The cooler temperatures bring a flurry of activities on the cattle farm and ranch. From breeding time to cows ready to calve to weaning calves, there’s plenty of cattle production activities to keep everyone on the go.
Here are five tips to be ready for the coming months.
1. Records, records, records
While keeping records may not necessarily be “fun and exciting,” they are a critical way to really know how your cattle are growing and performing. A few of the many indicators can include the number of calves for the age of the dam, the average weaning weight of the dam’s calves, weight gain for mature animals and more. Each type of record-keeping system has its pros and cons, so it really depends on your specific needs and goals.
2. Breeding plans
Whether you have bulls on the place, or use artificial insemination (A.I.) to breed to specific high-performing bulls, embryo transfer (ET) or a combination of these methods, planning ahead helps ensure you have the needed supplies, procedures and labor in place to help make the most of this part of the cattle cycle. An important but often overlooked task is to test bulls using a breeding soundness exam. The bull is critical in the breeding success of a herd, so ensuring fertility is key.
3. Calving needs
It’s important to be ready for the fall-calving cows. A few of the many items to have in your calving kit include tags (visual and e-ID), taggers and tag pens, vaccines and syringes, colostrum and electrolytes, gloves and towels. It’s also good to have a list of cows with their expected due dates so you know which cows need to be watched closer to their due date.
4. Weaning protocols
While the specifics of the weaning process vary depending on a number of conditions including area and weather, there are a few standard needs for weaning calves. You will need weights. By having a weight, you can see how much the animal has gained, help set a target sale weight and ensure you are giving accurate doses of vaccines.
5. Nutritional needs
Determining what nutrition is needed can be a challenge. Some ranchers have pastures designated for hay production, while other ranchers purchase square or round bales of hay. Grasses lose nutrients as the cooler weather sets in, so supplementing with hay and feed is important to plan for ahead of time.
With the current strong market prices and winter conditions just around the corner, now is a good time to be sure you have the best-performing herd. In addition, it’s good to identify ones that may not be doing as well. While one cattle producer may focus on a certain trait that is important to them, others may use a combination of key metrics to determine how each individual cow is doing. This is where your system of keeping good records comes in.
These ideas can provide a basic foundation for fall season prep and planning. Make the most of the time to ensure your systems and processes are geared up and ready for the busy months.
