Dr. Michelle Arnold, UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Every year, the UKVDL receives calves that died suddenly in the first week of life, usually with few or no symptoms. Often the owner will describe the situation this way: “calves will nurse, be 2-3 days old and found dead” or “calf was 3-5 days old, lying around more than normal and nursing very little, found dead the next day”. At necropsy (an animal “autopsy”), the…
Olivia Amundson SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist For most, weaning is in the books and pregnancy detection is complete or soon to be underway. Now is the time to pay attention to those pregnant cows out on crop residue or grass. While these females may be the last thing on your mind, this time is critical for her success the following year. Annual Cow Cycle Cow calf operations are more profitable when cows…
K-State to host four events around Kansas focused on providing tips to help producer prepare for calving season. MANHATTAN, Kan. – In anticipation of calving season, Kansas State University Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State Research and Extension are planning a series of calving schools throughout the month of January. The program will outline overall calving management that includes stages of the normal calving process as well as tips to handle difficult calving situations.…
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…
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…
Olivia Amundson SDSU Extension Cow/Calf Field Specialist Cows that calve on time are the number one indicator that cattle within that operation fit the managerial program. This happens simply from timely reproduction. Reproductive performance of an operation is important to the overall success and bottom line of that operation. Benchmarking may be beneficial as it can help focus limited management time on critical areas of an individual’s beef cow business. This year may…
Dr. Les Anderson, Extension Beef Specialist, University of Kentucky Maintaining a controlled breeding and calving season can be one of the most important management tools for cow-calf producers. A uniform, heavier, and more valuable calf crop is one key reason for keeping the breeding season short. Plus, more efficient cow supplementation and cow herd health programs are products of a short breeding season. However, converting from a year-long breeding season to a shortened…
The average return for an extra 100 pounds of cow weight is five to seven pounds of additional weight of the calf at weaning.. K-State beef cattle specialists discuss factors that influence the most efficient cow size MANHATTAN, Kan. – Genetics, feed resources and calf marketing windows are just some of the influencing factors that determine the optimum size for cows to grow, according to the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute’s team…
Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator Now is a good time to review estrus synchronization protocols and develop a plan for this year. Photo credit Troy Walz. For most producers the spring breeding season is still a ways off, but now is a good time to review estrus synchronization protocols and develop a plan for this year. There are several Extension resources that can be helpful in preparing for the upcoming breeding season.…
G.A. Perry, South Dakota State UniversityM.F. Smith, University of MissouriRick Funston, Nebraska Extension Beef Cattle Reproductive Physiologist Maximizing the proportion of cows that conceive early in the breeding season cannot be overemphasized in a beef herd. Photo courtesy of Troy Walz. Artificial insemination (AI) is the most powerful tool cow-calf producers have to improve beef cattle genetics. Still, they have been slow to adopt this technology due to the time and labor of…