Breeding season preparations are crucial for any cow/calf producer’s bottom line. Their steps will determine if they will have a good calf crop. Good quality calves to sell are the defining factor between a successful and a not successful rancher.
Creating a successful breeding season starts with making the right management decisions before and during the calving season. The steps you take now will determine if you will be going into the season on the right footing or if you have to play catch up (which will be more expensive in the end).
For a cow to produce a calf every year, she must be rebred 80 days after she has calved. The 80 days may not seem like a short time, but you must remember that she will not be going into estrus for at least 30 days after that calf is born, so your window is a little shorter.
So what can you do to prepare for an outstanding breeding season? Well, here are three things that you can look at to improve your chances of having a large calf crop.
Drought is one of those things that every cattle producer will have to deal with at some point. It ranks right up there with Death and Taxes. Like those two, though it is unavoidable, it is also something that most producers need to prepare for.
There is one constant in the livestock industry, if you have animals then you will have to build a fence. Fencing is a barrier to keeping your animals where you want them and keeping predators out.
Feed costs remain the single largest expense for any cattle producer. Depending on different factors this expense can easily be half of the total annual expenses for a rancher.
Trying to control flies that are on your cattle can be a very frustrating endeavor, to say the least. It can often feel like an uphill climb with no rest in sight. No matter what you seem to do they just keep coming back year after year.
Breeding season is a very important time on the ranch. We begin with the hope of making a new calf crop to keep the ranch going. In order to have a good calf crop, you will need to make sure that all, or at least 90%, of your cows, will be bred.
Having the right replacement heifers is important for the long-term profitability of any ranch. It is necessary to be able to rotate the breeding stock out to improve the overall genetic gene pool. Also, cows will get to a point where they will be too old to breed anymore. When this happens you will need to have new stock ready to take their place.
Knowing when to assist with calving can be a very tricky matter. It requires a delicate balance between not acting too quickly and not reacting too late. Finding this balance can require a lot of experience and maybe a little bit of luck.
2023 is right around the corner. With the current year ending, we are drawn to look back and reflect. As the new year approaches it brings with it the promise of things getting better than what we have experienced.
Education is one of the most valuable resources for anyone. It is also the investment that will pay the highest dividend when used correctly. Books are a very good resource for education. The thing to remember is that though you may no longer be in school education does not end during your life.
