The nuance of feeding breeding stock takes on greater dimension compared to feeder cattle because of the long-term considerations required of breeding stock. In a broad sense, the goal with replacement heifers is to give them the nutritional foundation for success that will hopefully allow them to produce eight to 10 big, healthy calves in their productive lifetime.

There is an increased focus on the feed industry and hay markets as producers scramble to determine how they will combat low forage supplies this winter.

One of the most underutilized tools in the cow-calf sector is testing your harvested forages. Having these forage samples is a critical component of putting together a cost-effective winter feeding strategy. While taking forage samples is something everyone talks about doing, many times the practice seems to fall between the cracks. 

Sometimes what looks cheaper may not be when all costs are considered. 

The price of feedstuffs continues to be stubbornly high. Let’s review the fundamentals of supplementation and identify any unneeded supplementation, which will help cut costs during the upcoming winter feeding season.  

From gestation to the rail, there are things that will impact the calf’s success. Genetics, environment and management are among the biggest. However, before that calf is even born, their growth potential is defined by the total number of muscle fibers that develop in utero.  

Since 1944, the National Research Council has established basic nutritional guidelines and recommendations for dairy cows. Over the subsequent 75-plus years, this organization has generated eight sets of these reports, the last one being in 2001, so 20 years ago. Needless to say, a lot has changed in those 20 years.