Bands impregnated with the painkiller lidocaine can provide pain relief for young calves.

Castration via banding makes gains in popularity, safety

Animal Health: Pain relief in the bands can make the experience less irritating for young calves

The first castration banders were likely developed to replace knife or scalpel castration. They were easy to use and eliminated the complications of infections and blood loss. Castration with a knife or scalpel is harder to master and animal welfare issues must be considered. Banders have been around for a while; I recently saw an […] Read more



A technician reads DNA sequences at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center at Clay Center, Nebraska. The balance of producers' investment in cattle DNA testing versus the potential return to management is going to vary across operations.

DNA testing can have value in commercial beef sector

Costs of Production: There are advantages to testing some cows, heifers, bulls and calves

There is growing interest in the commercial beef industry around using DNA to inform selection decisions. While traditionally the realm of the seedstock industry, commercial DNA testing and changes in the way we manage cattle have led to some big changes in how we think about genetic selection. DNA testing, in broad terms, means using […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Mixed movement in meat futures

Glacier FarmMedia | MarketsFarm – Cattle prices showed small declines while hog prices sharply rose at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Thursday. United States President Donald Trump announced that certain imports from Mexico which fall under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement will see tariffs delayed until April 2. Canada was also included in the official amendment […] Read more