Weaning weight - Articles - Page 3

Adjustment factors help producers navigate use of multiple breeds

EPDs provide a lot of value when selecting bulls for your herd, but understanding across-breed EPD relationships can help producers more precisely apply heterosis and breed complementarity with their specific environment.

July 25, 2023

J. Benton Glaze

To remain competitive in today’s beef industry, commercial producers must identify and implement technologies that have favorable impacts on their beef cattle enterprises, and crossbreeding is one such technology.

Generational nutrition: The key to building your beef herd

Nutrition is about more than an animal’s present health and efficiency. What a cow eats can impact generations down the road, and producers have the power to help their cattle unlock their fullest genetic potential.

May 17, 2023

Jason Russell

Every cow and calf in your herd is a representation of hard work and calculated management decisions. Each new generation has the ability to serve as a building block for future performance and profitability.

Managing beef cattle hoof health

Taking a proactive, nutrition-based approach can greatly enhance your herd’s ability to combat the pathogens that cause foot rot and digital dermatitis.

March 30, 2023

Dwight Kickhafer

Hoof health impacts every aspect of your beef herd’s profitability. Managing for hoof health through environmental challenges and seasonal change is critical for your cattle to achieve lifetime performance.

Picking a winning bull by the numbers

Understanding what goes into determining expected progeny differences (EPD) numbers can go a long way toward helping producers better know which bulls will work best in their herds.

February 24, 2023

David Callister

Picking sires is where producers can make the greatest impact on their herds. Bulls are responsible for many calves a year, while cows usually contribute one calf a year.

Benefits of estrus synchronization with A.I. or natural service

Estrus synchronization has more benefits than just a compressed calving season. It also creates more potential for heavier weaning weights and more cow longevity, among other things.

February 24, 2023

Dan Busch

Rising operating costs, global competition and societal concerns about energy and the environment have created many economic challenges for the U.S. beef industry.

Proper stocking rate as a drought resiliency tool

Once a ranch determines the feed requirements of its cows and the carrying capacity of its land, drought becomes a much more manageable challenge to navigate.

February 24, 2023

Eric Bailey

Drought has affected large swaths of the U.S. in recent years. Do we need to consider drought moving forward when making decisions about carrying capacity on farms and ranches?

To creep or not to creep? That is the question

Creep feeding can improve producers’ bottom lines by increasing weaning weights, lowering stress levels at weaning time and strengthening calves’ immune systems.

February 22, 2023

Craig Belknap

Beef producers continually search for ways to improve their operations and bottom lines. One tool worthy of consideration is creep feeding calves.

South Central: Growth – which trait and how much?

January 5, 2023

Jason Banta

During the bull selection process, growth traits receive a lot of attention.

South Central: Factors affecting calf sale weight

October 10, 2022

Jason Banta

For many cow-calf producers, fall means calves have recently been sold or will be sold in the coming months, so this is a good time to evaluate how the calves did or are doing.