Tag: weaning (Page 2 of 3)

Some simple guidelines on how to deal with a cull

Some simple guidelines on how to deal with a cullDeciding which cows to cull is not an easy task for most producers. Sometimes their personal feelings about that particular animal get in the way. There are even sometimes they do not even know which ones are underperforming and which ones need to be kept.

The current conditions that we have been dealing with for the last year or so are making the need to cull even more needed. There simply are not enough forages to keep every animal. Not to mention the prospect of very tight hay supplies this winter makes the prospect of feeding even more difficult

Just because you are getting rid of an animal does not mean that it is worthless. Cull cows represent about 20% of the gross income of any commercial cow operation. Here are some simple guidelines that you can follow to get the most return from your culled animals.

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5 steps to start calves the right way

5 steps to start calves the right wayYou can feel it in the air, the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting cooler. It will soon be the time that most producers do their fall processing. They will be running their cows through the chutes and for any spring-born calves they will be weaning them from their mommas.

Much like during the spring this can be a very busy time for producers. With all of the doctoring and separating that is going on can be hard to keep track of what is going on. However, now is not the time to slouch when it comes to your calf crop.

What you do here can determine the productivity of your fall calves. This will be a stressful time for them so whatever you can do to alleviate as much of that as possible will be helpful. Here are 5 steps that you can follow to get your calves going in the right direction.

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Controlling shrinkage in order to reduce profit loss

controlling shrinkage in order to reduce profit lossShrinkage is a very real concern when it comes time to sell your calves. This is because it is a reduction in the sales weight, which means a reduction in the price that you will get. Of course, some adjustments in price are common in order to compensate for varying shrinkage and gut fill.

The thing is that some shrinkage is to be expected but too high of levels can indicate a problem. Abnormal levels of shrink can often be used as a health indicator for calves. Places like receiving facilities at stocker operations, grow yards, and feedlots use this to determine which calves may need more care.

Experienced buyers and sellers in the cattle market are well aware of this trend. They use this knowledge to make adjustments so cattle are priced accordingly. In order to get fair prices for your cattle, it is a good idea to know the factors that go into shrinkage.

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Preventing BRD from damaging your profits

preventing brd from damaging your profitsBRD, or bovine respiratory disease, is a general term for any respiratory disease in cattle. There is a range of factors that can cause this disease. The common names normally used for this disease are pneumonia or shipping fever. Stocker and feedlot operations are often where this disease occurs. This is because of the extreme stress that calves are put under from weaning and then being shipped.

This disease has multiple different causes and develops as a result of complex interactions between different factors. Things such as environmental factors, host factors, and pathogens. The environmental factors are things like weaning, transport, commingling, and crowding to name a few. These factors serve as stressors that adversely affect the immune system of calves.

While feedlot and stocker operations are normally affected by this it can also happen to cow/calf producers. Almost 20% of cow/calf operations experience nursing-calf pneumonia. It is the leading cause of death for calves 3 weeks of age and older. To keep your calves right on track consider these 4 tips to keep BRD under control.

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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:

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3 tips to avoid failure in breeding season nutrition

3 tips to avoiding failure in breeding season nutritionBreeding 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 get back into 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.

This is the type of cycle that is expected in order for a cow to be considered profitable. If she does not provide a calf every year or 2 then she is not getting a return on what the producer is spending on her. With the ever-increasing input costs that producers have been seeing over the last year not getting a return on investment is not an option.

The key to getting your cows bred again is adequate nutrition. There are some considerations to look at in order to meet her nutritional demands. The things you should be looking at are the quality and quantity of forage consumed, her nutrient requirements, and understanding what feed options are available to you.

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Ways to deal with drought and high prices

ways to deal with drought and high pricesThe threat of drought this year is a real problem for most of the country. Many of us have seen severely less than average rainfall and it has put a strain on our businesses. The most frustrating thing about it is that drought is one of the few things that we as humans have absolutely no control over.

And if things could not have seemed worse we are also seeing higher than normal prices for the inputs that we need such as fuel, fertilizer, and even grain. A combination of the drought and high feed prices will result in greater cow/calf costs across the country. What makes this a real problem is that agriculture is one of the few industries where the profit margin is very thin.

With these current problems many producers are asking themselves how they will be to make. They are wondering if they are even gonna be in operation next year. Though you can’t always control what is happening there are ways that you can make it more tolerable for you. Here are 4 things that you can do to help you make it through this:\

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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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5 tips on how to properly handle drought conditions

5 tips on how to properly handle drought conditionsDrought 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 however 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 part of normal climate variability. The duration of 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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5 Weaning Tips for Calf Success

5 weaning tips for calf successWeaning is one of the most important times for a cattle producer. It is a time for all of their hard work begins to pay off with a nice large calf crop. Though it may be of a benefit to the producer it doesn’t come without it’s problems.

It is also considered one of the most stressful times in the life of that calf. During this time they are exposed to various stressors that include being removed from the momma, physiological changes, castration, vaccination, dehorning, and the list goes on. With all of this going on it is no wonder that often times calves suffer from all sorts of maladies.

These various stressors can result in tremendous challenges to the calf’s short-term and long-term health and performance. Studies have shown that calves the get sick or become sick during the first 30 days of weaning typically have lower daily gains, and increased costs of gain.

So with the importance that weaning plays in that calf’s life it is important that you get it started on the right foot. The steps that you take now can have an impact that will last the rest of it’s life. But how can you go about doing that? Here are 5 tips you can follow to make sure that happens.

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