MANAGEMENT

Understanding the horse’s body language is extremely important to safely work around a horse. Observing body language allows a rider or handler to be better prepared for reactions from the horse or may prevent actions that will result in danger to the horse and handler.

Features to watch include head carriage, ear position, look in its eyes, flare of the nostrils and mouth, as they will provide you with indicators of what a horse is doing. Pawing, continuous body movement, head tossing, a wild or frightened look, ears laid back against the head, or attempts to bite are all signals of danger to the handler.

Cattle are typically worked one to two times a year on the ranch. Vaccination, palpation, treatment, testing, dehorning, castration and identification are many of the management practices that require restraint of cattle. The safety of yourself, your help, and the animal being processed should be top priority

Al ganado de carne típicamente se trabaja una o dos veces al año en el rancho. La vacunación, palpación, tratamiento, reexaminaciones medicas, el descornado, la castración y la identificación son algunas de las practicas de manejo que requieren de “sujetar o manejar” el ganado. La seguridad de usted, sus ayudantes y del animal deberán ser la prioridad principal.

Cattle producers are painfully aware they operate in uncertain and volatile times.

Uncertainty over prices, input markets, extreme weather and other factors can make profitability tough.

A common marketing claim is the source and age verification of calves. As producers gather cattle to go to market, they have the option to provide documentation to a third-party verifier that their calves are eligible to be source and age verified. Seems simple, and many producers are offering their calves as sourced and aged.

Most all of us have attended Beef Quality Assurance meetings and discussed the appropriate use of vaccines, antibiotics and other drugs in beef cattle. The discussions have focused on effective use, administration and withdrawal times. We always talk about the need to read the label and follow the label instructions. One of the areas on the label that not much time is spent on is the section labeled “Caution or Precaution.”