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 …
Reproductive Records
Keeping good reproductive records is important for cow-calf operations. These records are critical when determining the financial success of the operation and they can also help identify minor health or …
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 …
Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD)
Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is a disease that can cause reproductive losses, reduced performance, and suppression of the immune system. The most common route of transmission is exposure to persistently …
Preventative Herd Health Program
Developing a preventative herd health program is important to reduce illness and help prevent reproductive and performance losses in your cattle operation. It is helpful to work with a cattle …
Foot Angle and Claw Set
Paying attention to foot angle and claw set is important in cattle from both a performance and animal welfare standpoint. One way to evaluate foot angle is to look at …
Feeding Management
After purchasing bulls for your operation, feeding management is important to avoid digestive problems. When the bulls arrive at your ranch, provide them with high quality hay or pasture and …
Protein Supplement
During the latter half of the summer forage quality often decreases. When manure patties start to stack up (increase in height), it is a good indicator that cattle could benefit …
Market Cattle
At some point cows and bulls will be culled from the breeding herd and sold. The industry refers to these animals as market cows and market bulls. To maximize their …
