Farm Help

With the arrival of the summer months the idea of maximizing forage potential is on the minds of livestock producers. Utilizing a Management Intensive Grazing system (or MIG) is the most effective way to use pasture. Often called “rotational grazing” the system is designed to divide existing pastures into smaller paddocks and frequently rotate the animals between them. This method allows forage in each paddock enough time to re-grow before it’s grazed again.

Fair season is right around the corner, and now is the ideal time when exhibitors need to be aware of biosecurity precautions for their animals. According to Amanda Marney, agriculture preparedness specialist, University of Missouri Extension, FFA and 4-H members understand the preparation and hard work it takes to bring home Grand Champion honors. However, they may not be aware that they need to be observing some basic biosecurity measures.

How fast your chickens grow - why and what this means

Effectively, safely and legally ridding wild birds in poultry houses

Disease threat is a very present concern for poultry producers – relying on immunity from vaccinations provides relief

Evaluating water sanitizers in the poultry house - they must meet required standards, but do their job as well

Keeping odor in check at your farm – steps to reduce smell and reduce perception of smell

A panel of foodservice experts recently agreed beef consumers want quality. That includes everything from meals to service to psychological impact. “Beef’s Steak in Foodservice” was part of the Pfizer-sponsored Cattlemen’s College at the February beef industry meetings in Reno, Nev.

An alternative watering system for livestock can increase animal health, grazing efficiency and environmental stewardship.

Over time, thousands of breeds have evolved or been created within each livestock species.  For example, there are several hundred known breeds of cattle.  Each breed has a unique combination of genes which have been exploited across a wide array of environmental conditions worldwide to ultimately provide human consumers with meat, milk, fiber and a variety of by-products necessary for our survival.  The opportunity to select individuals from a diverse spectrum of genetic material is the basis for the productive breeds of livestock that are utilized in the commercial sector of agriculture today.  Moreover, hybrid vigor or heterosis, which is the increase in performance of a crossbred animal over that of its purebred parents, is only possible if genetic diversity exists. The application of hybrid vigor is considered by many as one of the most important contributions of genetics to scientific agriculture.