Supplemental Needs During Winter

Supplemental Needs During Winter. By Maura Keller. Winter is a challenging time for farmers and ranchers for a myriad of reasons. Not only do temperatures plummet and equipment malfunctions in the cold, but also forages lose nutritional value for animals to consume. Because of this, producers turn their...

Avoiding Gossypol Toxicity While Feeding Whole Cottonseed

Avoiding Gossypol Toxicity While Feeding Whole Cottonseed.By Cotton Incorporated. Whole cottonseed offers a great nutritional profile for cattle rations as a balanced source of fat, protein and fiber1, but farmers should educate themselves about gossypol toxicity, a rare complication that can occur when whole...

Burdock Can Cause Eye Irritations

Burdock can Cause Eye IrritationsBy Heather Smith ThomasBurdock is an invasive plant, brought to this country many years ago.  The tall burdock plant is a native of Eurasia, probably brought to North America by seed burrs stuck to imported animals.  This biennial puts forth clusters of round burrs after it...

Tips For Building Balanced Rations To Promote Weight Gain In Beef Cattle

Tips For Building Balanced Rations To Promote Weight Gain In Beef Cattle. Article and photos courtesy of Cotton Incorporated. There are several factors that go into choosing feedstuffs to promote weight gain in beef cattle. Availability, cost, transportation and objectives for the stages of development are...

Genomics – A Worthwhile Industry - Wide Investment

Genomics – A Worthwhile Industry - Wide Investment. By Jaclyn Krymowski. One of the most beloved yet polarizing recent advancements within animal agriculture is genomics. The testing, analysis, and interpretation of genetic information has become one of the most widely adopted tools by producers,...

Keep Safety in Mind When Working Cattle

Keep Safety in Mind When Working Cattle. By Heather Smith Thomas. Most cattle are gathered and worked for branding, vaccinating, pregnancy testing, weaning and other necessary management tasks.  Many cow herds are put through the chute twice or more annually.  It is important to make sure these...

Dealing with Drought

Dealing with Drought. By Heather Smith Thomas. In dry years it can be a challenge to have enough forage for the cow herd.  There are several strategies that ranchers might utilize, to make it through a serious drought.Destocking/CullingIf pasture and hay are in short supply and expensive, some producers...

Tackling Whole Cottonseed Transportation Barriers

Tackling Whole Cottonseed Transportation BarriersBy Naomi MortensenAbout half of the whole cottonseed produced each year is sold to feed livestock. Cattle nutritionists recommend incorporating whole cottonseed into rations because of its combination of protein, fat and fiber1 that supports muscle development,...