Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
Now that we are entrenched in the dog days of summer, calves being held over for winter forage or being backgrounded do not gain much as our forage quality bottoms out. From personal experience, stocker calves I ran during July through September had rates of gain of half a pound of gain per day. I realized then we had to supplement these cattle if we wanted better gains.
The limiting factor restricting our gains is protein. If you have a good source of grass, supplementing your cattle with a pound or more of cotton seed cake will increase gains by roughly 30 to 40 percent according to trials conducted by Oklahoma State University.
If calves are worth $3 per pound, this extra gain, according to trials that began on August 16 and continued for 56 days, equals 27.44 more pounds and is worth $82 per head at a cost of $18. We can feed the protein every day, every other day, or Monday, Wednesday, Friday, as long as we average a pound or more per day. Yes, you can substitute 20 percent protein cubes, but you will have to double the amount fed daily, and it will also increase our cost.
To read more, pick up a copy of the August issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tressa Lawrence
It has been a hot, dry summer across northeastern Wyoming. Many ranchers are weaning and shipping early due to the dry conditions and lack of grass.
By: Lindsey Monk
The Four Mile Fire was 2,082 acres and very close to three other fires all started by lightning the same night. Together, the four fires burned a total of approximately 47,827 acres. That is a lot of feed for cattle, and ranchers were moving the cattle out of the way. They are mostly contained now, but it has been a very hot and dry summer.
The Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association, the Texas Beef Council, and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension banded together to bring the Beef Quality Assurance coursework to Texas. Dedicated to promoting best management practices for cattle producers in an effort to strengthen consumer confidence in beef as a wholesome food product, the program focuses on best husbandry practices for quality beef. The BQA coursework is available both in-person and online, with three types of certification available- Cow/Calf, Stocker/Backgrounder, and Feedyard. Courses are offered in both English and Spanish.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
(Photo courtesy of Hannah Claxton)
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