NEWS

Missouri lawmakers passed a bill on May 17 enacting labeling requirements to clarify if “meat” products are sourced from animals or not. 

Click the date to see the latest Progressive Cattleman Market watch. (PDF)

Anyone who has ever owned cattle has asked the question, “Why aren’t my cows getting bred?” Undetected diseases plague us and keep us guessing. We must always be vigilant to prevent diseases such as trich, bovine viral diarrhea and lepto from entering the herd. Still, the most impactful disease is probably the most treatable and preventable.

While grass was slow to come this spring, it is likely forage quality will rapidly change this summer. As a general rule of thumb, energy values (total digestible nutrients) of forages (pasture included) can decrease rapidly at a rate of 0.33 to 1 percent per day from vegetative to mature stage.

As we head into the summer, dry conditions in most of the West may force producers to evaluate alternative management strategies. Open cows or potential replacement heifers are costly, especially when feed resources are limited.