Higher Grain Levels May Be Needed to Supplement Beef Cows

Courtesy of the Livestock Update, January 2008

By Dr. Mark L. Wahlberg, Extension Animal Scientist, VA Tech

Feeding programs for beef cows this winter may use higher levels of grain or grain byproducts because the amount of hay available is limited.  Hay can be fed at as low as one-half percent of body weight each day, which converts to 6 or 7 pounds of hay daily, if the hay supply is extremely limited.  It is more likely that hay will be fed at 1 percent of the body weight of cows, or more.  Even at this level, though, grain or grain byproducts will be needed to provide a fair portion of the nutrition of the diet.  Diets of 10 to 15 pounds of hay each day, plus around 10 pounds of grain or byproduct will provide adequate protein and energy for beef cows during late pregnancy. Read more on the Virginia Cooperative Web site.

Cloning Market Likely Reserved for
Breeding “Rock Stars”

Courtesy of Savannah Morning News Web site

By Joelle Tessler

Washington, D.C. - The reaction was fast, furious and expected.

Within hours of the government's announcement that milk and meat from cloned animals were safe, food companies insisted they had no plans to sell such products and consumer groups said Americans had no plans - or desires - to eat them.

The response to the Food and Drug Administration's announcement, however, may prove to be as overblown as it was speedy. Academics and industry officials say the target market for cloning technology is stud farms and breeders - not the rank-and-file dairy farms and cattle ranches that contribute to the nation's food supply. Read the full story on the Savannah Morning News Web site.