08/08/08 Updated Cattle Manual

Updated cattle manual. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. I'm one of those people that knows everything about everything. But every once in a while, I need to check my facts, you know just in case. Recently the ever popular Cow-Calf Management Guide and Cattle Producer's Library has received a bit of an update. Didn't know there was such a thing. Benton Glaze, University of Idaho Extension beef specialist in Twin Falls says the reference originally came out in 1980. GLAZE: It's a 3-ring binder collection of fact sheets that cover a whole range of production and management topics and issues related to beef cattle. I think one of the unique points about it is beef cattle specialists and faculty members from across the West come together every year to update that resource. Glaze says the annual updates keep on top of the changing industry. GLAZE: Really what we've done on the updates is if there has been some new work such as maybe with regard to new feeding or nutrition regimes, different reproductive strategies, maybe also a little bit about CAFO and AFO issues just kind of how they relate to a general beef cattle operation. A number of those kinds of things have been added to the book. More than 10,000 copies have been purchased by users in 42 states and eight countries and Glaze says it's just a handy reference. GLAZE: The books really aimed at beef cattle producers in the West. A lot of county agents or extension educators use it as a resource as they get questions and to help them, and then we also see it used a little bit as a text book sometime for beef production or beef management classes at some schools around the West as well. The 3-ring binder can be purchased with a cd-rom inside or just as the cd-rom. And Glaze says if you are just looking for updates: GLAZE: If someone has missed some updates along the way the current round of updates may not bring it totally current but they'll get the newest group of updates. To order the Cow-Calf Management Guide and Cattle Producer's Library, contact the University of Idaho Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. Then you'll know everything there is to know about cattle&at least until next year's updates. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network. Link to order book http://www.avs.uidaho.edu/wbrc