Angus Advisor
April herd management tips from cattle experts across the nation.
Southern Great Plains
Spring-calving herds
Plan to implement estrus-synchronization systems for heifers and cows. Some systems require initial management steps as early as 31 days in advance of the targeted initial breeding date. Purchase AI supplies, acquire semen, and check facilities and equipment. Don’t forget to find and test the thawing bath before the first cow walks into the chute for breeding. An excellent resource for this planning process is the Estrus Synchronization Planner at www.iowabeefcenter.org/estrus_synch.html.
Consult your veterinarian about vaccinating cows a minimum of 30 days prior to breeding and prepare for spring turnout or branding vaccinations, calfhood implants and other herd health tasks related to the new calf crop.
Conduct breeding soundness exams for all herd sires.
Fall-calving herds
Consult your veterinarian to plan the vaccination program for fall-born calves and to purchase the necessary supplies. An ideal situation is to vaccinate two to six weeks prior to weaning and again at weaning. Determine your preferred timing for weaning, and inventory veterinary and feed/supplement supplies for the weaning program. A coccidiostat (feed or water additive that is effective in controlling coccidiosis) is an important consideration on properties that have a history of coccidiosis.
General recommendations
- 1. Introduced warm-season forages, such as Bermuda grass and Old World bluestem, should be fertilized in late April through mid-May. Approximately 50 lb. of nitrogen (N) is required to produce about 1 ton of forage. Efficiency of nitrogen use is improved with multiple applications (generally two or three).
- 2. High-magnesium mineral supplements should be provided for cattle grazing cool-season forages through the month of April.
- 3. A moderate- to low-phosphorus (P) mineral supplement (10% phosphorus or less) is recommended for most classes of cattle and forage types during the lush spring growing season.
- 4. Plan a fly- and tick-control program. Check spraying equipment, dust bags and oilers, and purchase needed chemicals or tags for fly and tick control. New-generation ear tags are highly effective if they are not applied until the 200-flies-per-animal threshold has been reached. Check with your veterinarian to determine what tags are working well in your area. Feed-through insect growth regulator (IGR) products are highly effective in reducing the horn fly population. However, these products need to be incorporated into mineral supplements during late winter/early spring to be effective.
- 5. Check with your extension educator or forage agronomist to determine the most effective herbicide treatment to control sericea lespedeza. Be sure to read the herbicide label for the most effective rate and timing of application. Other tools to help manage this invasive legume species include late-season prescribed fire and management-intensive grazing with goats.
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Western Region
Spring-calving herds
The main focus is to prepare for the breeding season.
Genetic management
Sire selection. Sire selection is one of the most important management decisions made each year in a purebred cattle operation. The challenging and difficult aspect concerning sire selection is predicting industry cycles and trends. What kind of cattle are going to be the most sought after in three to five years? Those who are able to forecast or predict these trends will always be in the driver’s seat from a genetic standpoint.
In addition, I think it is most important that we use sires that are going to produce daughter progeny that we can build a herd around. Many times we use sires because we believe they will produce bull progeny that we can market from a phenotypic and genetic standpoint. That is fine; however, it is hard to justify the time and expense associated with AI if the daughter progeny are not the kind of females that will improve our cow herd.
Reproductive management
Semen. Get semen ordered early to avoid last-minute problems. Do not try to save money on semen — cheap semen is the most expensive item you will ever buy.
Synchronization protocol. If you are going to use estrus synchronization, now is the time to decide which protocol is going to work best in your production situation. Avoid programs that require excessive amounts of animal handling and trips through the chute prior to breeding. These programs are expensive from both a labor and product standpoint. In addition, animals are stressed each time cows and calves are gathered and sorted for processing. Today there are some excellent protocols that offer the option of timed AI (TAI) with very satisfactory results. (The “Newsroom” at
www.appliedreprostrategies.com provides a wealth of information on the various protocols.)
Heat detection. Heat detection is often the most overlooked factor influencing the success of AI programs. Effective heat detection is achieved by developing the skills or ability to recognize the subtle signs of estrus and being able to detect the females that never do exhibit standing estrus.
AI equipment. Have extra AI supplies on hand and thoroughly clean all breeding equipment (including the thaw thermos) prior to the start of the breeding period.
