Dairy beef production

By PJ Neff, Vita Plus dairy specialist, and Chance Meteer, Vita Plus beef specialist
So far in 2016, the cattle market has seen an abundance of ups and downs. As expected, prices for both feeder cattle and finished cattle have been extremely volatile. However, on the calf side, Holstein bull calf markets have continued to steadily decline over the last few months, which has prompted many calf raisers to fill up or remain at full capacity.

By Bruce Owens, Vita Plus district sales and marketing manager

Like other parts of the Midwest, calf raisers here in Indiana and western Ohio are dealing with a challenging winter. Temperature swings have been rough on calves this year just like they were last year. Most of the calves I see are in hutches, so they have good ventilation. The catch is that producers have to work extra hard to make sure bedding stays dry. Most have been doing a good job...