There’s some flexibility around good cows that aren’t pregnant, depending on the philosphy of the ranch, but poor-productivity cows should be culled, livestock nutritionist Peter Vitti says.
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High prices make cow culling decisions easier
Better Bunks and Pastures: There’s some flexibility around good cows that aren’t pregnant, but poor cows should be culled
Good weaning programs for valuable calves are worth it
Better Bunks and Pastures: Less shrinkage is worth much more money at today’s calf prices
Less shrinkage is worth much more money at today’s calf prices, so good weaning programs for valuable beef calves are worth it.
Good mineral-vitamin programs for beef cows drive successful reproduction
Better Bunks and Pastures: A breeder mineral is critical for beef cows during the breeding season
Cow-calf producers will want to prepare a breeder mineral program to be fed to beef cows during breeding season, then be ready to modify that program afterward based on actual grass conditions.
Zinc works hard in the beef cattle mineral feeder
Better Bunks and Pastures: The mineral is part of more than 300 enzyme processes in cattle
Zinc is a part of 300 of the enzymes in a beef animal and is criticially important for hoof health, immunity and reproduction.
Give special attention to first-calved beef heifers
Better Bunks and Pastures: Getting heifers ready for their next pregnancy is the goal of a nutrition program specifically for them
Heifers that have calves for the first time need special attention, and getting them ready for their next pregnancy is the goal of a nutrition program specifically for them.
Feed an all-star diet to your beef cows after calving
Better Bunks & Pastures: It pays to invest in cows to get them from calving to their next pregnancy
For a cow to feed a calf and retain its own body condition requires a good solid intake of essential nutrients. First-calf heifers also need more of the same nutrients to gain a couple of hundred pounds of weight as they grow into maturity.
Corn fields emerge as good forage for overwintering beef cows
Better Bunks and Pastures: Cows will need supplements to make sure they get balanced nutrition while grazing corn
Corn fields grown especially for overwintering beef cows are a patchwork across our Prairies. Whole corn plants can provide substantial nutrition to maintain precious body condition of gestating beef cows. Yet, nobody should open the gate to any field and allow cows to stampede into it. That’s because there are still some issues in order […] Read more
Early-gestating beef cows need good nutrition
Better Bunks and Pastures: Two-stage use of minerals over the fall and winter can help cows maintain body condition at a better cost
Late autumn is when many spring calves are weaned and removed from their moms. The remaining cow herd is now in its earliest weeks of gestation and requires a modest level of nutrition. It is an opportunity to feed some of the most cost-effective forage diets. But as time goes on, beef cows’ nutrient requirements […] Read more
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
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
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