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Prepare a calving kit before spring calving season begins

Fri, Jan 19, 2018

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – It may be the heart of winter but now is the time for cow-calf operators to put together supplies and equipment that will be needed to assist heifers and cows in need of help when spring calving occurs.

Ferguson College of AgricultureOSU AgricultureAgricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesAnimal Health and SciencesExtensionOutreach and EngagementCattle

Revisiting the Veterinary Feed Directive one year later

Fri, Jan 19, 2018

STILLWATER, Okla. – When stricter federal guidelines on the use of some antibiotics for food animals went into effect last year, producers all over the nation, including Jerry Meek in Ada, had a decision to make. Should he spend the time and money to get a Veterinarian Feed Directive authorization from his veterinarian to continue treating his herd of about 30 cows?

Ferguson College of AgricultureAgricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesOSU AgricultureLivestockExtensionOutreach and EngagementFarmAnimal Health and SciencesCattle

Time to begin early evening feeding of cows

Tue, Jan 09, 2018

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – Cow-calf producers who ensure adequate supervision at calving can have a significant effect on reducing calf mortality, always important but increasingly so with the higher price of live calves at sale time.

Agricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesOSU AgricultureFerguson College of AgricultureAnimal Health and SciencesExtensionOutreach and EngagementCattle

Repeatability of calving difficulty in young heifers an often-repeated question over the years

Thu, Dec 21, 2017

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – Questions about the repeatability of calving difficulty in young heifers seems to crop up annually, not unsurprisingly given the money invested in growing the heifer into a two-year-old cow.

Ferguson College of AgricultureAgricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesOSU AgricultureAnimal Health and SciencesExtensionOutreach and EngagementCattle

Cow-calf producers should start obtaining colostrum now

Thu, Dec 21, 2017

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – Cow-calf operators should start locating, obtaining and storing several doses of colostrum or colostrum replacer sure to come in handy before the first heifers start to go into labor this spring.

Ferguson College of AgricultureAgricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesOSU AgricultureAnimal Health and SciencesExtensionOutreach and EngagementCattle

Providing for the nutritional needs of older horses may require management changes

Wed, Dec 20, 2017

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – We are what we eat, goes the old cliché, and the saying is as true for horses as for people, especially as the years pile up.

Agricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesOSU AgricultureFerguson College of AgricultureAnimal Health and SciencesHorseEquineExtensionOutreach and Engagement

Awareness and record-keeping important to ensuring well-being of elderly horses

Tue, Dec 12, 2017

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – Improvements in health care and nutrition have increased the lifespan of horses and their number of useful years, but management decisions about an elderly equine’s well-being remain a largely individualized focus.

OSU AgricultureFerguson College of AgricultureAgricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesHorseEquineExtensionOutreach and EngagementAnimal Health and Sciences

A few tips about how many heifers to keep

Fri, Oct 27, 2017

PURCELL, Oklahoma – Experienced cow-calf producers know firsthand the constant challenge in evaluating the number of replacement heifers that must be developed or purchased to bring into the herd each year.

Agricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesOSU AgricultureFerguson College of AgricultureAnimal Health and SciencesExtensionOutreach and EngagementCattle

Prussic acid and nitrate poisoning are concerns after a light frost

Fri, Oct 27, 2017

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – Cooler temperatures are coming into Oklahoma about three weeks ahead of what is typical for late October and early November, meaning temperatures could stress certain forage plants and make them potentially toxic to livestock.

Ferguson College of AgricultureOSU AgricultureAgricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesAnimal Health and SciencesExtensionOutreach and EngagementCattle

OSU/A&M Regents approve personnel actions

Fri, Oct 20, 2017

Numerous Oklahoma State University personnel actions were approved during the OSU/A&M Board of Regents meeting Oct. 20 in Stillwater.

College of Veterinary MedicineAnimal Health and Sciences

A cow’s bad temperament can result in poor profits

Thu, Oct 05, 2017

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – October is a traditional weaning and culling time for spring-calving herds, meaning producers need to decide which cows no longer are helpful to the operation and which heifer calves will be kept for future replacements.

OSU AgricultureAgricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesFerguson College of AgricultureAnimal Health and SciencesExtensionOutreach and EngagementCattle

Test for nitrate levels before cutting summer annuals for hay

Tue, Jul 11, 2017

STILLWATER, Okla. – Hot summer weather means Oklahoma forage producers should be testing their summer annuals before cutting them for hay, especially for those areas of the state suffering from drought conditions.

Ferguson College of AgricultureOSU AgricultureAgricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesExtensionOutreach and EngagementNitrate ToxicityAnimal Health and SciencesPlant and Soil Sciencespasture