Developing replacement heifers is one of the most expensive and complex management decisions for a cow-calf producer and also has long-term implications for profitability.

It’s never too early to start planning for weaning. Several factors play a role in making weaning management decisions, such as drought, cow body condition, pasture conditions, weaning weight, calf sale contracts, labor and many others.

Calf prices look to be strong for the next few years as the national cow herd continues to bounce back from liquidations related to drought. These market conditions pose a great opportunity to increase profit potential through value-added programs.

Early embryonic loss is defined as a loss within the first 42 days of pregnancy and has been reported to impact between 20% and 40% of pregnancies in beef cattle.

Calving is not a disease; it is a stage that needs to be managed and how that is done will impact a cow for her entire lactation. Best practices for transitioning a cow from far-off fresh to her lactation group has a host of areas that need focused attention by the entire management team on the dairy. 

For cow-calf producers who limit the length of the breeding season, the period of rest after removal from females is key for management of herd bulls. During this time, it is not uncommon for bulls to be observed less frequently. Attention to them often falls, albeit unintended, to the bottom of the priority list.

Depending on who you talk to, attitudes toward the use of implants in beef cattle production are very different. Most finishing yards are using implants today unless cattle are enrolled in a non-implant, natural or organic program that prohibits their use.

“Shrink, the unpaid loss of weight, is essentially an important cost of marketing,” says Chris Bastian, a professor in the department of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wyoming.