Good winter management practices contribute to healthy and productive cattle, reasonable feed costs and humane care of feedlot cattle. This publication describes recommended management practices for feedlot cattle in the winter.

This publication provides information for the identification and management of Fusarium head blight and associated mycotoxins.

Containment ponds are constructed at the base of a feedlot’s slope and designed to collect and contain nutrient-loaded runoff. This publication talks about how to manage containment ponds by understanding soil and water relationships, applying effluent for crops needs, and knowing when to apply containment pond effluent.

The drylot beef cow-calf enterprise is an alternative management system to traditional pasture or range beef production. Strictly defined, it is feeding confined cow-calf pairs in a feedlot environment during part or all of the traditional summer or fall-winter grazing season.

Liquid feeds are useful for conditioning rations, improving palatability, reducing dustiness and providing nutrients to livestock. Many liquid byproduct materials are available for use in beef cattle rations. In addition, a number of commercial liquid supplement products also are available.

This publication focuses on items a cow-calf operator should consider before choosing a feedlot to custom feed cattle. Custom feeding refers to the practice of sending calves, stockers or yearlings to a commercial feed yard for feeding to slaughter weights. Custom feeding is not without risks. It should be viewed as a potential means to add value to your calf crop and/or evaluate the genetic merit of your cow herd.

This publication is guide to help sample livestock forage and feed for laboratory analysis. Feed analysis is one of the most effective feed and forage management tools to effectively match forage and feed supplies to animal nutrient requirements, design feeding programs, and evaluate forage production. Laboratory analysis is the recommended way to determine nutrient content and value.

This publication addresses feeding management guidelines that can improve the success of backgrounding operations and practices that can lower the cost of gain in backgrounding operations.

Plants utilized in the feeding of livestock have long been a fundamental link in the food chain. Native grasses supported grazing animals well before man began to domesticate livestock. Forages have always been an extremely important source of nutrients in livestock rations. Additionally, they provide fiber in the ration which enhances proper digestion in forage-consuming animals. Through their conversion into milk and meat products, forages continue to be one of the primary sources of nourishment in the human diet.

This publication provides information on: • Cow nutrition prior to calving • Colostrum management • Calving season vaccinations • Parasite control • General management