Mississippi State Extension unveils new Cattle Calculator app

The Cattle Calculator app by Mississippi State University Extension puts multiple key tools in a producer's hands, such as a breeding season scheduler, average daily gain and required gain calculators, and a dosage calculator, just to name a few. Calculators are broken into three groups: reproductive, performance and management. The app is available as a free download for both Apple and Android devices.

Click here for more information from the Noble Research Institute.

Bovine embryonic stem cells could lead to healthier, more productive livestock

After decades of effort, scientists have finally managed to derive embryonic stem (ES) cells from cows and keep them in their primitive state in a dish. Access to these versatile cells, which can become all kinds of tissues, from skin to muscle to bone, could make it easier to tweak and preserve useful genetic traits of cattle, reports Science magazine.

Interest in bovine ES cells has waned somewhat with the development of cloning. But the cells usually used to make these clones—connective tissue cells called fibroblasts—are short-lived, and can only divide 20 or 30 times. With these long-lasting ES cells, breeders could more easily hang onto a winning cell line, and make multiple rounds of edits to the cow genome through technologies such as CRISPR.

Click here to read more.

Control trich before it controls your herd

Trichomoniasis is an infectious organism and there is not treatment for the problem, as well as no lasting immunity, which is why it is so important to control the problem if found in a herd, reports the High Plains Journal.

Nevada State Veterinarian J.J. Goicoechea said no producer can afford to have a strung-out calving season, open cows or weak or stillborn calves. Testing is the best way to know the status of a herd. "Bulls should all be tested. The trich organism survives in the sheath of infected bulls and can be found clitoral tissue of cows for a short amount of time," said Goicoechea.

Click here to read more.

Fact sheet clarifies ELD’s reach on agriculture industry

Concern in the agricultural industry about the impact of new regulations regarding electronic logging devices (ELD) has prompted a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialist to co-create an outline addressing common concerns.

Tiffany Dowell Lashmet, AgriLife Extension agricultural law specialist in Amarillo, and Elizabeth Rumley with the National Agricultural Law Center, intend for the outline to help drivers determine whether the new regulations apply to them when driving a pickup hauling a trailer.

Click here to read more.

The outline can be found https://t.co/CBFflFeIFq.

Mark your calendar for NCBA stockmanship and stewardship events

Regional stockmanship and stewardship events from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association will be held in five states in 2018, expanding an educational program that gives cattle and dairy producers expanded knowledge on successful animal handling strategies. The two-day sessions will be held in South Carolina, Colorado, Washington, Texas and California, giving producers from several parts of the country an opportunity to access cattle handling suggestions and education that can help them improve their bottom lines.

The sessions include demonstrations and hands-on learning experiences that are entertaining, lively and informative. They feature lessons on horseback cattle handling, chute-side cattle handling, BQA training and preventative herd health programs. The program is made possible by sponsorships from Boehringer Ingelheim and the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program, which is funded by the beef checkoff.

For more information on the Stockmanship and Stewardship Program, including ways to register for events, go to www.stockmanshipandstewardship.org.