A long time ago, I helped a producer feed loose mineral to his herd of 60 beef cows. It was at the start of summer and during their breeding season. We’d just rip open a couple of bags and pour the mineral into an old wooden crate near a full dugout of drinking water. Often, […] Read more
How to manage beef cow summer mineral intake
Better Bunks and Pastures: Most solutions are found with common sense and changing practices
Korean beef: similar feed, but much more marbling
Better Bunks and Pastures: Hanwoo cattle are finished to higher weights than most Canadian cattle, with similar daily gains
I am going to take a month off from my regular routine. Rather than discuss the latest in Canadian beef nutrition, I am going to examine a new beef experience, almost 10,000 km west of Winnipeg, at the outskirts of Naju City in South Korea. In short order, my girlfriend and I took a two-week […] Read more
Good early-lactation nutrition cuts risk of cystic ovaries
Dairy Corner: A drop in proper metabolic function will pose reproductive challenges in cows
Most producers usually wait until estrus appears in a dairy cow at 60-70 days postpartum, then place an emphasis on getting her pregnant by 90 days. This practice maintains a 13-month calving interval. Unfortunately, the onslaught of cystic ovaries in 30 per cent of all breeding cows makes it a challenge. Yet, there is hope […] Read more
Take care of first-calf beef cows after calving
Keep them separate from older cows and a different ration could make sense
Despite some market volatility, the good value of all cattle is holding for the time being. That’s a good thing because last year, many cow-calf operators bred more replacement heifers that are now calving or about to calve. Some of these producers told me they throw them into their main cowherd if they are big […] Read more
Balancing low cost with enough nutrition
Use caution when feeding low-quality forage to dairy replacement heifers
Most dairy producers always look for ways to reduce the livestock feed costs. Some people have taken advantage that three-month-old replacement dairy heifers have a fully developed rumen and can truly digest lower quality/cost forages. There is nothing wrong in feeding this way, but these forages must be well balanced with other more nutritious feedstuffs […] Read more
Solid deworming programs essential for grazing cows
Understanding the lifecycle of the major worms found in pastures helps with treatment timing
Whenever I heard of a beef cow herd infected with brown stomach roundworms (Ostertagi ostertagi), I used to envision a cow’s abomasum filled with large and living ropes. Then, I looked at some pictures in a cattle parasite book and to my surprise, this common gastrointestinal worm is no more than a quarter- to half-inch […] Read more
Beef cows in good condition, feed accordingly
Optimize cows' condition with target diets based on the animals' BCS
A warm start to winter has caused many beef cows after weaning to come off pasture in decent shape. Some of these cows are not truly obese, but they retained a lot of flesh. Those beef cows in optimum body condition should be put on a nutritious feeding program that maintains them until they calve […] Read more
Reproduction planning necessary for this herd’s breeding success
Last year, I asked a friend who operates a 400-Simmental x Angus beef cow operation about his No. 1 goal, after all his cows dropped their calves by the end of April. He replied that all his mature and young cows should show a couple of strong heats before they are let out with the […] Read more
Keep a full feed-bunk for optimum milk production
Availability of feed is important for maintaining cow body condition score
The common feed bunk in dairy barns should be managed to get a consistent daily intake of nutritious feed into lactating cows. This practice stabilizes feed’s rate of passage and its fermentation/digestion in the cow’s rumen and lower digestive tract. In turn, it ultimately meets the essential requirements of energy, protein, effective forage fibre, minerals […] Read more
There’s a reason if cows aren’t chewing their cud
It's important to look at the structure of fibre in the ration
This fall I visited three similar dairies milking between 100 and 150 cows. It was about 10 a.m. in two barns (different days) and midafternoon in the third. In each case I noticed less than 10 per cent of resting cows (three-quarters were lying down) were not chewing their cud. I reviewed the TMR in […] Read more
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