KSUBeef.org: Your resource for beef information
Understanding Internal Parasites in Beef Cattle
Internal nematodes (or worms) have been and continue to be a major drain on beef cattle health and economic returns in the beef industry. Internal nematodes impact cattle performance in several different ways. The largest impact is the decrease in voluntary feed intake which is a physiological response due to changes in the abomasum, followed by decreased absorption and digestion of critical nutrients Immune function can also be compromised by the constant stimulation of parasitic infections. Economic losses of internal parasitism to the livestock industry have been estimated at over $3 billion annually. These losses are felt at the Cow/calf, stocker, and feedlot sectors of the industry. Continue reading “Understanding Internal Parasites” →
Sustainable Parasite Control
As the weather warms up, flies and other insects will be back to challenge our livestock. If you have experienced decreased effectiveness of your pest management strategies over time, you may want to take advantage of the opportunity to hear from K-State Research & Extension livestock entomologist, Dr Cassandra Olds. Continue reading “Sustainable Parasite Control” →
Cattlemen’s Day Videos Posted
KSU ASI hosted Cattlemen’s Day 2021 on Friday, March 5 using the Zoom platform. Videos of the presentations are now posted.
Consider The Value Of Genomics: Buying Bulls Better
By Bob Weaber, Cow-calf Extension Specialist
Bull buying is an activity on the horizon for many cow-calf producers. With the spring sale season just around the corner it is a great time consider your bull buying strategy. In addition to revisiting your breeding system (make sure you capture the value of maternal heterosis) and alignment of selection criteria to production/marketing constraints, producers should evaluate the opportunity to purchase bulls that have been genotyped. Many seedstock producers are genotyping their sale offering to support the purchase decisions of their commercial customers. Sometimes the genotyped bulls cost a little more, but the added value far exceeds the cost. >> Continue Reading
Tally Time: Management Minder outlines your production year
Technology has been developed that makes many things in our lives much easier. Some of you may remember when you were the “remote control” when your Dad was watching TV. Now, new homes have heating, alarm and lighting systems throughout that can be controlled remotely with a smart phone. Cattle producers use electronic IDs to automate many data collection activities. Computer applications seem to only be limited by our imagination.
Our beef extension educational efforts have often pointed out timely management topics. For example, now is the time to sample harvested forages and get an analysis of the quality. Some of those items would relate to time of year, while others would depend on the individual operation’s calving and breeding dates. So, while those suggestions are timely for most (we hope), they certainly do not fit everyone.
>> Read more
Focus Areas
Feed & Water- Health
- Reproduction & Genetics
- Cost of Production & Marketing
- Employee Management
- Legal/Regulatory
The K-State beef extension team strives to address all phases of beef production from "farm to fork".
