Category: Ag News

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 11:15:05 CDT

Water moves and is recycled from one form or one storage area to another in the process we call the water cycle. This cycle is the mechanism by which water moves around the globe and in our atmosphere. And a…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 11:08:51 CDT

**EMBARGOED UNTIL 10:00 AM, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2022**
Written Testimony for the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works
Legislative Hearing on S. 1475, the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act o…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 11:07:08 CDT

Hay is getting tighter. Farmers and hay producers are beginning to get creative with baling up their milo, soybeans, and corn stalks.

The rain did come across the parts of the state which brought cooler …

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:45:59 CDT

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association announced the application window for its spring 2023 internship programs is now open.

These unique internship programs provide opportunities for student…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:43:06 CDT

In a win for producers across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency recently announced changes to two crop insurance programs-Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) and…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:41:12 CDT

The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) is now accepting nominations for the second cohort of the Advanced Training for Animal Agriculture Leaders program. Nominations are due November 1.

I…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:39:10 CDT

Click here to listen to audio

Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is talking with international consultant, PJ Budler, about making Cattlemen’s Congress the premier destination for …

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:25:19 CDT

Bob LeValley, Oklahoma Beef Quality Assurance Coordinator, provides guidelines for producers for using antimicrobials in cattle. This is part of a
weekly series published electronically by Paul Beck called…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:09:35 CDT

Oklahoma State University and the Oklahoma Water Resources Center are researching how to improve water availability in southwest Oklahoma.

Water scarcity is a challenge in the region, according to Al…

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 09:06:02 CDT

Summer droughts. Limited resources. Only the most resilient cattle make it through such harsh challenges. Roy Lee Criswell of Pep, New Mexico trusts Hereford-cross cattle to do it best.

“These Hereford Bulls on these black cows, getting that F1 cross, is putting more feed efficiency along with more hybrid vigor into these calves,” Criswell says. “The longevity of these bulls is in their feet. They don’t break down. Out here in this desert country, they’ve got to have good feet to be able to travel. Getting on top of these cows and coming off on these rocks, we need these bulls to keep going. We don’t want them to need a lot of feed to get them to breed back.”

In the Southwest, where rainfall is scarce and feed costs are climbing, ranchers and feeders prefer calves that gain weight more efficiently, like Criswell’s F1 cross cattle.

“At the end of the day, the yield grades are a lot higher, which is more beneficial to our pocket and our feeding operation at the yard,” says Chris Adkins of Adkins Cattle Co. “When you get higher yields and better quality carcasses, you get dividends. Here we are, seven months later and they’re weighing 1,350 and 1,400 pounds. That’s what’s fun – when you drive by their pens every morning and see the growth in them.”

Black baldy cows consume two pounds less of voluntary forage intake per day than straight-bred black cows. That’s according to an Oklahoma State University study that shows a $50 savings per cow, per year.

“They’re the easiest to work with, the easiest to get on feed, and they’re probably some of the best converting cattle,” Adkins says. “And if you can keep them calm and laying down, especially in times like these where it’s 101 degrees, they’re just going to continue to convert feed and gain. And man, it pays on the back end.”

For more information about Hereford genetics and upcoming sales, visit Hereford.org.

Hereford Genetics Sustain Through the Dry Season from American Hereford Association on Vimeo.