Beef Cattle

Opportunities To Control Rushes

Rushes are a major challenge to beef and sheep producers across the country. Rushes are an indicator of poor fertility, poor drainage and low soil pH. However, when you look at the…

Using A Wholecrop Cereal To Top Up Forage Supplies

If you think you may be short of forage for the coming winter cutting and preserving a standing cereal crop to produce wholecrop may be worth considering. It is a good bulk feed and can replace silage if necessary (may need additional protein depending on the stock to be fed) and it is ideal if you have undersown cereals and will give an earlier bite in the field or free up the field for early sowing of a catch crop.

Unusual Behaviour And Deaths In Cattle

Over the last couple of days there have been several reports of dairy cows eating soil and of deaths in young suckled calves from twisted guts etc. While we only know of a few cases, their cause is difficult to explain. One possibility is that with the drought grass is likely to have high levels of sugar and of course very rapid growth once it rains.

North East Organic Discussion Group: Rotational Grazing

In this podcast, Agricultural Consultant Malcolm MacDonald chats to Alastair Wilson who farms at Upper Wheedlemont Farm near Rhynie, and Senior Consultant with SAC Consulting, Ewan Johnstone. Alistair talks about…

Nutritional Causes: Focus On Laminitis

Nutritional management has been identified as a key component in the development of laminitis, particularly in rations with a high level of starch resulting in an acidotic state.

Identifying And Treating Lameness In Cattle

There are two vital points to remember when tackling lameness in a group of cattle:
Identify what the cause of lameness is
Don’t assume all cases have the same cause

Practical Steps To Reducing Lameness In Finishing Cattle

As with most things in life, when it comes to lameness, prevention is always better than cure. Lameness is recognised as a major issue in the dairy industry, with dairy producers spending a lot of time and money on treating and preventing lameness in their herds. Although not such an acute issue in most beef herds, there is still potential to make changes to reduce lameness, particularly in finishing systems.