Crossbreeding to beef sires is a powerful management tool at the dairy farmer's disposal using superior sexed dairy semen for heifers and beef semen for cows. This combination can significantly impact a herd's genetics and overall net return.

The long-term trend in the feedlot industry is that cattle are on feed more and more days every year. Feedlot data shows that the 12-month moving average of days on feed has increased approximately 30% just in the last two decades.

In the past 20 years, genetic potential of the cow herd and production costs have steadily increased; however, production outputs (pregnancy rates and weaning weights) have been stagnant or declined.

Sire overconditioning is a prevalent issue in the beef industry. While “fat sells” when it comes to selling bulls, research has shown that excessive conditioning can negatively affect semen quality.

A two-year study was initiated in southeastern Idaho to evaluate non-lactating cow performance with only the benefit of dormant forage and no protein supplementation.

Learn how to manage forage inventories after harvest, improve average daily gain of calves and capitalize during times of tight farm margins.

It is important to keep in mind the proper nutrition and care of herd sires after the breeding season. This is especially true for bulls under 2 years of age.

Depending on who you talk to, attitudes toward the use of implants in beef cattle production are very different. Most finishing yards are using implants today unless cattle are enrolled in a non-implant, natural or organic program that prohibits their use.

Efficiency of production, quality of product and sustainability are the intuitive goals of the cattle industry. Producers and consumers alike are interested in the economy of scale and acceptance of beef.