The month of October is here and usually that means weaning spring born calves and culling for many producers across the country. During this time producers face some tough challenges when it comes to culling cows. Is she good for another year? Will she keep enough body over the winter in order to rebreed next year?
Making decisions on which animals to get rid of can be difficult without an ability to see into the future. This is where having an overall plan of where you want your operation to go comes in handy. The key is you want to sell ones that are costing you money without providing and revenue to offset the costs.
With breeding season on it’s way now is a good time to get started getting the bull ready. Usually the cows are the main focus, but what about your bulls? Are they ready to service multiple cows during the breeding timeframe? Since just one will be providing 50% of the genetic material for your next calf crop you will want to make sure that he is ready to go.
If you were to look at any operation you will find that feed costs are in the top 5 expenses. Feed costs often occupy the #1 spot in out-of-pocket expenses. With it being such a large initial expense it is usually the first to go when the budget starts to get tight. Here are some things to consider when developing a feeding program for your cow herd:
Hard to believe that we are already in September; summer is over, temperatures are getting cooler (somewhat) and the days are getting shorter. With this time of year most people are focused on weaning and getting their cows rebred for next year’s calf crop. It is also important to have a supplement program in place during this time as well.
With fall and cooler weather right around the corner it is important to give your cows their best chance going into winter. As with other seasons a cow’s nutrition requirements are different during this time of year. Here are some things you can do to help your cows going into the later part of the year:
No matter what type of operation you are, whether cow/calf or stocker, utilizing your pasture as efficiently as possible is critical. Correct pasture management is necessary to ensure that pounds produced will overcome your costs. One way to boast grazing efficiency is to achieve better grazing distribution.
As with most of the country summertime here in Texas tends to be hot and dry. Along with the weather your pastures can suffer during this time. Two common types of pasture grass people use are either a type of fescue or bermudagrass. Here are some tips for both of those to help them survive.
How confident are you that your animals are getting their fair share? Many producers wonder if they are feeding enough to get any benefit from their animals. With the social structure of the herd some more timid animals may not be able to consume enough to get any benefit. The space each animal has to eat can play a factor. When cows are given 36″ of trough space per cow all were able to eat. But giving them too much space could cause the opposite effect. When individual trough space was increased to 71″ more fighting took place.
According to the 2012 USDA census of agriculture report 86% of Texas’ cow/calf operations had 100 head or less. There has been a continuing trend over the last couple of decades where cattle operations have shrunk in size but increased in total number. You may think just because you are a small ranch that you don’t matter. But know that every producer contributes to the safest most wholesome food supply in the world. As a member of this group there are some points to consider:
Your cattle equipment plays a key role in your operation as livestock require veterinary care as well as routine health checks. It is important to select equipment and latches that will minimize risk for both producer and livestock. The equipment you are using should be designed for the task that you are doing. In order to get the most effective use of your equipment you should look at it as an investment.
