Reproduction

Dealing with Cold Calves

– Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension

I can’t say for sure, but I imagine that any cow-calf producer would trade frozen ground for mud.  The downside of frozen ground and newborn calves is the chance for hypothermia.  Cows aren’t stupid.  When the weather turns cold the herd will congregate where it is dry and sheltered.  Those cows that come into labor and look to isolate themselves are often left to go to the worst spot of the field to drop their calf. The sight of a new calf stretched out in a wet hole, will knot up your stomach and you know it is going to be a long night trying to get it warmed back up.

Newborn calves don’t benefit from heat generated by the rumen fermentation that helps their mother weather cold temperatures.  When air temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a calf is reliant on metabolic heat from the small fat reserves that are deposited prior to birth.  When a calf is born into an extreme cold environment, their normal 18-hour energy reserve can be quickly exhausted through shivering, leading to hypothermia.

A calf’s normal body temperature at birth should be Continue reading Dealing with Cold Calves →

OCA Replacement Female Sale Results; Demand remains strong

– Garth Ruff, OCA Replacement Female Sale Manager

82 lots averaged $2905.

The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) held their 12th annual Replacement Female Sale on November 29th at the Muskingum Livestock Auction Company in Zanesville, Ohio. A large crowd was on hand and online to bid on 82 high quality females in the sale. The sale represented an excellent opportunity for cow-calf producers to add quality females with documented breeding and health records to their herds.

Buyers evaluated 81 lots of bred heifers, bred cows, and cow-calf pairs at the auction. The sale included 54 lots of bred heifers that averaged $2,961, 3 cow-calf pairs sold for $3,333, and 24 lots of bred cows that averaged $2,804. One open cow sold for $1,250. The 82 total lots grossed Continue reading OCA Replacement Female Sale Results; Demand remains strong →

Can I afford not to pregnancy check?

– Dean Kreager, Licking County Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Preg check vs winter an open cow?!

Only 20% of cow calf producers in the Eastern United States pregnancy check beef cows, according to National Animal Health Monitoring System (NHAMS) Studies.  Over the years there have been improvements in pregnancy detection options but the adoption of these has been slow for many beef producers.  Maybe this year the question should change from “Is it worth the expense?” to “Can I afford not to pregnancy check?”

The cost of overwintering an open cow this year could be much higher than in recent years.  Much of Ohio and some surrounding states have been experiencing drought conditions this summer.  The hardest hit areas are also home to a high percent of Ohio’s cow/calf production.  The rolling pastures have stopped producing forage and many springs have dried up resulting in cattlemen hauling water and feeding hay much earlier than normal.  These conditions have led to Continue reading Can I afford not to pregnancy check? →

Don’t Strike Out Next Breeding Season

– Garth Ruff, Field Specialist Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in Progressive Cattle)

Many livestock economists have demonstrated over the years that there is a premium in the marketplace for uniform lots of calves. For further proof, just watch what happens at the local auction market when it comes to selling feeder cattle and then tune into one of the western video auctions and compare prices.

Offering a more uniform calf crop is one advantage of a FTAI program.

Even if all else is equal the larger, often semi load lots sell for higher prices, Dr. Kenny Burdine at the University of Kentucky has shown that lots of 10 outsell lots of 3-5 head and those lots outsell single calves. Why discuss this now? As cattle remain at historic highs, I am beginning to hear producers question the return on managing reproduction in their cow herds.

Reproduction is the single most economically important trait on any commercial cow calf operation, I think it’s time to revisit why that Continue reading Don’t Strike Out Next Breeding Season →

Going Against the Grain to Work with Mother Nature

– Dr. Katie VanValin, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

Fall-calving offers a unique opportunity to work with mother nature.

Approximately 70% of the nation’s cow herd calves between January 1st and June 30th each year, typically calving in February and March, a breeding season ranging from May through July, and weaning calves in the fall. On the other hand, those with fall calving herds will calve in September and October, breed from December to February, and wean in the spring. While fall-calving herds are in the minority and may seem to “go against the grain,” this system offers producers unique opportunities to work with mother nature, especially in the fescue belt.

