September is nearly here. While some of us wonder where the Summer went, in reality, the quality of our pasture forages are falling like a North Korean missile test.
Here are 10 opportunities you should consider, before you decide to hold off on your fall supplementation program. Remember that your cows are taking care of two calf crops until this year’s calves are weaned.
The Drought of the Central Dakotas is spreading to Nebraska and Eastern Montana. The change from an El Nino to a La Nina, can mean that much of the rest of the summer could be very dry in the Western and Plains States. Drier days are also likely ahead of us in the Corn Belt.
If you are in the beef business and have not read an article mentioning fetal programing, or, if you have not heard someone speak on fetal programming at an industry meeting, you may need to get out a little more.
I have written a more in-depth blog on fetal programming before, and I do not intend to re state all of those points at this time. What I would like rather, is to make just a couple statements that should make for an easy take home message this week.
Springtime can be a very busy time for most all cattlemen. When you look at the nutrients that are most critical for spring calving herds, this can get very busy as well.
I recently had a question about the amount of sulfur in a CRYSTALYX® block, and is that level something we should be concerned with? The short answer is “no”, but let’s dig a little deeper.
The two most critical times of the year for proper trace mineral and vitamin supplementation in your beef cow herd are, prior to calving, and prior to breeding.
After attending the annual Cattle Fax Outlook Session, there is no mistake that we are back in a 10-year beef cattle cycle. Most importantly, there are a few years still ahead of declining profitability in the cow-calf sector. There will be years ahead that Low Return Producers could lose money on their cow herd, while High Return Producers will likely still be above water.
Many of you with spring calving herds, have probably already weaned this year’s calves, or, you are about to. Profit margins in the cow calf business have become quite slim this year. It has been said that most anyone could make money in the cow-calf business in 2014. This year, we will need a sharp pencil to make a good profit, and next year will likely be the same.
I once heard a salesman that fully understood the benefits of using CRYSTALYX® Brigade® on weaned, stressed calves, say, “There are only two things wrong with Brigade®… #1. It does not cost enough and. #2. It is too easy. I’ll likely never forget that statement, as it has a lot of truth in it, and it provides insight in to human nature. Many times we have an internal, or gut feeling that if something is easy – then it may not be the best solution. Same goes for the cost of something; generally, the more you spend the better product or response you get.
What is the replacement rate in your beef herd? I think we all know that a lower replacement rate will be more cost effective than a higher one, as we all know raising or buying replacement heifers is a major cost in maintaining a cow herd. If you can keep more of your cows in your herd longer, your replacement rate will be lower. But what is the cost advantage to lowering the replacement rate, and how do we accomplish this?
