Understanding Forage Quality
Three primary factors that affect forage quality include species, maturity, and temperature. As a general rule, annual forages will be higher in quality than perennial forages and cool-season forages will …
Cutting High Quality Hay
Cutting hay at the desired maturity is critical to produce high quality hay. As the crop gets more mature the TDN decreases. Unfortunately, due to rainy conditions, availability of custom …
Rotational Grazing
For most operations the ability to do some rotational grazing is beneficial. With a rotation system cattle can be kept out of certain fields so they can be cut for …
Mineral Intake in Cattle
Grass tetany is a condition in cows due to low magnesium levels in the blood which can lead to death. Grass tetany is more likely in lactating cows grazing cool-season …
Supplemental Feeding
When forage or hay quality is low it is important to supplement cattle to maintain performance and good immune function. Energy (commonly reported as TDN) and protein are the first …
Neck Access in Squeeze Chute for Injections
When giving injections it is helpful to consider how the squeeze chute is designed, so that the best access to the neck of the animal is available. Some chutes are …
Trace Minerals
Meeting trace mineral requirements is important for cattle performance and health. However, exceeding trace mineral needs does not result in improved performance and depending on the amount of excess can …
Cow Size
Cow size is often overlooked when considering stocking rates, which can easily lead to overstocking. For example, if 4,500 pounds of forage per acre was available for consumption reasonable stocking …
Biosecurity
Biosecurity is an often overlooked component of a good herd health program. Following some basic biosecurity practices can help prevent disease transmission, reduced growth, and reproductive losses. A basic component …
Evaluate Forage Availability
Spring is generally the time of greatest forage production for most producers in Texas, Oklahoma, and the Southeast. If excess forage is not available during this time of year then …
