2019 Southwest Dairy Days

Robotics, automation and precision technologies, November 7th SNYDER, Texas — Southwest Dairy Days will take place on November 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at T&K Dairy located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 East and Country Road 1673 East of Snyder, TX. This event will be hosted by the Collier family owners and operators of T&K Dairy and is organized by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Every year around 500 people participate in SWDD including University faculties, Extension personnel, allied industry, dairy families and local… Read More →

New technology, old genetics meet on the range

New Mexico, Texas researchers seek economical, sustainable beef management practices Precision ranching is a focus of a new Coordinated Agricultural Project led by New Mexico State University, NMSU, in collaboration with Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Amarillo. Working under an almost $9 million U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant are AgriLife Research scientists Brent Auvermann, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center-Amarillo director and agricultural engineer, and Jenny Jennings, Ph.D., beef nutritionist, Amarillo. The project’s goal is to improve efficiency of beef… Read More →

Shearing schools announce upcoming dates

In addition to learning to shear in a hands-on manner, the upcoming shearing schools offer teaching on equipment, animal welfare and staying in shape for the physically demanding task. Equipment is usually supplied, but students are encouraged to bring any equipment they have, as well. These schools offer training for a wide variety of students–from hobby farmers looking to shear their own flocks to those with aspirations of shearing professionally. For more information, contact organizers of the school directly. Montana State University Wool Harvesting School will be Dec…. Read More →

Second Annual All Judging Teams Reunion Held

The second annual Department of Animal Science All Judging Teams Reunion was held September 13, 2019, at the Brazos County Expo. Former judging team members and their families enjoyed an evening of fellowship, camaraderie, and reliving the good old days. Attendees were greeted with a special treat as they entered the Brazos Expo Friday night. Lining the walls of the entrance was the “Hall of Champions.” This exhibit highlighted the 65 national championship teams the department has trained over the years. Many of whom had team members at… Read More →

Here’s the beef: Basics for selecting a bull

Bulls provide the biggest proportion of calf crop genetics, so it is important to select a herd sire that can produce desired offspring. Basics to consider in selecting a bull include breed type, parentage (pedigree), physical appearance, performance records and genetics. Each one of these factors was discussed by Joe Paschal of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension during the 2018 Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course. The information in this article is taken from Paschal’s presentation, unless otherwise noted. There are more than 60 different breeds of beef cattle… Read More →

AgriLife Extension hires beef specialist for Texas Plains

By Kay Ledbetter AMARILLO — Jason Smith has been named as the new Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist in Amarillo, serving the High Plains, South Plains and Rolling Plains. He began Sept. 1. Smith, who is also an assistant professor in the Texas A&M University department of animal science, previously held the same Extension title with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture in Knoxville. “We are excited to have Jason join our faculty and to provide leadership in the area of beef cattle nutrition… Read More →

Is that cow pregnant?

By Robert Fears The first step in increasing calving percentage is to select proven herd sires and then check cows for pregnancy. Characteristics of an ideal pregnancy test are the ability to identify correctly pregnant animals (high sensitivity) and non-pregnant animals (high specificity) as well as being simple and inexpensive to conduct under field conditions. Some tests provide additional information such as embryo or fetal viability and fetus sex. Various methods of pregnancy checks were discussed in a presentation given by Ky Pohler of Texas A&M AgriLife Research… Read More →

Tame Your Selection Criteria

By Natalie Jones You keep looking to beef quality, maternal and feed efficiency for herd improvement. What about docility? Research says it may have more impact than you realize. A study by Gordon Carstens’ team at Texas A&M University with feedlot Angus, Brangus, Braford and Simbra heifers found the share grading Choice or higher was 63.5% for calm temperaments, compared to 55.5% for their excitable pen mates. Based on weights and USDA’s three-year-average grid, the calm advantage was $56 per head. The study compared feedyard and carcass performance… Read More →

Does out-of-season lambing offer profit opportunities?

With about 85% of the U.S. lambs born between January and May, yet demand for fresh product throughout the year, is there profit opportunity for producers who can shift their lambing season? This topic was explored from several perspectives during the American Lamb Summit, sponsored by the American Lamb Board and Premier 1 Supplies, which recently brought together about 200 sheep producers, feeders and packers to Colorado State University. “It is actually time of harvest not time of lambing that the sheep industry should be looking at more… Read More →

Horse Health: The Healthy Horse Life

How can you tell if your horse is healthy, or if he could use some extra care? Jennifer Zoller, PhD, is an extension horse specialist at Texas Agrilife Extension and creator of the Texas Horse Health mobile app, a free resource to equine professionals and horse enthusiasts in Texas. She lists several markers that indicate your horse’s health status. Body Condition Score Zoller says the body condition score is the first thing to look for when assessing health. To check body condition, do a visual and tactile appraisal… Read More →