Tag: cull

How to care for your bulls in the offseason

How to care for your bulls in the offseasonThe bulls in your herd need as much care and attention during this time of year as your cows. You must take steps during this time to ensure they are ready for the next breeding season. It is always a good idea to get started now so you will have plenty of time to make adjustments.

Though their job for the year may be done, their management does not end. Where and how you will keep bulls over the winter months should be considered. It is also a good idea to look at your operation and decide if even keeping him or replacing him is needed.

What you do during this time can impact the readiness of your spring breeding season. If the bull is not in the right shape, he will not be servicing the cows. If the cows are not getting serviced, then that means that next year’s calf crop will be limited. Here are some things that you can do to make sure that he is ready to go.

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How to use early pregnancy diagnosis to make better decisions

How to use early pregnancy diagnosis to make better decisionsEarly pregnancy detection with your herd is a tool that producers can use to increase profits. It is essential for a producer to know early if their replacement heifers or even cows are bred. Knowing this bit of information can save you a lot of money from wasting supplements for cows that are not producing.

While it may not seem like it, the cold nights of calving season will be here before you know it. Now is the time to start preparing for the arrival of the 2023 calf crop. September is a good month for pregnancy testing your cow herd. Finding out which cows are pregnant and which are not will keep you from feeding a cow all winter, only to find out she will not provide a calf.

When it comes to pregnancy detection tests, there are two categories: Direct and Indirect. Feeling or even seeing the pregnancy are considered direct methods. Using chemical markers such as blood tests fits the indirect category. As with anything, you should look at all the options and choose the one that best fits your needs.

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A better way of destocking for economic purposes

A better way of destocking for economic purposesDestocking is a prevalent practice during a drought. Doing this is rarely easy to do and will still cost you most of the time. However, drought is a common consequence of ranching, so it will still need to be made. It is important to include plans for when droughts occur so producers are always prepared.

The object of making this decision is to preserve any potential forage growth when the rains come back. It requires maximizing the options available to you by keeping an eye on current and future forage supplies and animal demand. Making these choices early enough will be less severe than waiting too long.

In order to be effective, you must look at your overall goal as well as some guidelines that you should follow. Now is the time that you must take a very pragmatic look at your herd. Letting your personal views make your decisions can end up costing you in the end. Here are some things to consider when looking at destocking:

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Importance of taking care of your bull in the offseason

Importance of taking care of your bull in the offseasonThe bull in your herd needs just as much care and attention during this time of year as your cows. You must take steps during this time to make sure that they are ready for the next breeding season. It is always a good idea to get started now so you will have plenty of time to make adjustments.

Though their job for the year may be done their management does not end. Things like where and how you will keep bulls over the winter months should be considered. It is also a good idea to look at your operation and decide if even keeping him or replacing him is needed.

What you do during this time can impact the readiness of your spring breeding season. If the bull is not in the right shape he will not be servicing the cows. If the cows are not getting serviced then that means that next year’s calf crop will be limited. Here are some things that you can do to make sure that he is ready to go.

Continue reading

Using early pregnancy diagnosis to make better management decisions

using early pregnancy diagnosis to make better management decisionsEarly pregnancy detection with your herd is a tool that producers can use to increase profits. It is of importance for a producer to know early if their replacement heifers or even cows are bred. Knowing this bit of information can save you a lot of money from wasting supplements for cows that are not producing.

While it may not seem like it the cold nights of calving season will be here before you know it. Now is the time to start preparing for the arrival of the 2023 calf crop. September is a good month for pregnancy testing your cow herd. Finding out which cows are pregnant and which ones are not will keep you from feeding a cow all winter to only find out she will not be providing a calf.

When it comes to pregnancy detection tests there are 2 categories: Direct and Indirect. Feeling or even seeing the pregnancy are considered direct methods. Using chemical markers such as blood tests fits the indirect category. As with anything you should look at all of the options and go with the one that best fits your needs.

Continue reading

How destocking can ease your pain

how destocking can ease your painDestocking is a very common practice during a drought. They are rarely easy to make and will still cost you most of the time. However, because drought is a common consequence of ranching it will still need to be made. It is important to include plans for when droughts occur so producers are never caught unprepared.

The object of making this decision is to preserve any potential forage growth when the rains come back. It requires maximizing the options available to you by keeping an eye on current and future forage supplies and animal demand. Making these choices early enough will be less severe than waiting too long.

In order to be effective, you must look at your overall goal as well as some guidelines that you should follow. Now is the time that you must take a very pragmatic look at your herd. Letting your personal views make your decisions can end up costing you in the end. Here are some things to consider when looking at destocking:

Continue reading

5 tips on how to handle drought affected pastures

5 tips on how to handle drought affected pasturesDrought 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. Just like those two though it is unavoidable it is also something that most producers find themselves unprepared for.

But what is drought? Drought is simply a deficiency in precipitation over an extended period of time and is a part of normal climate variability. The duration of a drought can vary widely from just a matter of weeks to months or even years. Although hurricanes and tornadoes are more dramatic droughts are among the most costly weather-related events.

Since these are slow-moving and don’t usually involve direct property damage we tend to underestimate the effects of drought. This is the wrong way to look at it as I mentioned above. A study done by FEMA back in 1995 concluded that droughts cost the United States an average of $6 to $8 billion per year.

Now that I have gotten you good and scared, sorry about that by the way, you may be asking yourself “How can I mitigate the effects that drought will have on my place?”. Well fear not, I have 5 tips here that you can follow to make the economic impact a little more bearable for you.

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