🔒 Annual Member Version
- - - ABOUT THIS WEEK'S CURRENT EVENT ARTICLE ⤵
🐮 Dairy Beef: Double Duty and the Rise of the Dairy-Beef Cross
For decades, dairy cattle and beef cattle stayed in separate lanes — one built for milk, the other built for meat. But a growing trend is blending the two through dairy beef: calves born on dairy farms that are intentionally crossed with beef genetics to create animals that grow efficiently and produce higher-value beef.
This current event article helps students explore why dairy-beef crosses are becoming more common and what they reveal about modern livestock production. Students learn how tools like sexed semen and genomic testing allow producers to make more strategic breeding decisions — creating calves with a purpose from day one and helping farms stay financially stable when markets shift.
Students will explore dairy beef through:
— What dairy beef is and how beef-on-dairy crosses differ from traditional dairy or beef production
— How sexed semen technology helps dairy farms produce replacement heifers from their best cows while using beef genetics on the rest of the herd
— Why crossing improves value, including higher average daily gain and better feed conversion compared to traditional dairy bull calves
— How dairy-beef can act as a financial safety net when milk prices drop
— Why retailers and restaurants like dairy-beef, including more uniform size, predictable weights, and consistent carcass characteristics
— How genetics influence eating quality, including marbling patterns that can support tenderness and flavor
— How genomics works on modern farms, including using hair or ear notch samples to identify genetic markers tied to production and health traits
— How data-driven breeding can support doing more with less by improving feed efficiency and reducing overall resource use
This article blends animal science, genetics, and agricultural economics — helping students see how breeding technology is changing both farm decision-making and what ends up in the meat case.
A great tie-in for: animal science and breeding units, genetics and heredity, beef and dairy production, ag business and markets, sustainability and resource use, and CTE livestock pathway discussions.
Utilizing current events in agriculture is always just another thing to do that you probably don't have time for. We got you.
Hitting those literacy standards just another thing to do? We got you.
The Student Handouts consist of reading passage, an informational graphic, associated vocabulary, comprehension questions, and a word puzzle. All answer keys included.
Use it as a Bellringer Activity, Class Finisher, or save it for a Sub or on those interrupted/shortened schedule days that inevitably come up.
WHEN and HOW do I get my files?
- NEW RELEASES EVERY SUNDAY. Each Sunday at noon (Eastern) the new releases for the week will be available.
- LOG IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT. If you are not logged in with the email associated with the membership, then you won't be able to add the files to your cart.
- CHECKOUT FOR ACCESS. Yes, you still have to go through the checkout process for the files you want. As a member, there is no charge BUT they will not be added to your files until you do.
- HOW LONG WILL I HAVE ACCESS? Depending on your membership, you will be able to add new releases to your account from the current week (Standard Access), from the current month (Premium Access), or for the entire school year (Extended Access). As long as you add the product to your account, it will always be in your downloads regardless of your access level. If you don't add it by the end of the week/month/year, then you will loose access to it.
- NEW RELEASE EMAILS. Every Sunday you will receive an email with a link to the new releases. (Don't see an email? Check your Junk/Spam folder. Sometimes filters put this kind of auto response email there.) You can also simply go to the And Another Thing menu tab and see them there.
Paying for an ANNUAL Membership By Purchase Order?
- Digital files are not available until we have a signed PO. So access to the files will not be available immediately. Be sure follow instructions in the order confirmation email to get your files as quickly as possible.
- The email that was entered for the order is THE ONE THAT WILL RECEIVE ACCESS LINK. The server only acknowledges that person, they are the Chosen One. But we can always change it. Plus those awesome business office folks really want you to have that link anyhow. Just email orders@onelessthing.net and we'll fix you right up.
How the MONTHLY Membership Works
Subscriptions are automatically renewed each month on the same day that you made the initial order.
For example, if you joined the monthly membership on the 10th of the month, then the system will automatically charge your credit card each month on the 10th.
Can I pause or cancel a MONTHLY Membership?
Yes, of course. You can pause or cancel a subscription any time you want in the customer portal.
The customer portal can be accessed through the link you received in the email that was sent to you when you placed the initial membership order. You can also access your membership from your account page.
If you pause your membership, you will not have access to any new releases until you reactivate your account.
How the ANNUAL Membership Works
The Annual Membership (Extended Access) is a one time payment. Because of the nature of digital products, you can not cancel the membership once it has been paid. HOWEVER...no card is kept on file. Annual Memberships will not auto renew so you will not be charged again.
This is Digital Download so HOW do I get the files?
- At Checkout. As soon as the purchase is approved, download buttons will appear on the Order Confirmation Page.
- By Email. You will also receive an email with a link to download your purchased files. (Don't see an email? Check your Junk/Spam folder. Sometimes filters put this kind of auto response email there.)
- In Your Account. Log in to your account (upper right corner of the site). That will take you to your Orders page. There is an "Access Digital Content" button in the upper right corner of the page. Click it and you will see all the files you have available to download.
