Farm Help

Mastitis is can be a huge problem in some cow/calf operations.

Cattle ranchers are taking advantage of the increasing availability of corn by-products in their rations. The ethanol industry alone used 4.5 billion bushels of corn and sorghum this past year, yielding about 15 million tons of distillers grains, a high-protein, high-fat feedstuff.

Bermuda grass hay has become a product of interest for producers looking to increase hay yield in the hot summer months. The Quality Forage program out of northwest Arkansas led by University of Arkansas Extension Agent Robert Seay, has prompted regional producers to take Bermuda hay to a new level. With quality topping relative feed value scores of 100, Seay believes with the right methods, bermuda hay can be a viable option for regional producers looking to get the most out of their pastures and their hay crop.

Branding of cattle has been around for centuries. Some think that it originally started to establish ownership of animals during the rise of Egyptian society. According to Eldon Cole, University of Missouri Extension Specialist in Lawrence County, in the United States it became widespread in the early 1800s on large ranches in the west and was practiced to maintain owner identity of cattle that grazed on open range and government land.