MSU Extension Beef

• Managing Beef Winter Feeding Sites to Protect the Environment - As beef cow producers bring their herds in from summer pastures to smaller lots for the winter, they should consider two potential situations that they are creating. The first is an opportunity to gather a winter’s worth of manure in a small location, value this fertilizer and then utilize it in the spring. The second is the need to accomplish the first before snow melt and spring rains wash the nutrients away.
• Best Management Practices for Fly Control - There are several management decisions that can be made that will greatly decrease fly populations in and around livestock facilities. Fly control should be viewed as a good neighbor policy and having a positive economic impact on your livestock operation. 
• Survey Shows Improvement in Manure Management Practices - A survey of Michigan livestock producers indicates continued improvement in the adoption of recommended manure management practices have occurred over the past ten years. The survey of randomly selected dairy, swine, beef and poultry producers took place in the spring of 2005. 
• Livestock Pest Management (A Training Manual for Commercial Applicators) - PSEP is here to offer certification training and updates for pesticide applicators as well as to provide education and information for applicators and the general public about pesticide safety. 

Heat Stress Management 

• Dry lotting your cows allows pasture to recover after drought - Drought conditions call for a drylot plan to avoid pasture stress.
• Feed planning and management, more critical this year than in the past - Hay and forage production planning will be critical in 2012 as weather conditions are pushing total potential production levels lower, which will impact overall profitability on your farm.
• Seven practical heat stress abatement strategies - Minimize heat stress in your dairy cows by following these strategies. 
• Heat stress affects heifers and growth rate - Cooling cows is well known to have an economic return, but there are advantages to keeping heifers comfortable too.
• Heat stress in dairy cattle - Heat stress causes major economic loss for Michigan dairy producers.
• Managing for reproductive success of dairy cattle during the heat - Cow-cooling is key to managing reproductive challenges due to heat stress.