A cattle operation in Florida has found success in taking the sickest calves for sale and transforming them into healthy animals ready for the feedlot.
Steve Yoder’s farm in Altha, Florida serves as a prime example of the upside stocker operations provide the market.
The high-risk calves are brought to his farm, where he says they are offered a little TLC. That begins with castration, vaccines, and deworming. The calves are then treated to Bermuda grass with supplements.
Once cattle are healthy and gaining weight, Yoder describes his animals as “bulletproof” and ready for finishing.
Programs like this often find success in areas where grass is plentiful and feeding costs can be cut down.
Related Stories
The ag trade deficit is narrowing, but export competition remains strong.
Agricultural groups warn that the deal could limit competition and raise transportation costs for farmers
As a part of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, women across the state are being recognized for shaping the future of agricutlure.
As the strike at a JBS facility in Colorado continues, the National Right to Work Foundation is encouraging some employees to consider returning to work. The group says not all workers on strike may want to participate and urges those who choose to cross the picket line to resign from their union memberships.
At the Port of Brownsville, shrimpers are facing rising operating costs and increased competition, but many shrimp producers and local lawmakers remain optimistic about the industry’s future.
Higher prices are bringing relief to markets, but rising input costs are putting pressure on the producers.