Agriculture

Breeding Ewe Lambs to Lamb First as Yearlings

Nyle J. Matthews — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:03:30 PDT

Getting the highest possible production from ewes is a goal of every sheep producer. Sheep respond well to management and will usually pay a producer for the extra times he spends in caring for them. Breeding ewe lambs is a practice that can pay dividends but requires the right management to make it work. Many years ago this practice was deemed unwise because it severely affected the young mothers in many ways. Modern research has spelled out requirements in terms of size and management that make a successful, workable program.

Herbicide Control of Tall Larkspurs on Mountain Rangeland

M.H. Ralphs et al. — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:52:27 PDT

Tall larkspurs kill more cattle on mountain rangelands than any other plant or disease. Tall larkspurs are principal components of tall forb communities and occur in patches associated with snow drifts in mountain big sagebrush, aspen and subalpine plant communities. Controlling larkspur patches can substantially reduce cattle deaths (3). Larkspur will never be eradicated, but if its density could be reduced to where a cow could not eat enough larkspur, fast enough, death losses can be reduced.

Milk Production in Cache Valley: What Factors Affect Probability?

Clark Israelsen et al. — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:43:46 PDT

Milk production is one of the leading farm enterprises in Utah. In 1992 more than 20 percent of gross receipts from agriculture were from milk production (Utah Agricultural Statistics, 1993). In Cache Valley, milk production is the leading agricultural enterprise. While gross receipts may be high, the net return or profit obtained by a dairy producer may not be high. This publication is designed to illustrate those variables that are closely associated with the profits obtained by a selected set of dairymen.

Selection and Development of Replacement Beef Heifers

Norris J. Stenquist et al. — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:36:17 PDT

Selection, development, management, and nutrition of heifer calves to be used as herd replacements are key factors in maintaining beef herd productivity. A cow/calf producer, to be successful, must have some goals or criterion for heifer selection and development. For practically all Utah cattle production areas, economics dictate that heifers must calve as two-year-olds. Heifers must be properly developed and managed to permit this. The following factors are important: Heifers should 1) become pregnant in the first 25 days of the breeding season, 2) give birth to a live calf with little or no calving difficulty, 3) raise a calf to weaning that has an average or above weaning weight, 4) breed back as a two-year-old in the first 45 days of the breeding season, and 5) continue to reproduce and wean a calf each year until 9 or 10 years of age.

Observations on Pasture Management and Grazing

Darwin B. Nielsen — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:25:02 PDT

Selection of the notes was based on an interest in pasture management, improving grazing systems, and grazing animal behavior as it might apply to Utah. This interest was stimulated as a result of research on pasture use and development and as a participant on the USU Pasture Committee.

Selecting for Carcass Merit

Norris J. Stenquist — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:18:44 PDT

Today's consumers are asking for leaner, less-fatty beef. Much of the leaner beef now produced results from trimming excess fat before the product is sent to the consumer. For the future, the hope is to trim excess fat genetically by producing leaner, more heavily muscled beef cattle.

Raising Bees

R.S. Roberts — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:14:29 PDT

Publication gives information about raising bees and producing honey.

Growth Stimulants

Nyle J. Matthews — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:56:20 PDT

A tiny pellet inserted under the skin of a calf's ear may increase weight gains as much as 15 to 20 percent. This same result would take years to accomplish through breeding and selection. These tiny pellets are growth stimulants. They are made of hormones that are constructed to slowly release minute amounts into the blood stream that stimulate the animal to produce natural body hormones. One of these hormones is a growth hormone. It regulates the rate of growth of the animal. Increasing the rate of growth will almost always improve feed efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. These pellets are called implants. They don't necessarily increase mature size, but rather stimulate early growth causing the calf to reach market weight more quickly and at less expense to the producer.

Evaluating Growth and Maternal Traits of Beef Cattle

Nyle J. Matthews — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:53:37 PDT

For many years we evaluated cattle only on the basis of visual appraisal. Some people had a very good eye for cattle, but at best, eyeball evaluation was guess work. Many important traits, such as soundness, still require visual assessment.

CANDI: A Decision Support System for Management of Agricultural Pesticides with Irrigation

Richard C. Peralta et al. — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:47:51 PDT

Publication discusses the effects of using pesticides in agriculture.