Our CRYSTALYX team got together several months ago to plan a list of blog topics for 2019. Not surprisingly, drought was my topic of choice for July. At the time, we agreed that the likelihood of dry conditions throughout various areas of the country would be high that month.
A Blueprint for fetal programming
Fetal and developmental programming have been big buzzwords for several years now. If you don’t know what they are, a quick Google search will take you to numerous articles, studies and blogs on the subject. Fetal programming, in short, is the theory that the maternal environment during gestation can have a lasting impact on the offspring.
Grazing management: Modifying cow movement
Grazing management is a collective term for managing even grazing in cattle for more efficient utilization of the forage available. Part of the practice of grazing management includes protecting and enhancing riparian areas and watershed to support wildlife and recreational uses of the land.
CRYSTALYX options for your summer mineral program
I once wrote a blog asking if your supplement could multi-task. While the intent of this blog is similar, it will specifically focus on the summer ahead. For many cattle producers, summer coincides with the breeding season. CRYSTALYX offers more than 15 different mineral products that (with the exception of CRYSTALYX Mineral-lyx) all contain organic trace minerals, which have been shown to increase conception rates in beef cattle.
Goodbye winter, hello heat stress: Tips on keeping cattle comfortable
While some areas of the country are still getting over the long-suffered winter weather conditions, other parts of the U.S. have warmed up to typical mid-spring temperatures. As I write this from my home in Virginia, we are expecting highs in the 80s for most of this week — which means that livestock here and in other parts of the South are already experiencing some form of heat stress.
CRYSTALYX in beef breeding programs and systems
Good breeding success in beef cattle programs can be hard to define. Jon Albro shares a few recent success stories he's seen with producers and explains how CRYSTALYX may fit into your breeding program.
Maximizing bull fertility and performance
Purchasing bulls is a large initial investment for an operation — but, unfortunately, these animals do not often receive the attention they deserve, especially outside of breeding season. Much like a good athlete, your bull should prepare in the off-season to perform at their best during the season.
Maintaining gut health: Preventing scours during this muddy calving season
Dealing with mud this calving season? The excess moisture we've seen in many areas will increase the risk of calf scours. We can't change the weather, but there are several things we can do to help minimize the risk of scours.
Cow-calf profitability by the numbers
These days, we often see popular news segments describing topics “by the numbers.” Let’s see if we can apply this “by-the-numbers” format to some important aspects of cow-calf profitability.
Fighting the fescue toxicity battle
Much has been written about Kentucky 31 (KY-31) tall fescue over the last few decades, including in our previous blogs. Most cattle producers living in the approximately 35-million-acre fescue belt — which encompasses Missouri and Arkansas, the mid-Atlantic states and most of the Southeast — understand the negative effects KY-31 tall fescue grass can have on production.
