It is generally accepted that adequate supervision at calving has a significant impact on reducing calf mortality. Adequate supervision has been of increasing importance with the use of large beef breeds and cattle with larger birth weights. On most operations, supervision of the first calf heifers will be best accomplished during the daylight hours, with the least supervision in the middle of the night...

Kansas State University, Southwind Extension District and the Wildcat Extension District invite you to attend the Winter Ranch Management Seminar on Tuesday, Jan. 8, in the Neosho County Courthouse meeting room. The conference begins with registration at 4 p.m. and the program starts at 4:30 p.m...

Farmers and ranchers will soon have the opportunity to make a positive impact on their communities by taking part in the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Conducted every five years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Census is a complete count of all U.S. farms, ranches and those who operate them...

Huge amounts of time and money are spent by pharmaceutical companies to develop and research new products for the cattle industry. Once a product leaves the company, they lose control as to how the products are handled. It is up to the producer or purchaser to follow label directions to ensure the product will work as intended to maximize producer benefits...

The KSU Bressner Range Unit consists of two-adjacent half sections of native grass near Yates Center, Kan., donated by the Willie J Bressner estate in 1988. The past seven years, the research project has been focused on "patch-burn" vs. "full-burn" management practices each spring and the resulting cattle performance and plant composition changes. Of the eight individual pastures, four were patch-burned and four were full-burned each April...

While attending the Bressner Pasture Field Day last week, Dale Kirkham of the Kansas Rural Center spoke about ways to reduce soil erosion in pastureland. This article was adapted from the proceedings and used with Kirkham's permission. Pastures are primarily managed for abundant forage production and good livestock performance. But other benefits from properly managed pastures include clean runoff water, habitat for wildlife, carbon sequestration and scenic views...

Kansas State University's Department of Animal Sciences and Industry hosted the fourth Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes event Aug. 25-26 at Weber Hall. Participants from the Southwind Extension District were Riley Angleton, Hayden Cole, Caitlin Dreher, Reagan Dillow, Hannah Fry, Drew George, Chase Gleason, Colton Heffern, Gus Hopkins, and Trent Johnson, representing seven 4-H Clubs in the three counties...

As fall and winter quickly approach, I wanted to let you know of a few upcoming educational events that could be of benefit to you and your operation. Within the next month, there will be opportunities for you to improve your heifer development practices, gain information and advice on the continued drought and its effects on our farms and ranches, and to brush up on your bovine diseases and disease regulations. Below are four events you might be interested in...

Blue-green algae, properly called cyanobacteria, is not an algae but actually a bacterium. It is naturally occurring in many farm ponds and for most of the year the concentrations are low and the organisms cause no problems. However, blue-green algae favors the hot, dry conditions of late summer and blooms are likely to occur in warm, stagnant water...

MANHATTAN -- Thirty-five Kansas youth traveled to Grand Island, Neb., June 17-22 to participate in one of nine disciplines at the 13th Annual National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational Match. According to Rod Deeken, a Jefferson County 4-H volunteer serving as Kansas coordinator for the 2012 National 4-H Match, youth attending participated in three separate and different matches in their chosen discipline...

Growing conditions that are conducive to nitrate or prussic acid poisoning occur often in Kansas. Both poisonings are associated with forage and grain sorghums, sudan grass and sorghum-sudan hybrids. Both conditions are more likely in stressed plants and result in asphyxiation of the animal. Distinct differences do exist, however, and need to be understood to prevent or manage problems...

The term "pesticide" can include herbicides, fungicides or insecticides for home gardening, common agriculture or right-of-ways. Some pesticides are labeled as "Restricted Use Pesticides," or RUP. In 2008, there were over 10,131 products registered for use in Kansas, with over 486 of those classified as Restricted Use in 2012. The Environmental Protection Agency determines if a product is an RUP based on potential hazards to the applicator and the environment...

The Kansas Noxious Weed law requires the control and eradication of 14 plants designated as noxious weeds by Kansas legislature. This law became effective in 1937 and lists specific duties for landowners, the county and state. Landowners are charged with control of all noxious weeds on their property...

April showers bring May flowers... and ball games, graduations, grilling season and Beef Month. For the 28th year, Gov. Sam Brownback has followed suit and named May as Beef Month in Kansas. Cattle production is the largest agriculture commodity in Kansas representing 47 percent of the 2010 Kansas agriculture cash receipts...

Brush control is a major problem is Eastern Kansas. The major species involved are buckbrush, locust, dogwood, hedge, elm, red cedar, brambles, oaks and sumac. The main objective of brush control is to obtain an acceptable population of woody plants on rangeland to increase or maintain an optimum amount of area available for livestock grazing...

"Words have meaning and names have power." -- Author Unknown How true this statement is when you think of the lean finely textured beef (LFTB) stories which have recently inundated news broadcasts, social media sites and radio stories. When LFTB and boneless lean beef trimmings (BLBT) were recently called "pink slime," the new nickname took hold and began to stir controversy, raise concerns and spread myths...

Many Americans believe the answer to the question of where our food comes from is the grocery store. This not only disturbs me, but it should also disturb you too. The grocery store isn't where food comes from -- it's just from where it's distributed...

With my last article on calving season preparations, let us continue this week with the importance of colostrum to newborn calves. Northwest Area Livestock SpecialistSandy Johnson provided the summary from past calving management schools. Research has shown passive immunity obtained from colostrum is an important factor in determining the health of calves both pre- and post-weaning and indirectly influences calf growth rate during those same periods. ...

Before the hustle and bustle of the spring calving season, now is a good time to put together the supplies and equipment that will be needed and to prepare yourself and your facilities. Producers should always have the following supplies handy: disposable obstetrical sleeves, non-irritant antiseptic, lubricant, obstetrical chains, two obstetrical handles, mechanical calf pullers and injectable antibiotics...

Polls show that 88 percent of Americans make at least one New Year's resolution. While resolutions can be as unique as the individual, the most popular resolutions are to eat healthier (55 percent), exercise more (50 percent), and lose weight (38 percent)...

Cattlemen do a good job of managing grass for their cattle; the acres in grass help to protect soil from erosion. Most of the grassland that producers use for brome or fescue hay was likely converted from cropland. The change from cropland to grassland reduces the erosion of soil to those acres as well...

Consumers are more aware than ever about the quality and safety of the food products they purchase. Quality Assurance programs are the cornerstone of the livestock industry's quality and safety efforts. The overarching goal of quality assurance in all species is to deliver a healthy, safe and wholesome product to consumers...

The modern beef production system in the United States provides a year-round supply of safe, wholesome and nutritious beef at an affordable price for consumers around the world. All U.S. raised beef comes from one of the 800,000 American producers whose livelihoods depend on consumers feeling confident in the product...