Don’t risk abortions this winter: Double check your cow herd vitamin A supplementation plans

Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist This year, cow liver stores of vitamin A going into winter in areas affected by drought, may not be sufficient to meet the cow’s needs. Photo credit Troy Walz. Pasture mature and brown early due to drought? If so, then don’t forget to make sure you are supplementing enough Vitamin A. Green grass has a lot of vitamin A. In fact, cows typically build up stores…

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Selecting Replacement Heifers Based on Birth Date and Age of Dam

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator Photo credit Aaron Berger. Two research studies at the University of Nebraska by Dr. Rick Funston, beef reproductive physiologist at the West Central Research and Extension Center, suggest that the key information needed to identify heifers most likely to be successful as replacements is known the day the heifers are born. The 2012 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report “Effect of Calving Period on Heifer Progeny” (PDF 140KB) and…

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Selecting and Developing Replacement Heifers

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator Bred heifers are valuable and represent the future of your herd. Photo credit Aaron Berger. Fall is the time of year when many cow-calf producers make their replacement heifer selections and begin planning for the development of those heifers into bred females. The following are tips for selecting and developing replacement heifers. Selection The following are suggestions for replacement heifer selection from Dr. Jim Gosey, Beef Specialist…

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Keeping an Eye on Body Condition in Fall Calving Cows

Karla H. Wilke, UNL Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management While body condition is critical for all lactating cows going into the breeding season, this is especially important for the fall calving cow. Photo credit Troy Walz. With much of the eastern and western borders of Nebraska in a drought, producers with fall calving cows need to be especially mindful of body condition on fall calving cows. In Nebraska, most fall calving herds actually…

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Limit Feeding Cows Corn as an Alternative to Hay

While hay is often used to feed cows through the winter, current prices make corn a competitive option to feeding hay. Photo credit Troy Walz. Feed costs make up the largest expense in a cow-calf operation. While hay is often used to feed cows through the winter, current prices make corn a competitive option to feeding hay. Considering corn has a higher energy content than hay, the cost of feeding hay is often…

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Choosing a Method for Pregnancy Diagnosis

Rick Funston, Nebraska Extension Beef Cattle Reproductive Physiologist Pregnancy diagnosis is a very valuable tool in the beef industry. Photo courtesy of Troy Walz. Previous research has shown the benefit of pregnancy diagnosis and how it adds to a producer’s bottom line. Keeping one cow over winter can cost $100-$200 in feed and supplements so removing open cows can help decrease winter feed costs. Pregnancy diagnosis is a very valuable tool in the…

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K-State experts discuss matching cattle needs to feed resources

It is important to make plans now so that cattle are able to graze late into the fall. | Download this photo. The time is now to plan ahead for fall grazing in the beef herd MANHATTAN, Kan. — Cool crisp mornings and school activities filling the calendar are two signs that fall is on the horizon. Just as families make plans, cattle producers need to be looking into their fall grazing options, according to…

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Beef genetic data tools defined

K-State beef cattle specialist explains ways to effectively use data in sire selection MANHATTAN, Kan. — In any team sport, members contribute their physical strengths to help achieve the goal for the common good. It is hard for an athlete to be the best in all aspects of the game. In much the same way, bulls that excel in maternal traits are not always the ones that reach the top of chart for…

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Valuing Bred Beef Heifers

Dr. Andrew Griffith, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee Several weeks ago, there was a discussion on rules of thumb for valuing bred beef heifers. This led to a question this week about rules of thumb related to valuing bred cows and their appreciation and depreciation. There are no rules of thumb, but there was some research performed at Oklahoma State University that can be helpful in determining…

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Adding Value to Cull Cows

Stephen Boyles, OSU Extension Beef Specialist Approximately 10 to 20 percent of the returns to a cow-calf operation are from selling cull cows in the fall. There are four factors that need to be considered to obtain profit from feeding cull cows. First, the cows have to be thin but healthy. Second, the buy/sell margin should be positive. Third, cost of gain should be relatively cheap. The odds of a profit are increased…

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