11/13/2009 03:32PM
Although February and March are still several months away, looking
ahead to the spring calving season requires that producers be prepared
for those situations where mother-nature needs a little boost.
11/13/2009 03:25PM
Only 8 or 9 months ago the spring calving cows were calving, the
temperature was cold and the calving pastures were muddy. Experience
would say that you do not want to ask cow calf operators how "calving"
is then, because the response would be less than objective, reflecting
bone-chilling cold and not enough sleep.
11/12/2009 09:48AM
Many times we suggest that you look past the surface of many factors
affecting beef production, but one example of when you need to study
the surface is the condition score of your cows.
10/19/2009 10:12AM
Producers can get a head start for calving season by taking advice from area experts. The 2009-2010 area beef meetings, hosted by the Indiana Beef Cattle
Association (IBCA) and Purdue University, will take place in Indiana's
10 Extension areas between November and January.
10/13/2009 11:10AM
A variety of clinical neurological syndromes exists in stocker and feeder cattle. Causes may be infectious, nutritional/metabolic, or toxins.
09/18/2009 12:46PM
Production records are essential in evaluating the performance of the
cow herd and aiding in making selection decisions.With proper record
keeping, evaluations can be made on the reproductive, productive and
financial status of the cow herd.
09/09/2009 09:31AM
The use of lower cost grazing systems for heifer development reports
pregnancy rates for two year olds in a range of 77 to 100 percent.
Because the actual number of 2-yr olds in the herd can be relatively
small, one female can shift the percentage a fair amount.
08/03/2009 10:57AM
With the profitability of a cow-calf operation more difficult to obtain, reducing the length of the calving season can be the first step toward improved production efficiency. In a 2009 USDA survey, 54.5% of the beef cattle operations, accounting for 34.1% of the beef cows did not have a set calving
06/30/2009 01:55PM
One of the most challenging aspects of spring calving is trying to determine when to calve to maximize reproductive rate. Reproductive efficiency in a cow herd is most accurately measured by the term "percent calf crop weaned" which is calculated by dividing the number of calves weaned by the number