Happy New Year! Here’s to a great 2021 for you, your family and your operation. How do we prepare for both success and failure in this new year? I think preparation for success is inherently easier, as we all set out to succeed, but preparation for potential failure becomes much more difficult. Some may say, “It’s a new year; why is he talking about failure already?” However, I would argue that if we prepare for the “trip-ups” that come our way, they become less stressful.
Let’s take an upcoming calving season as an example. If we prepare for potential pitfalls during the calving season, such as dystocia (i.e., calving trouble), inclement weather (e.g., 32ºF and raining) and others (plug in your favorite calving season challenge here), we can turn these potential failures into successes through careful planning and preparation. To prepare for dystocia, make sure you have the correct equipment to assist if needed. Proper equipment could include a calf jack, obstetric (OB) chains, some type of handle to hook on the chains, OB lube (not dish soap … that is another article) and a cellphone. If you have never assisted a cow having trouble, consider calling a neighbor or veterinarian to provide you some backup.
While we cannot control the weather, we can be prepared to get young calves into shelter from some extreme weather that comes our way. In my opinion, a 32ºF rain is one of the toughest environments for any animal to navigate. Most of us have ridden around with calves on the floorboards of our vehicles and had calves spend the night on the kitchen floor or in the shop by the wood stove. If we plan and prepare for conditions when calves will need to spend some time to warm up and dry out during extreme winter weather, we take a failure and turn it into a success.
Another tip to overcome potential problems in the calving season or any time of year is to monitor cow nutrition and prepare to meet the demands of those cattle during each stage of production year-round. You can easily sample any feedstuffs and forages you are providing to cattle. (Your local extension agent can help you with this.) There are established values for each stage of production and age group of cattle on our operations. Knowing what you have will allow you to fill any gaps to maximize your production and avoid potential problems.
A final tip for a new year: Harness the power of resilience and innovation by being prepared for the unexpected. When difficulty comes your way, you will be ready to leverage the unexpected challenge into the unexpected success.
