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MANAGEMENT...


Don’t Let Those Heifers Slip Now!

Heifers should be managed to avoid short-term nutrient restriction to maintain normal estrous cycles.

As we get closer to April and the breeding season for replacement heifers that are destined for a spring-calving herd, proper nutritional management is more important than ever. If your operation was fortunate enough to receive moisture this year and grow wheat pasture, the yearling heifers may have been grazing a diet very high in protein and energy. In other situations this winter, the heifers have been fed supplement and hay.


The heifers will be turned in with the bulls or put on a synchronization program to be bred in April. In some cases this means that the heifers must be moved from one location to another that is closer to working facilities. The trick, of course, is to not let those heifers go on a steep downslide in energy intake as we approach the breeding season. Read more.



Drought Management

Rangeland management is key to surviving drought.

Improved management adapted to changing rangeland conditions will be a key to surviving three back-to-back years of drought, according to Tim Steffens, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service rangeland management specialist in Canyon, Texas.

“We have just had three of the driest growing seasons in recorded history in a row,” said Steffens, who is also a West Texas A&M University assistant professor, speaking at the recent Panhandle Ranch Management event. “We’ve had one of the driest falls. We’ve had one of the driest winters.

“So this coming year, don’t be in any hurry to increase numbers until we find out for sure how much rain we’ve got, and how much grass we’re going to have that can respond to further rain showers later in the year.” Read more.


Restocking Options

Cattle producers have many options to weigh when considering restocking.

With the cattle market at all-time highs and drought having decimated herds across Texas, some might consider restocking, but are questioning if it’s the right time to buy.
The answer: It depends, says one expert.

Stephen Hammack, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist in Stephenville, walked through the different metrics of buying replacement cattle at the recent Blackland Income Growth Conference in Waco. Read more.


Who Wouldn’t Want Sustainable Beef?

Roundtable aims to sort things out, starting with a definition.

CAB prime filet mignon

Sustainability means different things to different people.


“If we’re not sustainable in what we do, we’re out of business,” said Nebraska cattleman Bill Rishel. “Many of us in the cattle business grew up thinking of sustainability as making enough money to keep ranching the next year. Of course that meant we had to care for our natural resources and manage them in a responsible way.


“That’s not as obvious to today’s consumer,” he said, “so we need to be part of this movement to redefine the concept.” Read more.


Kris Ringwall
Kris Ringwall

Beef Talk

What aren’t we doing?

The ability to sell 720-pound (lb.) May- and June-born steer calves in mid-February begs the question: What aren’t we doing?

This past weekend, arctic cold air highlighted the question in bold print. “We aren’t calving in this horrible cold” was the answer for the Dickinson Research Extension Center. There was no winter calving preparation, so there was no extra bedding, sorting of cows, precalving vaccinations, clearing the aisles of snow, extra heat in the warming room, and line of work boots and insulated coveralls. Read more.


New Products

Industry affiliates provide a wide array of products and services to assist you on the farm and ranch. Here's an assortment of new products to hit the market recently.


Angus Advisor

Click here for April herd management tips from cattle experts across the nation. Advice separated by region.


 

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