest quality semen can become worthless if improper handling occurs any time before insemination. Continue reading “Proper Semen Handling Maximizes Fertility”

Understand hayfield nutrition management for long-term productivity

by Bruno Pedreira, extension agronomist, Parsons, KS.

Producing hay is more than a simple agricultural activity. It requires soil, forage, equipment, and weather knowledge to put-up high-quality hay. The fundamental process behind a bale of hay is the harnessing of the sun’s energy, water, and the supply of plant nutrients from the soil to produce plant biomass. There is not much producers can control regarding the sun’s energy availability but there are a couple of actions that can be taken to improve plant nutrition. Continue reading “Understand hayfield nutrition management for long-term productivity”