Tag: feed (Page 1 of 2)

How to improve selecting replacement heifers the right way

How to improve selecting replacement heifers the right wayHaving suitable replacement heifers is vital for the long-term profitability of any ranch. It is necessary to be able to rotate the breeding stock out to improve the overall genetic gene pool. Also, cows will get to a point where they will be too old to breed anymore. When this happens, you must have new stock ready to take their place.

When it comes to having replacement heifers, there are two ways you can go: buy or raise them. Most producers tend to grow their own, but buying them can also be an option. When it comes to deciding which to go with, like with any choice, it is crucial to weigh the pros and cons to determine which is best for your situation.

Selecting the most economical source for your replacement heifers is vital to you. There is no point in going with an option that will only cost you more money in the long run. One of the first things you must do is look at your current facilities. Here are some things that you can look at when deciding on either to buy or raise:

Continue reading

5 tips to become really successful at calf weaning

5 tips to become really successful at calf weaningWeaning is one of the most critical times for a cattle producer. It is a time for all of their hard work begins to pay off with an excellent large calf crop. Though it may be of benefit to the producer, it comes with its problems.

It is also considered one of the most stressful times in that calf’s life. During this time, they are exposed to various stressors that include being removed from the momma, physiological changes, castration, vaccination, dehorning, and the list goes on. With all of this going on, it is no wonder that calves often suffer from all sorts of maladies.

These various stressors can result in tremendous challenges to the calf’s short-term and long-term health and performance. Studies have shown that calves that get sick or become sick during the first 30 days of weaning typically have lower daily gains and increased costs of growth.

So with the importance that weaning plays in that calf’s life, it is essential that you get it started on the right foot. The steps that you take now can have an impact that will last the rest of your life. But how can you go about doing that? Here are five tips you can follow to make sure that happens.

Continue reading

How to better manage early weaned calves

How to better manage early weaned calvesHaving calves weaned early is often something that occurs during periods of low forage quality. Early weaning typically happens during extremely dry periods, such as what typically happens in many Western states. But what exactly does it mean to wean early?

Early weaning is usually defined as weaning calves before they are 150 days of age. In some more extreme cases, they can be weaned even earlier, at 45 days. Weaning that early rarely happens, so more commonly, early-weaned calves are over 80 days old.

As I mentioned earlier, early weaning can benefit producers facing a drought. It can also be helpful when cows are in a confinement system. Also, as a body condition management tool for old and young cows.

It is a valuable tool because once you take the calf off of the cow, her nutritional demands go down. Once she no longer has the demands of lactation, a producer can maintain her on poor-quality forages with little to no supplement needed. Continue reading

How to improve production by avoiding 3 common weaning mistakes

How to improve production by avoiding 3 common weaning mistakesIt is weaning time again out on the range. Weaning is the time of year when you, as a rancher, see the fruits of your labor. Labors, such as with your breeding programs. But that does beg the question about success.

What does success or failure mean when it comes to weaning? That is a tricky question to answer because different people have different answers to this. It is up to the individual and their production goals to determine what is a successful weaning.

There may be different ideas on how to wean your calves, but the goal is still the same. You want to wean every calf you have with the minimum loss to your crop. It would be best to get your calves started off on the right foot to accomplish this.

Starting your calves off right is one of the most important things that you can do. Doing so will ensure that calf’s lifelong production success. The first 30-45 days after weaning are the most stressful in that calf’s life. In order to make it as smooth as possible with their transition, you will need to avoid three common problems.

Continue reading

How to not worry about accurately selecting replacement heifers

How to not worry about accurately selecting replacement heifersHaving the right replacement heifers is important for the long-term profitability of any ranch. It is necessary to be able to rotate the breeding stock out to improve the overall genetic gene pool. Also, cows will get to a point where they will be too old to breed anymore.  When this happens you will need to have new stock ready to take their place.

When it comes to having replacement heifers there are 2 ways you can go: buy or raise them. Most producers tend to raise their own but buying them can also be an option. When it comes to deciding which to go with, like with any option, it is important to weigh the pros and cons to determine which is best for your situation.

