As anyone in the cattle production sector can tell you raising cattle can be a very complex system. There are many different factors that come into play and if there is one thing that goes wrong it can cause problems.
Say for example a disease breaks out in your herd. It will throw your whole system out of whack because you have to treat the animals and possibly quarantine them. Then there is the problem with lost production that will cause a problem with your profitability.
It is usual that when something goes wrong we simply fix the problem without fully understanding the “why?” it happened. With our lives busy enough finding the cause of the problem when something goes wrong is often not on the top of our priority list. But by understanding he why we can save time and money as well as reducing the severity if a problem does occur.
Nutrition management of your cow herd is very important during late pregnancy and early lactation. What happens during this time can not only affect your current calf crop but your future one as well. Having the cow’s nutrition needs met can reduce dystocia for the cow and improve the overall performance of the calf.
Knowing when to assist in calving can be a tricky matter. It requires a delicate balance between not reacting too quickly and not reacting too late. Finding this balance can require a lot of experience and maybe a little luck.
Balancing a ration correctly is one of the most important tools in a producer’s toolbox. Because feed costs are the major cost producing beef it can make or break an operation. Making the most efficient use of the feed put out is of utmost importance. It can make the difference between you being profitable or taking a loss,
Salt blocks come in a variety of colors, as any trip to your local feed store will tell you. The specific color of the block will tell you two things about it. One of those is what kind of nutrients are contained in it. The second one is what kind of use it is intended for.
Using a colostrum replacer or supplement can be a very confusing matter to figure out. Now ideally every one of your new calves will get up and start nursing on their own. Unfortunately we don’t live in an ideal world.
It is that time of year again: Spring Calving season. Calving season can be one of the busiest times of year for cattle producers. Along with being busy it is also one of the most important times of the year.
Weaning time is upon us again. As anyone in the cattle business will tell you it is a stressful time- for both cattle and the producer.
What does weaning success or failure mean to you? This is a tough question to answer because different people will have different answers to this. They can be as varied as the operations that raise cattle.
It is never good whenever your cattle are suffering from a disease. It can rob you of performance while increasing your expenses.
