Opportunities and Challenges for Cow/Calf Producers

The cow/calf enterprise has been a profitable enterprise over the last few years. Weaned calf prices have been unprecedented. It wasn’t that long ago that 500 pound calves sold for $60 per hundred-weight. For the last 4 years, 500 pound calves brought over$125 per hundred-weight. These high calf prices helped cow/calf producers reduce some debt and “heal-up” from times when the cow/calf enterprise was not very profitable. Estimated returns for a cow/calf enterprise reached a record $150/head in 2004 and remained over$100/head in 2005. Since then, returns have been under $50/head, with expectations for further declines in profitability. The cattle industry is a cyclic industry. The national beef cow herd inventory expands and contracts. When beef cow inventory is low, calf supply is low, and calf prices are high. When calf prices are high, beef cow inventory grows, causing an increase in feeder calf supply, consequently price of calves decreases. The cattle cycle has typically been about ten years. The current cycle began in 2004 following the longest cattle cycle in history (14 years due to a long liquidation phase). There appear to be a number of items currently impacting beef industry. Producers need to prepare and position themselves to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves that will have a positive impact on their cow/calf enterprise. Following are items that I think could potentially impact the cow/calf enterprise. Some of the items will pose challenges, but often with every challenge there is an opportunity that could enhance profit potential for the cow/calf enterprise

Cowherd Feeding Options To Minimize Cost

Feed costs make up over half the costs of producing a weaned calf. Financial information from Nebraska’s IRM program indicates that there is a tremendous variation in feed costs from one operation to another. Average feed cost per calf weaned was $175 with a range of$112 to $230 for a difference of$118 per cow. When operating and ownership costs are added to feed costs, breakeven price needed per pound of calf weaned was low as $.65/lb. to as high as$1.07/lb. In a six year summary of Iowa records, those producers in the top on-third for profitability, sold 121 more pounds of calf per cow, had a 3.7% higher calf crop weaned; yet accomplished this at an annual feed cost that was $40 less per cow. In a dated summary of the IRM herds in Colorado it showed that the average cost of maintaining a cow was$324, but that range was from $239 to$386, or a difference of $147 per cow. Thus, it’s fairly apparent that one of the keys is annual feed costs. Maybe the actually feed cost isn’t that important in this information, but the range in costs should be of concern to producers

Mobile applications for livestock producers

There are a number of ways producers receive information. Popular press articles, factsheets, meetings, other producers, the web, and many others. With the advent of the smart phone, information deliver and communication has changed. Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, and etc have given way to new delivery methods that are fast, efficient, can be received in location that may be difficult to get computer connections. More recently, tools in the form of mobile apps have inundated the agriculture industry. University of Nebraska Extension has engaged in developing mobile app devises to aid producers in accessing and managing components of their agriculture enterprises

Confinement Feeding Beef Cows

A management consideration when weather conditions result in a reduction in forage production in pastures is to relocate some or all cattle. Cows could be relocated to a feedlot that is located off-site or a dry lot or sacrifice area to dry lot cows on-site could be developed

Goffman and the Infantilization of Elderly Persons: A Theory in Development

Infantilization is a behavioral pattern in which a person of authority interacts with, responds to, or treats an elderly person in a child-like manner. This paper uses Erving Goffman’s theories as a framework from which to analyze the reasons for and the results of infantilization of elderly residents in partial and total institutions (i.e., adult day care centers and nursing homes). First, we review the literature on infantilization. Next, we offer a brief summary of Goffman’s work and delineate his major theoretical assumptions. Then, we analyze the process of infantilization through Goffman’s theories. Finally, we offer suggestions for advancing research using Goffman’s premises. This paper asks whether infantilization can produce symptoms of dementia in institutionalized elders. If Goffman is correct, the answer may be yes. Six researchable propositions are offered to test Goffman’s theoretical framework

Drought-stressed Corn

This NebFact details how to identify drought stress in corn, its effect on potential yield and how to maximize economic return from drought-damaged corn

Supplementing Beef Cows Grazing Cornstalk Residue with a Distillers Based Cube

A 4-year study is being conducted to determine the effect of excess undegrad¬able intake protein supplementation using a cube that is 2/3 dried distillers grains (DDG) to beef cows in late gesta¬tion on cow and calf performance and the performance of heifer calves whose dams were supplemented with protein. Feeding a supplement containing DDG did not influence calf birth and wean¬ing weights, cow body weight prior to calving, and calving interval. Cow body condition score and percentage of cows cyclic prior to breeding increased for supplemented cows

Influence of Prepartum Nutrition on Blood Constituents and Postpartum Reproductive Performance of Beef Cows

Animal Scienc

Applying Corn Condensed Distillers Solubles to Hay Windrows Prior to Baling: I. Procedure and Effects on Bale Temperature and Nutrient Composition

Two experiments investigated the effects of applying liquid corn condensed distillers solubles to grass-hay windrows prior to baling on storage, bale temperature, and nutrient composition. Application of the wet material did not impair the ability of hay to expel heat post-baling in either study. Increased CP and decreased NDF for hay treated with corn condensed distillers solubles indicated successful within-bale storage occurred. Results suggest application prior to baling is a feasible strategy for storing liquid co-products while improving forage quality

Transitioning cell-based processes towards scalable production

Scalable insulin-producing cell replacement has the potential to offer a long-term functional cure to treat type 1 diabetes patients. Transitioning a research-grade process into a cell manufacturing process for eventual pivotal trial / commercialization requires a progressive increase in scale-up and cryopreservation capabilities. We review progress made at ViaCyte towards the development of a cell aggregate-based production pipeline, including moving from a 2D to a 3D cell culture platform for hESC expansion, and to a closed bioreactor system for the directed differentiation process. Identification of process parameters and determination of their optimal ranges are required to maximize cell growth rate and yield while maintaining the therapeutic aspects of the cell product. We will explore the manner in which impeller speed, cell concentration, aggregate diameter, and media pH impact hESC passaging and differentiation processes. In addition, we will present strategies for media formulation, cell separation, and semi-automation to support the requirements of a scaled-up process to meet late stage clinical and commercial demand