Today’s consumers are more aware than ever before. They want to know where their food comes from, how it is raised, and that is safe and wholesome for the entire family. Consumers are attracted to words like natural, hormone-free and antibiotic-free, and the beef industry has responded with branded programs to meet consumers’ demands. Although […]
As the leaves turn from green to crisp golds and yellows, it’s a reminder that fall weaning is right around corner. Many weaned calves will be making their way to feed lots across the Midwest. As the time comes to market calves, producers are always looking for ways to capture extra profit, and the buyers […]
Information is power. In today’s world, more information is available than ever before on about any topic you have an interest in. For cattle buyers looking to fill their feedlots and backgrounding yards, three pieces of information are essential when it comes time to buy calves: vaccination history, genetic makeup and the nutrition program history. […]
Changing just one management decision can increase gain, and gain increases profitability. Just ask Ray Fussell. The Tennessee Ridge, Tenn., stockman has been buying stocker calves and backgrounding them for 20-plus years. And after he shipped his 2017 calves, his cattle buyer suggested he look into changing his mineral program. So he did just that. […]
Summer heat takes its toll on your entire herd, with a decrease in performance, the potential for increased sickness and economic losses. But for stocker calves, in their prime growth period, the added stress from heat can magnify those challenges even more so. The degree of heat stress is typically measured by a temperature-humidity index […]
Anytime a backgrounder gathers up mixed calves from different farms of origin and puts them together, they are taking a risk. But, with a high-quality nutrition program in place, the risk can be minimized. That is what Kerry Vogt, Newton, Kan., discovered, as he backgrounds nearly 3,000 stockers each year. Vogt, who was talking to […]
Red Rock Land & Cattle at Logan, N.M., strives to grow fresh weaned calves into strong, healthy yearlings on its expansive New Mexico ranch. Calf health and performance are the top priorities for the family-owned yearling operation that backgrounds calves until they are yearlings. “Our main goal is to get the cattle in, try to […]
“My yearlings absolutely love Gain Smart® Stocker HEAT®. I can’t keep enough of it in front of them. I have to cut it with some salt a little bit. Otherwise they eat it like candy, and they are still out grazing during the heat of the day. Even my neighbor noticed. He was talking about […]
Good nutrition has come to the forefront as one of the keys to healthy, profitable cattle. VitaFerm® Raised BioZyme® VitaFerm® Raised program is designed to do just that. This program minimizes the effects of stressors like transportation, shrink, co-mingling, processing/handling and new diet acclimation. BioZyme Inc. products are specifically designed to promote proper rumen fermentation […]
Nutrition Program Adds Value when Marketing Calves Producers have many options when marketing their calves. And premiums are available for those who want to put forth the effort. In 2017, Superior Livestock Auction entered an agreement with BioZyme® Inc., to offer the first-ever, exclusive nutrition value-added program to its offering of value-added marketing programs. Two […]