Environmental conditions are often more favorable for fall calving, starting with calving. While heat can be an issue, especially for calves born early, the cold, wet, and muddy conditions often seen in February and March are a non-issue. Cool-season forages pick up again in the fall as the summer heat begins to subside, providing a forage base for the lactating cows. Tall fescue stockpiles well and can be a good option for helping to maintain the fall calving herd. One downfall to fall calving that Continue reading Going Against the Grain to Work with Mother Nature →

Enhancing Beef Cattle Breeding: Insights from the eBarns Survey Study

– Kate Hornyak, OSU Extension Program Coordinator, Delaware County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

How do your repro practices correlate with genetic improvement, efficiency, and productivity of the operation?

It is valuable to observe shifts in breeding practices and understanding the focus of other operations to optimize management techniques tailored to your specific needs. The primary goal of dissecting breeding strategies is to not only boost profitability but ensuring that operations are sustainable in the long run. In result of wanting to harness these insights on a broader scale, OSU Extension spurred the Beef Cattle Breeding Program Impact Survey Study, to be featured in the 2024 eBarns publication. The study gathered detailed information on breeding practices, directly correlating these practices to genetic improvement, efficiency, and productivity of operations.

We reached 68 producers who manage over 3,800 head of breeding cattle, primarily located in Ohio with smaller numbers in Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The cattle population covered by the survey included 3,068 mature cows, 617 replacement heifers, and 147 bulls, totaling 3,832 head of beef cattle. In regard to breeding preferences, natural service was Continue reading Enhancing Beef Cattle Breeding: Insights from the eBarns Survey Study →

Beef Cattle A.I. Workshop hosted in Muskingum County

Register today, space is limited.

OSU Extension Muskingum County will host an introduction to artificial insemination of beef cattle on July 30 and August 1, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Extension Office in Zanesville. This two-night workshop is a classroom event starting on night one and concluding with hands-on-practice on night two.

Topics that will be covered during this workshop include: Advanced Reproductive Tract Anatomy and Physiology, Estrous Synchronization, Pasture Considerations, Expected Progeny Differences (EPD’s), and Tools, Equipment, & Techniques. Program cost is $20 per person and RSVP’s are due July 25.  The classroom location is the meeting room at the Rural Services Building, 225 Underwood St, Zanesville, OH.

Please RSVP and register using the Continue reading Beef Cattle A.I. Workshop hosted in Muskingum County →

Breeding season: Know performance and history; cull when necessary

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Knowing the pregnancy status of a cow allows for timely decision-making.

Pastures are in their prime, and for many spring-calving cow herds, breeding season is either here — or soon to be here.

As we progress through this cow breeding season, there are several economic drivers to consider when we evaluate reproduction within the beef herd:

Monitor cow performance. The start of breeding season is a good time to monitor cow production. Recording body condition scores (BCS) at breeding is an indicator of cow performance. If a cow is struggling to maintain body condition, is it because she is heavily lactating and nursing an above-average-weight calf, or are there underlying factors to consider? Continue reading Breeding season: Know performance and history; cull when necessary →

The Cow: Should She Stay, or Should She Go?

– Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension

If she’s bred, today, is a bad udder reason for culling an otherwise healthy cow?

Fed cattle and feeder calf prices are presently ranging in the vicinity of historical highs. But then, so are cull cow prices. Knowing historically the income resulting from cull cows in a beef herd has made up roughly 20% of the beef cattle farm’s annual income, today with careful management it could be even greater.

Presently at a time when cattlemen might be trying to retain any breeding female that can produce a live and marketable calf, let’s carefully consider how we might optimize the profitability of the beef herd by employing a strategic culling plan.

Typically, when discussing culling considerations it might start by Continue reading The Cow: Should She Stay, or Should She Go? →

Preg Checking has never been more affordable!

– Stan Smith, OSU Extension PA, Fairfield County

Considering the current value of a cull, preg checking a cow at the conclusion of the breeding season has never been more affordable. There’s seldom been a time when the reproductive and ultimately the economic efficiency of a beef herd has been more easily enhanced by performing a post breeding pregnancy examination for every cow and heifer.

During the fifth session of the 2021 Ohio Beef Cattle Management School that was hosted via ZOOM by the Ohio State University Extension Beef Team, a portion of the program included discussion on the economic significance of confirming pregnancy in beef cows and the various diagnostic methods that are available. Keeping in mind this presentation was recorded 3 years ago, listen in below as OSU Extension Educator Al Gahler discusses the economic returns to the operation realized through pregnancy checking cows in a timely fashion, and the various methods through which it can be accomplished.