What do cows eat??

How and what do cows eat? This  video clip shows what cows eat from the eyes of the cow.
Enjoy!

Know Your Beef Checkoff Facts!!

If you are a beef producer, you should know about the Beef Checkoff program. Test your knowledge by taking the "My Beef Checkoff Quiz" and maybe you will win a prize. They are giving out prizes for the first quiz takers with all answers correct. Take the quiz to win cool beef handouts!

If you don't know what the beef checkoff is keep reading!

The Beef Checkoff program is funded by the beef producers of America. All producers and importers pay $1 per head on beef and beef products. $0.50 of that $1 dollar is given to your state beef council to invest in statewide programs. Beef Checkoff is designed to pay for marketing and research for the beef industry and increase demand for beef. This is done through six program categories which are promotion, research, consumer information, industry information, foreign marketing, and producer communications.

The United State Government created the Beef Promotion and Research Act (The Beef Checkoff Program) with the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff Program was made mandatory in 1988. The Cattlemen's Beef Board under the United States Department of Agriculture administers the Beef Checkoff Program. This board consists of volunteers nominated by beef producers and then appointed by the US Secretary of Agriculture. The Cattlemen's Beef Board certifies the state beef councils, evaluates beef programs, and oversees the collection and spending of checkoff funds.

For more information on the Beef Checkoff Program go to www.beefboard.org .

Information collected from www.mybeefcheckoff.com

Prepare Early for Easy Calving

The spring season on beef cattle operations, usually means heavy calving. For many herds, calving season is underway or about to start. Here are a few tips that will help to keep you prepared and make calving season easy!

Be sure to check all facilities and equipment that will be used during calving. Calving stalls should be clean and dry. Bedding should be changed after every calving to prevent the spread of diseases. A warmer environment should also be prepared just in case you have chilled calves.

Managers should have a calving kit ready to assist with the birthing procedure. The calving kit is effective for making sure you are prepared, without the stress of looking for all of your tools. Calving kits should include items such as calf pullers (chains and handles), disinfectant to sanitize, gloves, lubrication, paper towels, frozen colostrum, electrolytes, and iodine for the calf’s navel. Also, it is good to have phone numbers of people to call in case you need help pulling larger calves. Other items that might be helpful would be an oral calf feeder, calf feeder bottle, selenium and vitamin A and D injections, dehorning paste, castration tools, and an ear tagging kit. Calving kit tools can be placed in a bucket or some producers put their equipment in a back pack so they are able to arrive at the birthing scene faster.

Be prepared to check your herd frequently and keep a close watch on first time calving heifers. Pregnant heifers should be moved to a calving area two weeks before their due date to keep a closer eye on them. Once cows have calved, make sure calves receive colostrum and their navel dipped in 7 percent iodine within the first two hours of birth. Ear tagging and tattooing should be completed early to identify calves easily. After two to three days, Cow-calf pairs should be moved out to pasture. Calves will stay clean, dry, and much healthier outside. Be sure to watch calves for scours and other health issues.

George

Arriving home yesterday I saw an interesting sight on our farm, a duck following the heifers around the pasture. Interesting enough, I decided that this was the perfect photographic moment, so I scrambled around to find my camera and raced to the field to get this picture.

Now this duck is not your normal duck. The duck, that I have named George, has been living in our barn for the past two months. We found him one cold wintry day in the barn nestled in the cattle trough on a pile of hay. Ever since that day, he has befriended the cattle, the sheep, and the cats. The barn animals seemed to take a liking to George and they treat him like one of their own. Some days we will find him sitting on top of a fencepost and other days we will find him roaming with the sheep. He doesn't seem to mind that he isn't socializing with other ducks or even frolicking in the water. The duck enjoys living in our barn so I think George is here to stay...

Ban on Non-Ambulatory Cattle

The Obama administration amended the federal inspection rules for non-ambulatory cattle. Slaughtering cows that are too sick or weak to stand on their own is now against the law. This ban was proposed by the Department of Agriculture after the largest recall of beef occurred in the United States last year.

The final rule requires all cattle that are disabled prior to slaughter or those cattle that become non-ambulatory after passing inspection be taken out of the line of food supply. Non-ambulatory cattle are now required to be properly disposed of according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service regulations. Inspectors in the plant will tag those cattle as “U.S. Condemned” and will be humanely euthanized.

The administration mentioned that this will further minimize the chance of mad cow disease entering the food supply. Non-ambulatory cows have a larger risk of mad cow disease and also are more susceptible to bacterial infections that could get into the meat supply. The Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack mentioned that the ban is a step forward for standards of humane treatment of animals.

-World Dairy Diary, www.wdepo.com