Semen and trichomoniasis test. Semen- and trich-test bulls far in advance of the breeding season. If problems arise, replacement bulls can be located prior to the time they are needed for turnout.
Nutritional management
Mineral supplementation. Be sure females are receiving adequate levels of calcium, phosphorus and trace minerals that are deficient in your area. Mineral boluses or injectable products can be used in addition to loose or block mineral products. Consider products that include chelated minerals, especially during the breeding season.
Protein and energy supplementation. Normally, by late spring forage resources are at their peak from both an energy and a protein standpoint. Therefore, usually supplemental feeding is not needed at this time of year.
Health management
Vaccinations. Make certain that females and service sires are vaccinated at least 30 days prior to the start of the breeding period. I recommend vaccinations that include fetal protection against PI-BVD.
General management
Late spring is a good time to start spraying fencelines and to be certain that irrigation lines and ditches are in good repair prior to the start of the irrigation season if your operation includes irrigated pasture or hay fields.
Fall-calving herds
Hopefully, cows and calves are on cruise control. If fall-calving cows and calves are grazing native foothill rangeland, normally late spring is the time of the year that cattle require very little attention or management. Plans should be developed to administer preweaning vaccinations to bull and heifer calves at least two to three weeks prior to weaning.
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Midwest Region
Begin preparing for the next drought
It is no secret that the Southeast experienced a significant drought in 2016. Historically, droughts tend to move north and west, and, as such, those of us in the Midwest should be planning ahead for potential forage restriction. This projected drought highlights the necessity of making plenty of good-quality forage early in the growing season and being proactive about a drought-management plan in order to avoid an emergency feed situation, which we experienced in 2012 and 2013.
Perhaps, unfortunately, the Midwest weather that promotes a great forage-growing environment does not coincide with optimal weather for producing dry forages. In many instances, wet spring weather delays the first cutting, resulting in mature hay that is decreased in quality, palatability and digestibility. If harvest is not delayed, oftentimes the window of opportunity for optimal drying is reduced, resulting in hay that is baled either too wet or after it has been rained on, again, resulting in reduced quality at the time of feeding. In both of these circumstances, reduced hay quality and palatability will likely lead to increased waste at the feeder, particularly if bales have been stored outside.
So, as we begin to think about the 2017 forage season, here are some management tips and considerations to stretch our forage budget a bit further.
- 1. Consider making baleage early in the growing season. Proper implementation of a baleage feeding system can overcome many potential disadvantages of first-cutting dry hay, including poor nutritional quality, dry-matter loss and waste. Best management practices for baleage production can be found in a new factsheet from the Iowa Beef Center at http://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/ibcr202.
- 2. Start stockpiling dry hay now. On average, the Midwest was blessed with lots of good-quality hay in 2016. It may be prudent to hang on to that excess through 2017 and into 2018.
- 3. Assess your forage storage. Research in Missouri, Tennessee and Nebraska has shown that hay storage and feeding losses combined can be anywhere from 5%-40% depending on storage methods used. Fairly low-cost storage modifications can reduce losses significantly. Improved storage conditions usually result in reduced waste at the feeder, as well. I argue that producers eventually pay for a hay storage facility either through buying a building or storage losses incurred over multiple years.
- 4. Critically evaluate your feeding methods. If forage resources are going to be limited, consider limit-feeding options that are available to you. Switching to a total mixed ration (TMR) may require infrastructure upgrades that can be costly up front, but are almost always a profitable investment in the long run. For smaller producers, limit-feeding forage by restricting access to the feeder may be the best alternative to reduce intake and/or waste. Purdue research has shown that cows can consume their maximum daily intake of dry matter in as little as six hours per day. Limiting access to hay and supplementing energy and protein as needed will likely be cheaper than ad libitum hay access if and when hay prices increase.
- 5. Use alternative forages. Although corn silage, corn stover/stalks, and cover crops may not be considered a true alternative anymore, don’t overlook the value of these feedstuffs for your winter-feeding strategy.
For more information on forage harvest considerations and what is best for your operation, consult with the team of experts you have assembled, including your beef extension specialist and nutritionist; and check out www.iowabeefcenter.org for all things beef.
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