Animals and livestock

Extension animal and livestock teams help Minnesota meat and dairy producers, small and large animal owners, beekeepers and people raising backyard flocks meet the challenges of changing industries and local regulations. Extension research and education help ensure the health, comfort and safety of animals and provide assurance of quality products for consumers.

Features

Avian influenza confirmed in Minnesota

A Eurasian strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detected in Canada in January has made its way to Minnesota.

Watch your change-of-season ventilation in swine barns

Make sure to check ventilation settings in swine barns as the season and weather changes.

Fall and spring pasture to-do lists

While starting grazing in the spring may seem as easy as opening the gate, there are several tasks to consider. These lists outline tips for preparing your pasture and horse for grazing and what to do come fall.

Beef

Cow-calf

Nutrition, reproduction, health and biosecurity for cow/calf farms

Dairy beef

Maximizing the rate of gain, nutrition and crossbreeding

Feedlot

Nutrition, health, facilities and business information for feedlot aged cattle

Handling and best practices

Biosecurity and stockmanship for beef cattle farms

Post-harvest

Information for beef consumers and processors

Events

Workshops, conferences and other learning opportunities

Beef News

Timely articles for and about the beef industry includes events, farm safety and animal health

Dairy

Milking cows

Nutrition, reproduction, milk quality and milking cow facilities

Youngstock

Calves on milk, raising healthy calves and heifer reproduction

Handling and best practices

Biosecurity, common health problems and cattle stockmanship

Pasture-based dairy

Nutrition, reproduction and facilities for cows on pasture

Precision dairy

Milking dairy cows with robots and other precision dairy investments

Dairy beef

Maximizing the rate of gain, nutrition and crossbreeding

Events

Field days, conferences, workshops

Dairy News

Timely articles about the dairy industry, featured events, farm safety and animal health

Horse

Care and management

Behavior, seasonal care, hoof care, fly control

Health

Preventing and treating diseases, preparing for emergencies, breeding and foals

Nutrition

Feeding hay and forages, supplements, grazing

Pastures and facilities

Good and harmful pasture plants, grazing

Ownership

Legal considerations, economics

Events

Workshops, webinars and other learning opportunities

Poultry

Biosecurity

Biosecurity and emergency preparedness

Care and management

Heat stress, reducing salmonella risk, business considerations

Health

Keeping flocks healthy, avian Influenza, biosecurity

Small-scale or backyard poultry

Beginner small flock management, disease prevention, meat and egg production

Swine

Nutrition

Pig nutrition and water needs, ingredient quality, distillers dried grains with solubles

Health

Preventing disease, understanding antibiotic regulations

Facilities

Seasonal impacts, saving energy, group sow housing

Production management

Heat stress, weight variation, growth performance

Small-scale production

Deep-straw hoop structures, pasture production, keeping pigs healthy

Welfare

Group-housing, gestating sows, aggression among sows

Courses

Swine course offerings from Extension including: PorkBridge, SowBridge, PQA+ and TQA

Livestock operations

Farm safety

Stress management, extreme weather, equipment, livestock

Manure management

Best management practices to safely apply, sample and analyze manure to protect air and water quality

Meat processing and buying

Raising, processing and buying meat for producers, small farmers and consumers

Preparing for emergencies

Animal carcass removal and composting, livestock contingency plans

News

Three large borwon hens pecking on a lawn.

March 9, 2023

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in 2023

Avian flu never left the United States in 2022 like it did in 2015. So it’s likely that by the end of March, Minnesota will again start to see the virus affect chickens, turkeys and wild waterfowl.

Close up of a dairy cow in a herd with blue sky.

January 20, 2023

“Wicked problems” defy easy solutions to sustainable food production

If you were to ask 10 people about what constitutes sustainable food production, you could easily receive 10 different responses due to different personal values and circumstances. Large complex societal problems are considered “wicked problems.”