BeefTalk: The Goal is 97 Percent Live Calves
Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service
Calving season is the current main activity for many ranchers, and calving season is the time when most calves die. Low calf death loss is the measurement of calving success. So what would one expect?
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Important to Prepare Replacements for Breeding
Paul Beck
Cattle Today
Replacement heifers should be bred at 15 months of age in order to calve for the first time as a two-year-old so that they can be a contributing (and profitable) part of our cowherd. Additionally, heifers that give birth early in their first calving season tend to calve early in subsequent calving seasons. Heifers that breed early and subsequently calve early are usually the most reproductively efficient females and will transfer this improved fertility to their offspring, increasing the reproductive efficiency of the entire cowherd.
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National Western Reimagined
Jena McRell
Angus Journal
The news spread fast across the convention floor as reports came in that
Denver voters approved a tourism tax including funding for a reimagined National Western Stock Show (NWSS) complex.
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Evaluate udder soundness soon after calving to use as culling criteria
Glenn Selk
Feedlot Magazine
Every year at “preg” checking time, ranchers evaluate cows and make decisions as which to remove from the herd. One criteria that should be examined to cull cows is udder quality. Beef cattle producers are not as likely to think about udder health and shape as are dairy producers, but this attribute affects cow productivity and should be considered.
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8 Tips for Selecting Replacement Heifers
Bruce Treffer
Drovers
When going into the heifer pen to decide which of the calves stay in the operation and which are sold, producers are making choices that affect the profitability of their herd for years to come. A crystal ball would sure come in handy as we never really know the outcome of alternate choices.
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Livestock Loss to Fires
Glynn T. Tonsor
Ohio Beef Cattle Letter
One of the issues receiving significant attention in KS and OK is the broader impact of widespread fires impacting multiple counties, thousands of acres, and a yet to be tallied number of livestock. While the adverse impact on those directly affected is certainly real in both financial and emotional ways, it is also important to step back and examine any broader, cattle market impacts.
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Fly Control Tips
Dr. Lew Strickland
University of Tennessee
Now that warm weather has arrived, everyone will start to focus on all the chores that have to be done to “gear” up for the upcoming season, including fly control. Fly infestation reduces performance and the economic loss from each horn fly biting an animal 30 times/day can also be substantial.
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Veterinary Feed Directive: Expiration vs. Duration of Use
Kristin Lewis Hawkins
The Cattleman
Beginning in 2017, the purchase and use of any drug intended for use in animal feed will require the authorization of a veterinarian for treatment of a specific disease or illness as required by the drug’s label.
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Missouri Steer Feedout provides cow-calf raisers opportunity to make better breeding stock decisions
High Plains Journal
“The cattle will all be fed together in a southwest Iowa feedlot that cooperates with the Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity Cooperative. Missouri has used the TCSCF coop since 2001, and we have been very pleased with the data we receive,” said Cole.
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Minding your Minerals
Travis Meteer
University of Illinois
Mineral nutrition is a balancing act too. It is very delicate and much more fragile than other nutrition tasks, such as meeting protein and energy requirements. Minerals must be provided to the animal in a BALANCE.
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