Feed & Nutrition

Bob Sand is fond of the old saying “most ranchers know the EPDs of their bulls better than they know their wedding anniversaries,” but he says that if you ask a rancher about the composition of the mineral he feeds, chances are he won’t be able to tell you.

“It’s not glamorous talking about nutrition within your herd,” says Sand, owner and president of The Beef Connection, a data-driven, multi-year breeding, production and marketing program for commercial cattle producers. “But bulls, bulls are glamorous, and people know their bulls.”

Historically, a lot of cows were kept around because they were relatively easy and cheap to feed, and they made it possible to get some value from otherwise unused grazing ground.

The north-central and western regions of the U.S. are important sugar beet-producing regions.

Use these tips to decide if a colostrum replacer is right for you

Protecting this year’s calf crop from the start has never been more important.

The 2011 drought and continued lack of rain during 2012 in many regions of the country have caused cow-calf producers to scramble for sources of harvested forage.

In areas where there is nothing in pastures to graze, feeding is required the entire year to maintain animal condition.

During the winter months, spring-calving beef cows are in mid-gestation. This is the stage of production when cows have their lowest nutrient requirements.

However, even though the cows’ requirements are relatively low during this time of year, there are still a few factors that demand special attention during winter.