Water is a vital nutrient that we take for granted. We assume that if water is available, we’ve taken care of that requirement. However, there are a number of factors that can negatively affect water quality and livestock performance. So far we’ve talked about cyanobacteria and nitrates. This time, I’ll cover sulfates.
Beef cow herd to do list for fall
As we are finishing harvest, it is a good time to consider what needs to be done this Fall to keeping your beef cow herd profitable. The economic impact of using information from this “To Do” list is more critical this year due to the higher forage and feeding cost caused by the drought.
CRYSTALYX beef cow body condition score app update
Last winter we put our toe in the water and developed an App that can be used to monitor Body Condition Scores within your beef cow herd. We have had less than a year to use and collect feedback from cattle producers now and learn how we might be able to improve it. An updated version is now available with additional features and added content that we think will make the App more responsive while retaining its simplicity of use. Some of the updates are related to housekeeping items. You can now delete records that are no longer of use to you to help clean up your herd’s information. In addition you can edit/save a record as a draft which provides the opportunity to collect the photos in the pasture but to actually score the cattle at a later time or edit the records if needed. This will allow producers to quickly collect photos and then score the cows when time permits.
Grazing cornstalks: A beneficial practice
Cows grazing cornstalks, it’s a common practice in the Midwest, albeit some information is being written about it as though it was a new practice. It isn’t. However much has been learned with more recent research data and the ability to efficiently utilize this resource has improved with different strategies. This season, with the drought conditions plaguing a large area of beef cattle production, grazing not only cornstalks but other crop residue will have a new value component.
Year-round CRYSTALYX feeding
Traditionally, the use of CRYSTALYX® supplements has been in fall and winter months with running age beef cows. This is still where the vast majority of product volume is used but growth within other segments of beef cow production and during spring and summer months has been growing. Earlier blog articles have described the benefits of using CRYSTALYX® as a vehicle to deliver not only protein and energy but mineral/vitamin programs in the summer, additives for fly control and growth promotants, etc…
