Transforming Manure and Cedar Mulch from “Waste” to “Worth”

In nearly every production environment, there are opportunities to capture profits if waste streams can be further processed or enhanced to create “value added” products. Animal feeding operations in Nebraska generate significant amounts of manure that are considered as a “waste” product. Additionally, Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) encroachment into grazing land has become an economic and ecological threat, reducing forage production, fragmenting wildlife habitats, and increasing the risk and severity of wild fires. Value- added uses for cedar woodchips are being sought by the Nebraska Forest Service and other agencies to promote tree management by landowners. Using manure and cedar mulch individually or in combination as soil amendments on agricultural crop land was proposed by farmers in the Middle Niobrara Natural Resource District to assess their impacts on soil health and crop productivity. On- farm research studies were initiated during 2019 at four locations across the state of Nebraska and two more sites were added in 2020. The goal is to document and demonstrate the effects of land applied manure and cedar mulch on agronomic, economic and soil health variables in corn fields under different agro-climatic conditions. Results from the 2019 cropping season indicate that pre- plant applications of beef manure can make significant contributions of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) and K in crop fields without compromising yield, constituting a reliable resource to replace inorganic fertilizers. Depending on initial soil quality, manure also increased soil organic matter (SOM) concentration, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC). Surface applications of cedar mulch did not promote soil acidification or N immobilization, although it induced soil nitrate reduction in top soil layers when incorporated after crop harvest at one research site

Marketing Calves with Blemishes

October 20, 2023 Marketing Calves with Blemishes If you have some calves that might have a few blemishes, those issues could be a problem at the sale barn. Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Educator Randy Saner talks about how you can still make a profit from calves that might not look like all the others

What Did Higher Profit Cow-Calf Producers Do to Be More Profitable?

Cow-calf producers are always looking at ways to cut costs and improve profits. Looking at recent data from the University of Minnesota Center for Financial Management, FINBIN Livestock Analysis for 2022 representing cow-calf operations from Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota can provide producers with some ideas on ways to improve profitability

Marketing Calves with Blemishes

Selling these calves with blemishes or color differences could improve your profit if you follow some of the recommended steps. However, it could also be a complete disaster, unless you understand the risks and work to reduce them. Traditionally, about one-half the value of beef is added after cattle leave the farm. Keeping those calves on the farm longer gives you the chance to retain more of the income for the same calf. Most calves with blemishes or differences in color won’t affect their quality of meat if fed right

Bull Value Cow-Q-Lator (BVCQL): What It Is and How To Use It

It’s that time of year when commercial ranchers and cattle producers are looking to make bull purchases for their operation. With so many different breeds and types of bulls available, picking the right bull at the right price is not easy. To help in making the best selection possible the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Beef Economics Team created the Bull Value Cow-Q-Lator (BVCQL). This tool can be used to compare your current bull value with up to 10 bulls. The Bull Value Cow-Q-Lator is a spreadsheet available to download at https://cap.unl.edu/livestock/tools. Each ranch or farm is going to have different goals, values, and resources available to purchase bulls. For the BVCQL, 14 key input variables (KIVs) (Figure 1) are entered into the spreadsheet by the user. In addition to costs, users make a value judgment on the effect individual bulls are expected to have on calf value and calving rate of cows. Users are expected to provide estimates for all these values

EC92-219 Nebraska Swine Report

This 1992 Nebraska Swine Report was prepared by the staff in Animal Science and cooperating departments for use in the Extension and Teaching programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Authors from the following areas contributed to this publication: Swine Nutrition, swine diseases, pathology, economics, engineering, swine breeding, meats, agronomy, and diagnostic laboratory. It covers the following areas: breeding, disease control, feeding, nutrition, economics, housing and meats

EC91-219 Nebraska Swine Report

This 1991 Nebraska Swine Report was prepared by the staff in Animal Science and cooperating departments for use in the Extension and Teaching programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Authors from the following areas contributed to this publication: Swine Nutrition, swine diseases, pathology, economics, engineering, swine breeding, meats, agronomy, and diagnostic laboratory. It covers the following areas: breeding, disease control, feeding, nutrition, economics, housing and meats