In 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released the eighth revised edition of the Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. This publication reviews the peer-reviewed scientific literature, establishes the nutrient requirements of beef cattle, identifies areas of needed research and serves as a guide to beef cattle nutritionists.

Weaning time is approaching quickly for spring-calving cow herds, which raises many questions. When should my calves be weaned? If the cow herd is in suboptimal body condition, weaning earlier and increasing the number of grazing days prior to frost should increase condition and reduce feed costs through the winter.

In the broadest sense, stocker cattle are animals to which producers can add value. Most often, the term “stocker cattle” refers to 300- to 900-pound calves grazed on pastures after being weaned.

As fall approaches, so does wheat pasture grazing season. Margins at this time appear to be tighter than the past two years, which should make producers evaluate all inputs and feel strongly that the input will return a profit.

One scenario producers may be faced with in cool-season stocker cattle production is whether or not to continue grazing with a set of cattle through graze-out or to sell these cattle and replace them with lighter calves.

Consultants at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation work with livestock producers on ranch solutions related to their operations.