Genetics

Selecting your Replacement Heifers to Meet Long-term Herd Goals

– Carolyn Ihde, University of Wisconsin Extension

Take time now to determine your herd’s production goals.

As the seasons come and go, the production cycle of the beef herd also changes. Cows calve, calves grow, and replacement heifers are selected. Selecting replacement heifers using production records, herd goals, and available resources can ensure the correct females are staying in the production system.

Just as purchasing a new herd bull can directly impact genetic improvement, selecting replacement heifers that match your production goals and available resources can impact the bottom line. Production records are one tool in the selection process. Maintaining herd records on cow productivity could include; calving date, birth weights, weaning weights, calving assistance, calf survivability, cow BCS, cow characteristics, calving intervals, and temperament. Heifers born from dams needing assistance with calving and nursing because of teat or udder defects or poor temperaments should not be retained. Knowing 50% of a replacement heifer’s genetics come from the dam, analyzing the dam’s collective data before you head out to sort heifers into the “keep” or “feedlot” pen can make decisions easier at the sorting gate.

Knowing which heifers look good on paper can help keep you from selecting only one trait, like body size. For instance, using . . .

Continue reading Selecting your Replacement Heifers to Meet Long-term Herd Goals

When to Cull Bulls

– Amanda L Cauffman, University of Wisconsin Extension

Culling bulls now can positively impact income.

It is common practice this time of year to evaluate our cows to make culling decisions, but this is also a good time to evaluate our bulls to determine which sires we are going to feed through the winter and which have come to the end of their genetic contribution to the operation.

Bulls, much like cows, can live ten to twelve years. Most bulls will remain active in the herd for closer to four or five years due to feet and leg, structural, and fertility problems, temperament concerns, or injuries. The decision to cull many bulls happens in the spring after failing a breeding soundness exam. However, producers can save input costs (6 months’ worth of decent quality hay for a mature bull will cost about $600 based on current prices) by culling bulls in the fall if they or their offspring have any undesirable characteristics that would make them unsuitable for the next breeding season.

Most mature breeding bulls can maintain . . .

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Don’t forget about the bull

– Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in Progressive Cattle)

Have you assessed how the bull handled breeding season?

In my part of the world the breeding season ended about a month ago.  Bulls were pulled, and attention shifted to calf weaning and cow pregnancy diagnosis.  When the time comes, you will have the opportunity to collect valuable production data, that when added to your birth records, can allow for an evaluation of your herd performance and management style.  Purebred seedstock producers will be collecting this information to report to their respective breed associations, but commercial producers may be filing this data away without giving it a thorough look.  Although the bulls may be in a distant pasture, don’t forget about using this data, and other information you could collect, to evaluate their contribution to your success.

How did he handle the breeding season?
A bull’s fertility can fluctuate during the breeding season.  He may have passed a spring breeding soundness exam with flying colors but was he Continue reading Don’t forget about the bull →

How do you select your bulls?

– Dr. Darrh Bullock, University of Kenntucky, Dr. Matt Sprangler, Unviersity of Nebraska

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Bull selection is one of the most important decisions that a beef producer makes and can have a lasting impact on profitability. Factors such as the market endpoint of calves (e.g., newly weaned or finished cattle), whether replacements will be retained, and the level of nutritional management provided to the cow herd all impact which traits should be selected for and at what level. Understanding this complex relationship can be the difference between buying a “good” bull and buying the right bull.

The eBEEF.org team, a group of beef cattle geneticists from across the US, is trying to determine how beef producers are currently selecting their bulls and will use this information to develop educational materials to help improve this process. Knowing which traits to select for is often not the problem, it is Continue reading How do you select your bulls? →

Data Driven Decision Making

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing Field Specialist, OSU Extension

Could DNA testing improve your ability to select seed stock?

I’ve always said that the best part of working in Extension, is that every day is different. I’ve spent most of the last three months traveling the state teaching programs, attending meetings, and talking to cattle producers. This winter one of the topics that was often discussed with cow-calf clientele was how to interpret genetic data to consider when making a bull selection decision. A couple of the common themes were Continue reading Data Driven Decision Making →

Virtual Beef School, session 4; Heifer Development and Implementing Genomic Testing on Your Farm

Don’t miss this last session!