🔒 Annual Member Version
- - - ABOUT THIS WEEK'S CURRENT EVENT ARTICLE ⤵
🐮 Dairy Beef: Double Duty and the Rise of the Dairy-Beef Cross
For decades, dairy cattle and beef cattle stayed in separate lanes — one built for milk, the other built for meat. But a growing trend is blending the two through dairy beef: calves born on dairy farms that are intentionally crossed with beef genetics to create animals that grow efficiently and produce higher-value beef.
This current event article helps students explore why dairy-beef crosses are becoming more common and what they reveal about modern livestock production. Students learn how tools like sexed semen and genomic testing allow producers to make more strategic breeding decisions — creating calves with a purpose from day one and helping farms stay financially stable when markets shift.
Students will explore dairy beef through:
— What dairy beef is and how beef-on-dairy crosses differ from traditional dairy or beef production
— How sexed semen technology helps dairy farms produce replacement heifers from their best cows while using beef genetics on the rest of the herd
— Why crossing improves value, including higher average daily gain and better feed conversion compared to traditional dairy bull calves
— How dairy-beef can act as a financial safety net when milk prices drop
— Why retailers and restaurants like dairy-beef, including more uniform size, predictable weights, and consistent carcass characteristics
— How genetics influence eating quality, including marbling patterns that can support tenderness and flavor
— How genomics works on modern farms, including using hair or ear notch samples to identify genetic markers tied to production and health traits
— How data-driven breeding can support doing more with less by improving feed efficiency and reducing overall resource use
This article blends animal science, genetics, and agricultural economics — helping students see how breeding technology is changing both farm decision-making and what ends up in the meat case.
A great tie-in for: animal science and breeding units, genetics and heredity, beef and dairy production, ag business and markets, sustainability and resource use, and CTE livestock pathway discussions.
Utilizing current events in agriculture is always just another thing to do that you probably don't have time for. We got you.
Hitting those literacy standards just another thing to do? We got you.
The Student Handouts consist of reading passage, an informational graphic, associated vocabulary, comprehension questions, and a word puzzle. All answer keys included.
Use it as a Bellringer Activity, Class Finisher, or save it for a Sub or on those interrupted/shortened schedule days that inevitably come up.
WHEN and HOW do I get my files?
- NEW RELEASES EVERY SUNDAY. Each Sunday at noon (Eastern) the new releases for the week will be available.
- LOG IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT. If you are not logged in with the email associated with the membership, then you won't be able to add the files to your cart.
- CHECKOUT FOR ACCESS. Yes, you still have to go through the checkout process for the files you want. As a member, there is no charge BUT they will not be added to your files until you do.
- HOW LONG WILL I HAVE ACCESS? Depending on your membership, you will be able to add new releases to your account from the current week (Standard Access), from the current month (Premium Access), or for the entire school year (Extended Access). As long as you add the product to your account, it will always be in your downloads regardless of your access level. If you don't add it by the end of the week/month/year, then you will loose access to it.
- NEW RELEASE EMAILS. Every Sunday you will receive an email with a link to the new releases. (Don't see an email? Check your Junk/Spam folder. Sometimes filters put this kind of auto response email there.) You can also simply go to the And Another Thing menu tab and see them there.
Paying for an ANNUAL Membership By Purchase Order?
- Digital files are not available until we have a signed PO. So access to the files will not be available immediately. Be sure follow instructions in the order confirmation email to get your files as quickly as possible.
- The email that was entered for the order is THE ONE THAT WILL RECEIVE ACCESS LINK. The server only acknowledges that person, they are the Chosen One. But we can always change it. Plus those awesome business office folks really want you to have that link anyhow. Just email orders@onelessthing.net and we'll fix you right up.
How the MONTHLY Membership Works
Subscriptions are automatically renewed each month on the same day that you made the initial order.
For example, if you joined the monthly membership on the 10th of the month, then the system will automatically charge your credit card each month on the 10th.
Can I pause or cancel a MONTHLY Membership?
Yes, of course. You can pause or cancel a subscription any time you want in the customer portal.
The customer portal can be accessed through the link you received in the email that was sent to you when you placed the initial membership order. You can also access your membership from your account page.
If you pause your membership, you will not have access to any new releases until you reactivate your account.
How the ANNUAL Membership Works
The Annual Membership (Extended Access) is a one time payment. Because of the nature of digital products, you can not cancel the membership once it has been paid. HOWEVER...no card is kept on file. Annual Memberships will not auto renew so you will not be charged again.
This is Digital Download so HOW do I get the files?
- At Checkout. As soon as the purchase is approved, download buttons will appear on the Order Confirmation Page.
- By Email. You will also receive an email with a link to download your purchased files. (Don't see an email? Check your Junk/Spam folder. Sometimes filters put this kind of auto response email there.)
- In Your Account. Log in to your account (upper right corner of the site). That will take you to your Orders page. There is an "Access Digital Content" button in the upper right corner of the page. Click it and you will see all the files you have available to download.