Cow-calf

Weaning is one of the most stressful times for calves, and it doesn’t help that it’s also the most common time to give vaccinations. No one wants to work their cattle more than necessary. The WHEN of weaning: Generally 6-8 months of age; though calves can be weaned as young as 3 months. As long as your cows have good body condition and you have ample feed, there is really no reason to wean early. In Maryland, the majority of farms wean in the fall: September through early November.

Although the weather has been unseasonably cool through April and May, it’s not too early to start thinking about fly control.  There are three major types of flies with economic significance to the U.S. beef and dairy industries.  These include horn flies, face flies, and stable flies. Often, a combination of fly control measures will be the most effective.  If one method does not seem to be working, double check to make sure that it is the right approach for the type of flies you see on your cattle.  Make sure the proper dose of insecticide is being administered to the animals at each application.  Furthermore, implement cleaning procedures to regularly remove decaying organic matter from sacrifice or feeding areas. 

Producers should make culling decisions based on what is best for their farm’s profitability and what is best for animal well-being. In short, market cattle while they are in a condition that processors prefer before they become a transportation risk and their value declines.

Managing the nutritional status of cows is one of the cornerstones for a successful and profitable cow-calf operation.  It is important to pay attention to a cow’s nutritional status to ensure that she is 1) able to produce sufficient quantities of milk to grow her calf; 2) ready to conceive during breeding season a few months after calving; and 3) capable of sustaining that pregnancy to generate another healthy calf.  One of the best and most informative tools that can be used to evaluate the nutritional status of animals is body condition scoring. 

Everyone loves a good return on their investment, though some old farmers might crack that you shouldn’t be in the cattle business for that. But for those of us cow/calf producers who are just too hooked on raising nature’s most perfect bioreactors, there are countless technologies available for ensuring that our four legged friends are at the very least paying their own maintenance bills. Steroidal calf implants are one such technology that have been proven to provide a return on investment that exceeds even the most lucrative of business endeavors.

Fly and tick season is here, unfortunately. But there are management methods, both chemical and environmental, that will help you better control both the fly and tick populations that are going to try and wreak havoc with your livestock. Generally, in a pasture-based setting, chemical control of flies and ticks is going to be more effective than most environmental management strategies, though an integrated approach of both is recommended.

The overall goal for a seasonal cow-calf operation should be to have cows calve roughly every 365 days (or once per year). Some management tools, such as estrous synchronization programs, can be used to complement good nutrition and herd health management to enhance reproductive success.