Search
Beef Cattle Handbook introduction
The beef cattle industry can be divided into seedstock, cow-calf, stocker/backgrounder, feedlot/finisher, packer, retailer and consumer.
This article discusses how drought impacts Louisiana cattle producers and emphasizes proactive management to mitigate its effects on performance and production.
Experts provide programs to help livestock producers improve sustainability and management.
Topics include (1) Selection Aids, (2) Brahman Influence Characteristics, (3) Matching Heifers to the Environment, and (4) Heifer Temperament.
Discussion on the importance of good disposition in the beef industry and how to select for it.
A study was conducted to evaluate how traditional and conservation tillage planting methods for winter forages affect forage growth and nutrient runoff.
The best management practices that apply most directly to the beef industry are in this publication. A brief description, purpose and conditions to which the practice applies are given for each of the BMPs listed. (PDF Format Only)
This study was done to determine the effects of broiler litter and commercial fertilizer applied to bermudagrass pastures on animal performance.
Dry cow management is an integral part of total herd management. There are five keys to maintaining an excellent dry cow program.
The best management practices that apply most directly to the beef industry are in this publication. A brief description, purpose and conditions to which the practice applies are given for each of the BMPs listed. (PDF Format Only)
Dry cow management is an integral part of total herd management. There are five keys to maintaining an excellent dry cow program.
Expected progeny differences for growth traits are well documented and used by a large segment of the beef cattle industry. Calf weaning weight is greatly influenced by genetic potential for growth, therefore verification of how reliable weaning weight EPDs are on commercial cow herds needs to be studied.
Research conducted by the LSU AgCenter in the 1980s clearly revealed a profit potential for stocker beef production in Louisiana. Annual ryegrass has the productivity during the cooler parts of the year (late-fall, winter, and spring) and the nutritional quality necessary for growing beef animals to play a major role in most Louisiana beef stocker programs.
This publication is intended to be a reminder of beef cattle management practices thought to be appropriate for each month of the year. If referred to frequently each month, it could also be considered a workbook for beef cattle management. (PDF Format Only)
The objective of this study was to compare three-breed cross females (Angus-, Brangus-,Gelbvieh- and Gelbray-sired) with contemporary first cross (F1) Brahman x Hereford females for reproductive and maternal performance.
A large percentage of reported sources of water quality impairments in Louisiana are related to what is collectively known as nonpoint-source pollution. This source of pollution is a result of stormwater runoff from land uses including agricultural fields, construction, urban areas, forestry and any other source that can’t be directly correlated with the impairment.
The effect of ill temperament on heifer growth and development would be important to assess as early in the animal’s life as possible for making decisions regarding female herd replacements.
Over the past 30 years, U.S. cattle producers have seen a tremendous change in cow body weights. Data from the National Agriculture Statistics Service indicate that between 1975 and 2005, carcass weights of bulls have increased 223 pounds; cows, 146 pounds; steers, 144 pounds; and heifers, 194 pounds.