With feeder calf values at historical highs, now is not the time to save or improperly develop a replacement female that in coming years simply isn’t going to improve the overall productivity of the herd. With that thought in mind, session 4 of this year’s virtual Beef School will focus on properly selecting and developing only those heifers that fit the goals of the herd.

If you’re contemplating saving and breeding replacement heifers now or in the future make plans to join us during next Wednesday’s fourth and final session of this year’s Virtual Ohio Beef School. We’ll explore the use of genomic testing on your farm to aid in the seedstock selection process, and the proper development of those heifers that are selected and retained.

If you still need to register in order to receive free log-in details, visit: go.osu.edu/beefschool25.

Cow/Calf Workshop set for February 7 in Millersburg

Reserve your spot today!

Ohio State University Extension will offer a Cow/ Calf workshop in Millersburg, Ohio, at Paint Valley Farms on Friday, February 7, from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM. The cost is $15 per person, and to RSVP, please call the Holmes County Extension Office at 330-674-3015.

Reproduction and genetics are important factors for a cow-calf operation. The Long-term investment in genetics plays a critical role in developing and managing a herd to ensure longevity. Join OSU Extension in Holmes County to discuss and demonstrate the practices that you might apply on your farm to improve your operation by optimizing reproduction and cow-calf profitability.

Topics covered will include breeding season management, post-drought Continue reading Cow/Calf Workshop set for February 7 in Millersburg →

Beef-on-Dairy is a Growing Trend, But Its Impacts on Beef Production are Small

– James Mitchell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Extension Livestock Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness, University of Arkansas and Kenny Burdine, Ph.D., Extension Professor, Livestock Specialist, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky

Beef-on-dairy refers to using beef semen on dairy cows to increase the value of calves that will not be retained as dairy replacement heifers. The increased calf value from beef-on-dairy comes from improved feedlot performance, meat yield, and quality, where quality refers to muscle size and shape. Growth in beef-on-dairy has raised several questions, including the impacts of the system on U.S. beef production. Recent estimates picked up by the farm press suggest that beef-on-dairy represented 7% of 2022 cattle slaughter or 2.6 million head. The same source predicts that beef-on-dairy could account for 15% of cattle slaughter by 2026. There is nothing wrong with these numbers, but some context should be added regarding how this would impact US beef production levels.

It is important to recognize that beef-on-dairy does not immediately change the number of calves born to dairy cows annually. Therefore, it does not necessarily mean more cattle entering the beef production system. The first figure (above) in this article shows annual fed cattle slaughter. The figure also shows that Continue reading Beef-on-Dairy is a Growing Trend, But Its Impacts on Beef Production are Small →

Pushing EPD’s into Dollars

– Dirk Dempsey, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator, Pike County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

EPDs are one of the tools to use when selecting a herd sire.

An expected progeny difference, better known in the beef world as an EPD, attempts to quantify the performance of potential progeny from one animal to another based on the lineage within a singular breed. No matter which beef breed you choose, there are similarities and differences between recognized traits from the respective breed association. A visual appraisal is one of the first recommendations many within the industry will say to start with when utilizing known EPDs. As a beef producer, this allows you to see whether this animal is useful or unusable. A purely visual appraisal may deem the animal suitable; however, if that animal has poor EPDs, it will likely result in an unfavorable outcome for the buyer. Also, another unfavorable outcome would be if the animal has a fantastic set of EPDs but with structural issues noted in the visual appraisal; this will also lead to an unfavorable outcome. We expect to push into Continue reading Pushing EPD’s into Dollars →

Ohio Beef Cow/Calf Workshop – Optimizing Herd Reproduction and Genetics

Don’t miss this!

Reproduction and genetics are important factors for a cow-calf operation. The long-term investment of genetics plays a critical role in the development and management to ensure longevity within a herd. Join OSU Extension in Licking County on March 8th to discuss and demonstrate the practices that you might apply on your farm to improve your operation with regards to optimizing reproduction and genetics.

Click here for more detail or a registration form.