The USDA is forecasting lower prices in 2016 for cattle, hogs, poultry, eggs and milk. Cattle prices are forecast to decline almost 8 percent compared with 2015 due to larger supplies of heavy cattle, high cold-storage stock levels and sluggish foreign demand.

Think for a moment what your life would be like without interpersonal relationships – no one to interact with, talk to or even email/text. Life really is about relationships. When we think of relationships, we think first about family, friends and perhaps co-workers.

What does the Veterinary Feed Directive mean for cattle producers? Cattle producers must have a relationship with a licensed veterinarian.

Winter feeding for cattle is the single highest cost in an annual beef producer’s budget, so it is important to try and be cost-efficient during this time.

All the nutrients from forages and other sources mother cows consume during gestation may impact your herd for generations. The fetus inside is developing and turning forage into a calf, and a healthy calf is the main goal.

Producers have a significant investment in replacement heifers. Up to the point a female is bred the first time, the investment is nearly $2,000. By the time a female weans her first calf, the investment increases to nearly $3,000.

Using hormone-based protocols to synchronize estrus and ovulation in combination with fixed-time A.I. (no heat detection) has become increasingly popular in the commercial beef industry.

Ethanol plants continue to modify production, resulting in changes to the nutrient content and feeding value of distillers grains. Most ethanol plants have the ability to remove a portion of the corn oil from distillers solubles, or the liquid syrup fraction, and marketing the oil for biodiesel or other non-ruminant feedstuffs.

Every spring, during first grass growth, many producers grapple with a disturbing problem: Healthy adult cows on young grass become extremely excitable and go down with convulsions.