Having calves weaned early is often something that occurs during periods of low forage quality. Early weaning typically happens during extremely dry periods, such as what typically happens in many Western states. But what exactly does it mean to wean early?
Early weaning is usually defined as weaning calves before they are 150 days of age. In some more extreme cases, they can be weaned even earlier, at 45 days. Weaning that early rarely happens, so more commonly, early-weaned calves are over 80 days old.
As I mentioned earlier, early weaning can benefit producers facing a drought. It can also be helpful when cows are in a confinement system. Also, as a body condition management tool for old and young cows.
It is a valuable tool because once you take the calf off of the cow, her nutritional demands go down. Once she no longer has the demands of lactation, a producer can maintain her on poor-quality forages with little to no supplement needed. Continue reading
Gut health is one of the often underutilized components of a successful operation. Sure, people have a basic understanding of it when it comes to nutrients and their absorption, but that is usually as far as it goes. Producers often need to fully understand what it entails or even what factors can influence it.
Breeding season puts a lot of demands on cows. During this time, she is expected to provide adequate nutrition for her calf while her body recovers from giving birth. Then she is expected to return to estrus just before she is bred again. All of this is expected to occur within 90 days after calving to maintain a yearly calving interval.
Trich, or the more scientific name Trichomoniasis, is a severe economic problem for cattle producers. Some of the problems it can cause are a reduced calf crop and lower weaning weights. It can cause this because it makes your breeding cows infertile and possibly causes a more extended breeding season.
Weaning time is once again upon us. It is a magical time when everything runs smoothly. Also, absolutely nothing wrong ever….. 
The threat of drought in any year is a real problem for most of the country. Many of us have seen severely less than average rainfall, which has strained our businesses. The most frustrating thing about it is that drought is one of the few things we, humans, have no control over.
Internal parasites are a problem that every beef producer must face. It is a constant annoyance that can rob a beef operation of its productivity. They impair production by increasing things like energy costs of maintenance, diet digestibility, and immune activity.
Water is an essential part of life. A certain amount is certainly needed for growth, fetal development, lactation, and overall production. But unfortunately, despite its importance, it is something that can be overlooked very easily by producers.
Summer pneumonia, sometimes referred to as pasture pneumonia, is a disease that is usually observed in calves on pasture late in summer. It can affect calves that have yet to be weaned from just one-month-old to even five months of age. The issue with this disease is that not much is known about it, and it can pop up from nowhere.
It is weaning time again out on the range. Weaning is the time of year when you, as a rancher, see the fruits of your labor. Labors, such as with your breeding programs. But that does beg the question about success.
