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Two black cattle, a bull and heifer, stand in tall grass.
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LIVESTOCK RESEARCH REPORT

Current research results and Extension programming updates for the livestock industry in North Dakota. Read the latest research on grazing, nutrition, finishing, and more.

2026 North Dakota Livestock Research Report

Topics

BQA & Health

Information on Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) and beef cattle health in North Dakota.

Breeding & Genetics

Information about breeding beef cattle in North Dakota.

Nutrition & Feeding

Information on general livestock nutrition and feeding issues.

Production

Information about beef production in North Dakota
cattle feeding at a hay troft
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NDSU

Backgrounding Cattle

Program for after weaning and before going to the finishing feedlots.

BACKGROUNDING CATTLE VIDEOS

Get the latest information about backgrounding cattle from NDSU Extension specialists. These new videos for 2023 include Calf Health, Cattle Price Situation and Outlook, Economics of Backgrounding and Finishing Cattle in North Dakota, Weaning Considerations for Healthy Calves and Feeds, Alternative Feeds, and Cost of Gain.

See the videos

Beef News
Farmers should take stock of their forage supply before winter feeding begins
Completing a forage inventory now will aid in making ranch-level decisions and reducing costs.
28th annual Dakota Feeder Calf Show and Feedout set for Oct. 17
The Dakota Feeder Calf Show and Feedout will provide producers the opportunity to experience retained ownership of calves beyond the cow-calf part of cattle production.
NDSU Extension to host Ranch Counts and Calculations workshop on Oct. 1
The event will focus on the NDSU Cow-Calf Record Book, a new resource by NDSU Extension.
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Beef Cattle Publications & Reports

Evaluation of hempseed cake on cattle performance, carcass characteristics, feeding behavior and plasma metabolites in finishing diets

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of feeding hempseed cake as a protein source on performance, carcass characteristics, plasma metabolites and feeding behavior of finishing beef heifers. Results from this study…

Feeding Corn to Beef Cattle

Corn commonly is used as a feed grain in beef cattle diets throughout the U.S. However, until recently in many parts of North Dakota and other northern-tier states, feeding corn was less common. With the availability and improvement of…

Feeding Hybrid Rye as One-third of the Concentrate in Finishing Rations: Two Methods with Improved Results

Useful as a concentrate in backgrounding rations, hybrid rye can be used successfully as a concentrate in finishing rations.

Feeding Wheat to Beef Cattle

This publication provides feeding recommendations for the use of wheat in beef cattle.

Fiebre aftosa (FMD)

Finishing Calves on North Dakota Protein Coproducts: The Effects of Canola Meal, Dried Distillers Grains, and Soybean Meal on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics

The focus of this project was to determine the effectiveness of incorporating three different North Dakota-produced protein coproducts (canola meal (CM), dried distillers' grains (DDGS), and soybean meal (SBM)) in finishing steer diets on…

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is considered one of the most contagious animal diseases. It is a viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats. FMD poses significant economic threats to the US…

Harvesting, Storing and Feeding High-moisture Corn

How average daily gain is influenced by weather variables in beef steers

The objective of this study was to examine how much variation in average daily gain (ADG) is accounted for by weather variables (ambient temperature, range of temperature, solar radiation, dew point and wind speed). Weather variables…

Intersection of the Cattle and Beef Industries

The COVID-19 pandemic was disrupting to the U.S. beef industry. Marketing, processing and distribution channels were interrupted in a manner never seen before. NDSU Extension created a series of webinars to provide accurate science- and…
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