Selecting the most economical source for your replacement heifers is of vital importance to you. There is no point in going with an option that will only cost you more money in the long run. One of the first things that you will need to do is look at your current facilities.  Here are some things that you can look at when deciding on either to buy or raise:

Continue reading

This is what your feed tag is actually telling you

This is what your feed tag is actually telling youA feed tag is a very informative but often overlooked item on a commercially produced feed. Other than looking at the Crude protein or maybe the energy content not many people really look at them. With some of the confusing numbers and such listed on them, it is understandable how that can happen.

Attached to every bag of feed is this little colored tag. In these modern times, many regional or national feed companies now provide the same information on their websites. Tags contain vital information such as the product weight, guaranteed analysis, and list of ingredients. and feeding instructions. The feeding instructions tell you how best to use the product.

Now while initially what is on the feed tag can be overwhelming, the information is typically pretty to the point. If you have ever looked at one and felt that you needed a Ph.D. to understand fear not for I am here to help. I will be giving you a breakdown of each section and what they mean.

Continue reading

Myth about cattle and the environment exposed

Myth about cattle and the environment exposedWhen it comes to the cattle industry there are many myths floating around the internet. Many of these are simply misunderstandings but mostly from a lack of knowledge. One where chocolate milk comes from brown cows is one that immediately comes to mind. Now while some may be innocent there are some that are spread by people with more than malicious intent.

Part of the reason that many of these myths are still around is because of the growing disconnect between people and where their food comes from. When I was back in college it was stated that the average person is around 3 generations removed from the farm. How many times have we seen people online comment thinking that meat is made at the store?

A good way to combat this is through education. We as an industry need to do a better job of providing the correct information to the public. It is through this misinformed public that we have the anti-agriculture folks spreading myths or downright lies, to the people. One such myth that always seems to pop up is the one about cattle and the environment. Here is some information to counter that.

Continue reading

Improve your production by avoiding these 3 common weaning problems

improve your production by avoiding these 3 common weaning problemsIt is weaning time again out on the range. This is the time of year that you as a rancher get to see the fruits of your labor. Labors such as with your breeding programs. But that does beg the question about success.

What does success or failure mean when it comes to weaning? That is a tough question to answer because different people have different answers to this. Really it is up to the individual and what their production goals are to determine what is a successful weaning.

There may be different ideas on how to wean your calves but the goal is still the same. You want to wean every calf that you have with the most minimum loss to your calf crop. In order to accomplish this, you will need to get your calves started off on the right foot.

Starting your calves off right is probably one of the most important things that you can do. Doing so will ensure that calf’s lifelong production success. The first 30-45 days after weaning are the most stressful in that calf’s life. In order to make it as smooth as possible with their transition, you will need to avoid 3 common problems.

Continue reading

The economics of creep feeding

economics of creep feedingCreep feeding can be a very useful tool for producers raising young calves. Using this tool can both improve your overall bottom line as well as your profitability. Not to mention also helping calves in being more productive.

What this tool is able to do is add a few more pounds on your calves which can translate to more dollars for you when it comes to sale time. Also, it has been shown to make weaning a little bit less stressful for them. It can almost seem like creep feeding is a no-brainer but unfortunately, like with everything else with ranching, it is not always that simple.

Like with everything there are pros and cons to using it. It is up to each producer individually to decide if it is something that will work for them or not. Not only must you look if it will work from a production standpoint but you must also see if it will make sense financially. Here are some things to consider:

Continue reading

How to read a feed tag

how to read a feed tagA feed tag is a very informative but often overlooked item on a commercially produced feed. Other than looking at the Crude protein or maybe the energy content not many people really look at them. With some of the confusing numbers and such listed on them, it is understandable how that can happen.

Attached to every bag of feed is this little colored tag. With these modern times, many regional or national feed companies now provide the same information on their websites. Tags contain vital information such as the product weight, guaranteed analysis, list of ingredients. and feeding instructions. The feeding instructions tell you how best to use the product.

Now while the information on the feed tag can be overwhelming, the information is typically pretty to the point. If you have ever looked at one and felt that you needed a Ph.D. to understand fear not for I am here to help. I will be giving you a breakdown of each section and what they mean.

Continue reading

« Older posts