Successful cow-calf producers usually have excellent animal nutrition, health, breeding and stockmanship programs but often became complacent when the trucks arrive to haul calves to market.

We are in the fall run, the busiest time of the year for American and Canadian feedlots. Thousands of calves are entering the production system and will become, in just a few months, wholesome and healthy beef.

As a partner in the Food Systems Fellowship Program coordinated by Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Merck Animal Health is pleased to announce three $5,000 scholarships have been awarded to students who are participating in the program.

Travis Meteer, sales manager for the annual Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale, offers these tips for consignors: Develop a relationship with the buyer Establish contact on sale day with the buyer and continue to keep the lines of communication open.

At 5:30 a.m. you pull on your boots and, if there’s enough light, head to the pasture to see if the weaned calves broke the fence line.

For many of us, this year’s sale date is a highly anticipated event. While calf prices remain at an all-time high, it is important we pay particular attention to our handling techniques and transportation practices to avoid any unnecessary losses.

Some good pasture still may be available this fall – from your alfalfa fields! Alfalfa can provide considerable, high-quality grazing this fall. Grazing avoids the problem of slow curing hay that often occurs during the fall, and it eliminates the cost of baling.

The use of antibiotics in the livestock industry has provided a hot topic for media and imposed government regulations. Current measures have been set in motion to reduce and further regulate antibiotic usage through the Guidance for Industry #213 plan released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December of 2013.