August really shows you how your replacement heifers are doing.In May or June, your heifers probably looked healthy and on track. The grass was good, days were long, and there was time to make changes if needed. But when August hits West Texas and the Southern Plains, things change fast. Suddenly, the heifers do not look as even. Some are getting thin, some hang back at the water trough, and others spend more time fighting flies than grazing. The grass is still around, but now it is dry and stemmy, and it does not help them like it did earlier in the summer.
This is why August matters so much for heifer development. Replacement heifers are not just another set of calves—they are your future herd. If they fall behind now, you might see problems later like delayed puberty, poor conception, lighter calves, weak milk production, and cows that never catch up. August is not the time to guess. Take a close look, sort honestly, and make sure the heifers you want to keep are still doing well.
Internal parasites are one of those hidden problems that every beef producer has to deal with. You might not always see them, but they’re constantly working behind the scenes—dragging down productivity, health, and profits. These parasites increase maintenance energy requirements, mess with nutrient absorption, and keep the immune system working overtime. All of that adds up to lost performance.
