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Commercial Cattlemen’s Newsletter

SUMMER 2023

Forage quality of native range in Oklahoma and the Southern Great Plains declines during the mid to late summer. Research conducted by Dagan Montgomery, a graduate student in the OSU Department of Animal and Food Sciences shows the dramatic decline i …

SPRING 2023

Beef cattle producers are both some of the most patient people in the world, and some of the most impatient. When weather and/or market conditions get tough, some producers get so impatient that they immediately abandon their production goals and sta …

WINTER 2022

It’s a question we are asked regularly: “How much should I be feeding my cows?” It is a valid question with meaningful tradeoffs – on one hand, we want to minimize the largest variable cost in a cow-calf business, while on the other, we yearn for max …

EARLY WINTER 2022

The majority of purchased calves for stocker and backgrounding operations are lightweight and bring inherent, significant health risks, especially for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD.) It is critical for the operation to have a comprehensive manageme …

LATE SUMMER 2022

As we approach the end of a summer season with relatively (historically, in some areas) dry conditions across much of our serviceable area, we have been receiving more calls than normal about supplemental feed for the cow herd. As always, our answer …

SUMMER 2022

As trusted advisors for our customers, we get asked every day about a lot more than nutrition. Customers often want to understand the success factors we see across the thousands of commercial cattle producers we serve. Whether it’s management practic …

FALL 2021

There is a trend in the pre-feedlot cattle industry to want to control costs through sourcing raw ingredients and mixing feed on a ranch. While this can help to reduce costs, there are many labor, time, and equipment cost considerations. Many custome …

SUMMER 2021

Stocker operators often feed supplemental energy to calves on forage-based diets to increase gain, stocking rate, or both. Historically, the standard energy supplement has been grainbased, in conjunction with a protein source to optimize ruminal fer …

SPRING 2021

Finding a veterinarian and nutritionist to develop a cow and calf health protocol and nutrition program that fits your local challenges and needs can have a big impact on this success. A good nutrition plan in the form of a solid grazing plan or a co …