Feed Costs

Many producers try and keep their feed costs to minimum in order to maximize their profits. At times this can be tough especially with the winter conditions we are experiencing here in the Midwest. According to Zen Miller, a University of Wisconsin Extension Agriculture Agent, winter conditions such as temperature, wind, shelter and moisture are all contributing factors in feed consumption of your cattle. It is being said that hay quality is not the greatest this year therefore some producers are having to use alternative feed methods in order for their cattle to maintain the proper body condition. A couple different methods that are most common around my area is corn silage and wet gluten which provides cattle with much needed protein in their diet during harsh weather conditions at a relatively low price. Overall, it is best to try and eliminate as many factors as possible when feeding your cattle and if you believe your cattle aren't in proper shape for calving season you may want to look towards some cheaper alternative methods.


(Corn Silage: Provided by American Dairy Men)

Quality not Quantity

Its not about the number or quantity of cattle you have its about the quality of cattle you have. With quality comes value and that is what puts money in your pocket. One factor that plays into the quality of cattle you have is genetics. There are a number of different ways to improve your genetics but one in particular is bull selection. Having a bull with high EPDs in weaning weights, yearling weights, and marbling traits can add weight and quality to your calves.You can then keep the heifers out of a certain bull you like or you can  Genemax all the heifers in your herd and keep only the one's with high performance traits.Order buyers also take notice to the quality of cattle you have and if your cattle continue to grade out high every year they will more than likely be a repeat customer. To close, I believe producers should all strive to have quality cattle not only to benefit themselves but to benefit the consumers as well.Quality Matters

(USDA Beef Grades: By Kirinhouse)

Conception Rates

In the past few years we have had trouble with conception rates in some of our younger spring-calving cows.  Some might say it was a result of different factors such as the weather or poor nutrition and others might say it was a management issue.We all know how frustrating this can be because once she doesn't breed she turns into a fall calving cow which can cost you money. Overall, I believe it is hard to pin it on one thing but from different observations I have noticed the better body condition the cow is in the more likely she is going to be bred come next calving season. According to Karla H. Jenkins, a UNL Cow/Calf, Range Management Specialist, younger cows that are considered thin or have a body condition score of less than 5 had a 36% to 66% pregnancy rate, compared to younger cows with a body condition score of 5 or higher having a 91% pregnancy rate.With all that being said, I believe is it important to feed your cows the extra protein or nutrients needed in order to maintain a better body condition score so this does not happen to you. Even though some producers consider this to be too expensive, in the long run it is actually going to save you money because those cows that aren't producing calves every spring are losing you more money than what you could put into them through feeding and maintaining the proper body condition score in order to get them to breed back.
(Body condition score chart:  CD3WD)