A Visit to the Research Farm

 Recently, I had the opportunity to host several local beef producers on a trip to the Purina Research Farm in Gray Summit, Missouri.  We spent two days attending 12 different seminars that focused on nutrition, herd health, genetics, and cattle management strategies.  They were all designed to help cattlemen optimize return on ther Land, Labor, Capital and Management schemes.  Basically, we learned how to be more productive in the cow/calf business.

Cow Condition Drives Everything

 Dr. Lee Dickerson, Technical Specialist in Brood Cow Nutrition taught us that cow condition throughout the year will dictate how productive a brood cow will be.  A cow’s body condition at calving will drive how soom she starts her estrus cycle and in turn how soon she will conceive her next calf.  Cows in good condition will cycle and rebreed within the first 3 months after calving.  Cows in poor condition will skip several cycles and not breed on time.  This would make next year’s calf be born later and thus weigh less at sale time.  Cows in poor body condition will not provide enough milk for her calf to reach its genetic potential by weaning.  Also, cows in poor body condition will not provide the quality colostrum in the first milk that a baby calf gets on its first day.  Bottom line….cows in good body condition at calving will breed back and raise a bigger calf.

Management to Maintain Good Body Condition

 

•  Always keep plenty of forage in front of cows…..pasture or hay.
• Follow a comprehensive herd health program, especially de-worm at least twice per year.
• Wean calves on a timetable that fits  your forage situation.  Wean early if needed.
• Provide supplement to cattle when forage drops below 8% Crude Protein.
• Keep mineral out free choice for cattle throughout the year.

 

All Seasons Nutrition

 Grass changes in quality throughout the  year and so do the nutritional needs of brood cows.  We offer a program, developed by Purina, called All Seasons Nutrition that takes the guess work out of trying to decide when to supplement cows.  THe program lets the cow decide when she needs supplemental nutrition.  THere are several products available in the program to fit any ranch situation.  Come by and visit with us and we can help determine which product fits and how to use it.

Body Condition Scoring System

 I’ve included some photos/graphs for which explains the body condition scoring system for beef cattle.  This is a good tool to use for monitoring the body condition of your cow herd.  The scoring range is from 1 (severely emaciated) to 9 (very obese) with most cattle falling between 4 and 7.  Our goal is to have cows in a “6” at calving and no less than a “5” at weaning.  This body score gives cows the best chance of breeding back on time and doing a good job in raising her calf.  Feel free to come by the store and I will assist you in designing a scoring system for your ranch.  Remember, good cow condition drives everything!

 

Thank you very much for your business! 

It is a pleasure to be your partner!

-- Steve Conrad