The calves were up in weight and cows and heifers calved without assistance in 2025 at the Eppich ranch in Saskatchewan.
Tag Archives calving season
Three birthdays and calving begins
Eppich News: It was a great calving season, despite a reminder why quick veterinary help is indispensable
Calving season: Timing and transition
Beef producers talk about their motivations for changing calving timing
For many cow-calf producers, calving season is a favourite time of year. After waiting 283 days, farmers are finally able to see the result of their breeding decisions as well as welcome a new crop of animals that will likely become a large portion of their annual revenue. Looking at survey data over the past […] Read more
Calving season brings blizzards and twins
Eppich News: Loss, and then surprise, shows the challenges of managing cows
On Feb. 27 we bought a bull from Ulrich Herefords. It was the last bull sale for Peter Ulrich and we wanted to get the chance to have some more Ulrich Hereford bloodlines in our small registered Hereford herd. We were not able to attend the sale due to the weather, so Gregory talked to […] Read more
Springtime on the ranch is a hopeful tale
How calf processing has evolved on this ranch over the years
Spring feels like the first chapter of a new book you hope becomes a favourite classic. At the start of a new growing season, you have an idea of the basic summary of the story. The familiar rhythms of the arrival of baby calves and planting crops are certain. However, you can never be sure […] 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
How to manage in a veterinarian shortage
Hauling an animal to a clinic is one solution, as are larger clinics with satellite sites
There’s huge talk about the shortage of veterinarians — especially large-animal, but also small-animal and emergency animal care. There was a recent announcement that the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) will raise the number of training seats to 100 from the current 50, when an expansion is completed next year. I would […] 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
Calving wrapped up in 20 days
We have well-aged manure to spread for fertilizer on pasture
March 22 This week we started our “fertilizer” project. We have big piles of old manure that Michael sorted out of the other debris when he cleared out the junk and old fallen-down sheds by the corrals. Heifer hill needs fertilizer the most since we haven’t been able to feed cows on it enough for […] Read more
Save your best nutrition for late-gestation cows
Producers share winter rations that work for their cow-calf operations
Preparing for the calving season used to be simple. The best green hay was saved for the gestating cows about two months before they calved, and most people started to feed a bit of loose cattle mineral. The funny thing is that this simple program worked at the time. As a beef nutritionist, it’s not […] Read more
Preparedness checklist for calving season
Animal Health: Start with clean facilities and equipment and have all supplies in stock
As with any work area on the farm, having the proper equipment, keeping it maintained, disinfected and the area properly stocked with pharmaceuticals, will help insure a successful calving season. The one critical and often-forgotten component is biosecurity. With many cows and their mothers moving through the calving area at a stressful time it is […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
