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Beef Cattle

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Announcements

Submit a 2023 Oregon Beef Quality Assurance Certification Event Request

To better serve Oregon cattle producers, the state BQA Team would like your input on requests for 2023 Oregon BQA certification events. All requests will be carefully considered to facilitate the most efficient and effective certification possible. Read more...
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Description:

OSU Extension Service provides up-to-date information on beef cattle in Oregon and throughout the country, and facilitates the communication among producers, industry personnel, and OSU – Extension faculty.

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RancHER 2022 webinar recordings

RancHER 2022 was hosted in November and December of 2022. RancHER was idealized and organized by Juliana Ranches at Oregon State University. RancHER aims to bring information to cattle producers by highlighting the work of talented women in this field.

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Latest resources

Estrus Synchronization and Artificial Insemination in Beef Cattle

This article will address some of the advantages and disadvantages of AI, and review the most common estrus synchronization protocols that are currently available to producers

Reinaldo Cooke, Guilherme H. L. Marquezini | Oct 2018 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

BNW Sending Calves to the Feedyard

This document describes Beef Northwest Feeders recommendations on best practices for preparing your calves for the feedlot environment.

Chris Schachtschneider | Oct 2018 | Article

Major Cattle Diseases in Oregon

Diseased animals require treatment, which is a cost to producers. Additionally, diseased animals do not perform at their maximum ability, adding to the cost of production due to low returns. Early detection of disease usually ...

Aurora Villarroel, DVM, MPVM, PhD, DACVPM, CVA, CVTP | Sep 2019 | Article Peer reviewed (Gray level)

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News

Extension research finds dormant-season grazing might keep wildfire at bay

As a result, 2,500 tons of fine fuels has been removed during off-season grazing, removing biomass that would otherwise burn in a rangeland wildfire in the 23,000 acres of public lands in Malheur County.

Sergio Arispe | Mar 2022 | Impact story

Teen learning experiences transformed by dive into VR app creation

The DIVE4Ag team is working together to develop an open source, distance education toolkit focused on agriculture that will connect youth, educators, and K-12 classrooms to experiential learning.

Kristen Moore | Feb 2022 | Impact story

OSU Extension features women in conference for beef ranchers

Funded by a grant from the OSU Women's Giving Circle, RancHER drew 120 attendees.

Kym Pokorny | Feb 17, 2022 | News story

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Management guide

We encourage cow-calf producers to evaluate their individual operation(s) and use these suggested management guidelines to determine a system that works best for their ranch, environment, and facilities. This article covers general cattle management issues related to the production year including suggested herd health programs.

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Reproduction

Estrus Synchronization Protocols

These estrus synchronization protocol sheets were assembled by the Beef Reproduction Task Force (http://beefrepro.unl.edu).

Sep 2019 | Educational document

More reproductive resources

Calves

New Calf Information and Care

People buying a new calf often have questions about the animal's care. Here are some answers to common questions about food, housing and health care.

Jenifer Cruickshank | Feb 2020 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Strategies for easing the weaning process for beef calves

Weaning is one of the most stressful periods for a beef calf and directly impacts the calf’s gain performance and economic viability. Here's a look at strategies to reduce calf stress at weaning.

Barbi Riggs, Chad Mueller, Reinaldo Cooke | Sep 2019 | Article

Nutrient requirements for growing and finishing cattle

Different classes of animals have different requirements for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals. The specific amounts needed depend on the animal’s stage of production and the level of performance desired by the livestock manager. This table has nutrient requirements for growing and finishing cattle.

Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle (1984) | Aug 2019 | Fact Sheet

More calving resources

Meat

USDA Carcass Beef Grades and Standards

The amount of beef from a carcass is termed "yield" and is the pounds of closely trimmed retail cuts you get. Of course you want to get a large percentage of meat from your animal. This website contains the legal definitions that can help you understand what goes into this measurement.

Shelby Filley, USDA | Jun 2020 | Online resource

Frequently Asked Questions About Using Custom-exempt Slaughter and Processing Facilities in Oregon for Beef, Pork, Lamb and Goat

Oregon livestock producers selling retail cuts of meat by the package to consumers are required to have livestock slaughtered and processed at a USDA-inspected facility. However, some producers choose to sell live animals. The ...

