Novartis Animal Health US, Inc. has created a website exclusively for NUPLURA PH, a new vaccine for beef and dairy cattle that provides fast-acting protection against bovine pneumonia caused by Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica. The website (www.nuplura.com) provides information designed to help producers reduce the risk of calf pneumonia, shipping fever and bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex by preventing Mannheimia haemolytica bacterial infections.

While the beef industry continues to make progress in the area of beef quality, there is still room for improvement. That’s the overarching conclusion of the 2011 checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) released during a session at the 2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver last week.The 2011 NBQA results show that the industry has made significant improvements in producing safe and wholesome beef that is consistently higher in quality, as proven by several measurable standards.

Diamond Ochs Enterprises LLC has announced that Justin Ochs recently won the title of International Auctioneer Champion (IAC) during a competition at the 63rd International Auctioneers Conference and Show in Spokane, Washington."I am humbled at the opportunity to compete with such poised and talented auction professionals," said Ochs. "It is truly my honor to represent the auction industry as IAC Champion."Seventy-nine of the world's top male and female bid-calling auctioneers competed and were judged on their presentation, chant, voice timbre, body language, interview answers and other performance elements of effective auctioneering.

As drought conditions become the worst in 50 years and corn yields are expected to drop significantly, a coalition of meat and poultry organizations on Monday asked the U.S. Environmental Protection agency to waive the federal mandate for the production of corn ethanol.

Several research trials have been conducted throughout the years looking at the effect of high temperatures on bull fertility.

It is often the case in the cattle business that “when production is easy; marketing is hard” and “when production is hard; marketing is easy.” This makes sense because, when production is easy and everyone can do it, prices often drop and marketing profitably is a challenge and when production is a challenge, there are often good market opportunities.

Genex Cooperative, Inc. introduced NuLife ReBOUND and NuLife Oral Electrolyte to Midwest cattle producers in fall 2011 and has now expanded product marketing throughout the U.S. ReBOUND is a source of direct fed microbials (DFMs) that helps maintain normal appetite and digestion in cattle. NuLife ReBOUND also helps maintain fiber digestion and nutrient utilization, thereby maintaining dry matter intake and production.

A new report shows the U.S. with the fewest cattle in at least four decades as a widespread drought forces ranchers to sell off animals.The National Agricultural Statistics Service said last week that the number of cattle and calves in the U.S. totaled 97.8 million head as of July 1. That's 2 percent less than a year ago.