If you’ve ever been outside during a West Texas summer, you know the heat comes on strong and stays put. Now picture young calves facing that same heat, all while wearing a thick coat, weighing a few hundred pounds, and still learning how their bodies work. This is what young calves go through, which is why hot weather can catch them off guard faster than most people think. What seems like a regular summer day to us can quickly become a real challenge for a calf trying to stay cool and keep growing.Heat stress in calves is more than just uncomfortable. It directly affects how well they grow. When calves get too hot, they eat less, gain weight more slowly, and are more likely to get sick. In severe cases, it can even lead to losses that hurt both your herd and your profits. Young calves can’t control their body temperature as well as older cattle, so managing them in the summer is especially important. The good news is you don’t need fancy equipment or complex systems to prevent heat stress. Focusing on a few key areas and making smart, timely changes can make a big difference.
With hotter months coming, now is the time to get ahead of the problem. Making a few practical changes with shade, water, feeding, and herd care can really improve calf health and growth. In the next sections, we’ll share simple, proven ways to help your calves stay cooler, healthier, and growing strong all summer.
If you want to really understand your pasture conditions right now, don’t just look at the grass, watch the weeds, too. In May, everything becomes more obvious across West Texas and the Southern Plains. You can see what grew well with early moisture, what got grazed too much, and what’s been slowly going downhill. This is one of your best chances to check pasture health before summer stress hits.
Breeding season can make or break your operation, and most of the outcome is set before it even begins. A strong calf crop doesn’t happen by chance; it comes from early decisions that affect conception rates and weaning weights. For cow-calf producers, good breeding-season prep is one of the best ways to improve profits and move your herd forward.
Have you ever noticed that two ranches can feed what seem like the same cattle on similar pasture, but still get very different results? It’s frustrating, and it usually has less to do with the cattle or the grass than most people think. More often, it comes down to something less obvious: how the cattle feeding program is set up.
If your cattle feeding program in May is the same as it was in February, you could be losing money without realizing it. Around this time in West Texas and the Southern Plains, many producers think green grass means nutrition is covered. But that’s often when performance drops and feed dollars start to go to waste.
Every April in West Texas, there’s a window where it feels like things are finally starting to work in your favor again. The grass is greening up, cattle are grazing aggressively, and after months of feeding hay, it looks like your pastures are ready to carry the load. You open the gate, turn cows out, and for a while, it seems like you’ve got more than enough forage to get through the spring. From the surface, everything points to a strong start.
Most producers pay attention to protein and energy when thinking about cattle nutrition. But if you only focus on those, you might miss out on better performance. A good mineral program is essential, even though it’s often ignored. Minerals are needed in small amounts, but they have a big impact on reproduction, immune health, and overall results. They’re like small but essential tools: easy to forget, but nothing works right without them. If you want better conception rates, stronger calves, and steady gains, mineral supplements are a must.
Every spring in West Texas, there’s a point where calving is mostly behind you, and things finally start to settle down. Calves are on the ground, pairs are turned out, and after a long winter, it feels like you’ve made it through the hardest part of the season. The grass is starting to green up, cows are grazing again, and from a distance, the herd looks like it’s in good shape. This is often when producers feel like they can take a breath and let things run.
Each spring in West Texas, there’s a brief period when everything comes together. Pastures turn green, cattle move to fresh grass, and after a long winter, it finally feels like the grass is pulling its weight again. Cows graze eagerly, the forage looks plentiful, and it seems like you’re ready for a great grazing season. Many producers feel this is the time to relax and let the pasture do the work.
Pinkeye in cattle spreads quickly and can turn from a small issue into a problem for the whole herd. It moves from animal to animal through direct contact and flies, especially face flies. That’s why it’s important to spot it early and act fast. What begins as mild tearing or irritation can lead to cloudy eyes, ulcers, or even blindness if not treated right away. Once pinkeye takes hold, it’s much tougher and takes more time to control, so catching it early is your best bet.