Rebecca Thistlethwaite | Jul 2022 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Beef Cutting Guides

Cutting guides from Cattlemen's Beef Board.

Jul 2020 | Online resource

More meat resources

Small-scale meat farming

The cost and supply of food is concerning to many these days. Disruptions in the cattle, sheep, and swine markets, particularly in the slaughter-packer sector, have indeed threatened the availability of meat and put pressure on prices at the supermarket and at the livestock producer level. This has caused us to rethink the way we produce and process food. Some are considering backyard slaughter of livestock. Many important steps need to be taken prior to and after the actual slaughter of any meat animal. These are necessary for safety and meat quality.

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Nutrition

A guide to protein nutrition for cattle

Cattle require protein for vital body and productive functions. Without it, their growth, milk production and overall health are impaired. Here's a look at the basic concepts of protein nutrition for cattle.

Bruno I. Cappellozza | Sep 2019 | Article

Water nutrition and quality for beef cattle

Inadequate water intake by beef cattle can limit growth and production, which can translate to narrower profit margins for producers. That's why it's important to understand water nutrition and quality for beef cattle.

Sergio Arispe | Sep 2019 | Article

OSU Beef Nutrition Workbook

A comprehensive workbook covering many aspects of beef cattle nutrition. Includes worksheets for users to apply the concepts to their own operations. Chapter titles are: 1. Animal Nutrient Requirements 2. Forage Value 3. Evaluating Feeds 4. Minerals and Vitamins 5. Ration Balancing 6. Supplements and Supplementation Strategies 7. Body Condition 8. Heifer Nutrition and Development

David Bohnert, Shelby Filley, Gene Pirelli, Peter Schreder | Oct 2019 | Online resource Peer reviewed (Gray level)

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Breeding and genetics

Understanding EPDs for Selecting Bulls - Sergio Arispe and Morgan Johnsrud

In this video, Dr. Arispe and Morgan (Select Sires) discussed several aspects of EDP values for bull selection and different traits that producers should consider when selecting bulls. Other resources from presentation: Slides Breed EPD averages for and $Values

Sergio Arispe, Morgan Johnsrud | Jan 2021 | Video

How temperament affects the performance and quality of beef cattle

For beef cattle, temperament defines their fear-related responses to human handling. Recent studies demonstrate that cattle temperament has a wide of effects, from their ability to reproduce to the quality of meat.

Reinaldo Cooke | Oct 2018 | Article

OSU Across Breed EPD Calculator

The OSU Across-Breed EPD calculator is a Microsoft Office Excel® Macro-Enabled Worksheet. It has been formatted to run most efficiently in Excel 2016. However, an alternative version that will function using older Excel versions is available. In order for all of the features to work, macros must be enabled. The OSU Across-Breed EPD calculator can be downloaded here or contact your local OSU Extension Office. Data for the program will change yearly according to the most recent USMARC AB-EPD data. Therefore, the software program will change yearly as well. New versions will be made available through this website.

David Bohnert, Barbi Riggs | Oct 2018 | Publication

More breeding resources

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Upcoming Events

Mar 7 - Mar 10

Cattle Artificial Insemination School

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Homedale, ID
Mar 16

QPR Suicide Prevention Training for the Agricultural Industry (in English)

9:00 am - 10:30 am PDT Online
Mar 16

Entrenamiento sobre la prevención del suicidio de QPR para agricultores y ganaderos (en español)

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm PDT Online
Mar 22 - Mar 24

Cattle Artificial Insemination School

8:30 am - 3:00 pm Burns, OR
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Meet Our Experts

Juliana Ranches
Assistant Professor, Extension Beef Specialist
David Bohnert
Director

Contact for questions associated with beef cattle management, grazing behavior, supplementation, and ration evaluation

Sergio Arispe
Associate Professor, Livestock and Rangeland
Shelby Filley
Regional Livestock & Forages
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How to manage Tansy Ragwort?

Q: We have wheat planted and along our fence line we have an infestation of tansy ragwort. Is it a good time to cut the flowers off, bag them, and leave the plant; or should I spray it? The neighbor across the road has...

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