Reproduction

Reevaluating Artificial Insemination in Today’s Cattle Market

– Pedro Fontes, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Georgia Extension Specialist

ROI associated with the use of AI in commercial herds is largely driven by cattle prices.

What artificial insemination brings to commercial cow-calf herds?
Estrus synchronization and artificial insemination have been around for decades, but their value for commercial cow-calf operations is often underestimated. When properly implemented, these tools can reshape reproductive efficiency and, consequently, profitability. Synchronization tightens the calving window, resulting in a more uniform calf crop and heavier weaning weights. Getting more cows bred early in the season also results more pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed, which is a critical driver of herd productivity.

Artificial insemination also adds another layer of advantage. It gives producers access to an unmatched selection of proven sires, allowing producers to target the exact traits they want to improve, whether that’s calving ease, growth, carcass quality, feed efficiency, or maternal function. Whatever the herd goal is, there is a bull available that fits that goal. This flexibility is nearly impossible to achieve through natural service alone. Artificial insemination also minimizes the . . .

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Nutritional Considerations Going Into Calving

– Lawton Stewart and Uttam Saha, University of Georgia Extension

EDITOR’s NOTE: As indicated below Georgia is experiencing forage quality concerns similar to Ohio.

This year has proved to be quite an interesting one. Many parts of the state have seen periods with above-average amounts of rain, but also periods of well below-average amounts. Most producers were able to put up plenty of hay. However, based on the samples submitted to the UGA Feed and Environmental Water Laboratory, there is quite a range in forage quality. For producers with late winter/spring calving season, this could cause potential issues. Combining this with a few other observations, here are a few situations we are seeing, and the potential ramifications.

1. I will restrict feed in the last trimester to decrease calf birth weights.
2. I need more protein to go with my hay
3. There is a tendency to underestimate crude protein and overestimate energy.

Figure 1. The nutrient requirement of a mature brood cow through a 365-day calving interval.

I will restrict feed in the last trimester to decrease calf birth weights. Is this correct? Absolutely! The problem is that . . .

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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 . . .

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Determining cattle pregnancy status

– Sandra Stuttgen, University of Wisconsin Extension

There are several ways to determine pregnancy in cattle.

It is important to determine pregnancy status so action toward the non- pregnant cows can be taken.

Introduction
Maintaining a successful reproductive program in our modern dairy and beef operations requires dedication. While it is rewarding to hear a pronouncement of pregnancy, there is not much the manager can do with that information. Except wait. Wait to recheck later to make sure the pregnancy is progressing. Wait for a calf to be born. So, while it is tempting to focus on a positive pregnancy diagnosis, it is important to remember the real value in pregnancy diagnosis is identifying non-pregnant cows so that action can be taken.

The sooner non-pregnant cows can be identified, the sooner they can be . . .

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Utilizing Body Condition Scoring to Help Manage Nutrition

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

Monitoring BCS is a great tool for managing nutrition.

Spring calving season may seem a long way off but getting cows in the proper condition needs to start early. Changing the body condition score (BCS) on a cow takes time and entering calving season too thin can have impacts that last well into the next year. Monitoring BCS is a great tool to guide nutrition and prepare cows for calving and breeding.

As many producers transition from grazing to feeding stored forages, they are faced with two major challenges again this year. First is the amount and quality of stored forage and second is the condition of the cow herd heading into winter. Drought conditions, for the second year in a row, caused many pastures and forage crops to suffer. With that, the cow herd is likely stressed and heading into winter with a little Continue reading Utilizing Body Condition Scoring to Help Manage Nutrition →

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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Three Considerations When Comparing the Cost of Buying Bred Heifers to the Cost of Developing Them

– Dr. Kenny Burdine, Extension Professor, Livestock Marketing, University of Kentucky

Do you keep heifers and develop them, or purchase breds?

As we roll through fall, spring-born calves will be weaned and many of those heifer calves will be held for replacement purposes. At the same time, a large number of bred heifers will hit the market and be available for the same purpose. It is not uncommon for someone to comment on how expensive bred heifers are and assume that they can develop their own heifers for much less. While this is true in some cases, I also think it is easy to underestimate some of those costs. The purpose of this article is to briefly highlight three things that are crucial to consider when a cow-calf operator tries to make this comparison. And I would argue these are even more significant given the strength of the current cattle market.

The opportunity cost is the biggest cost
I hope this one is obvious, but the largest cost of developing a heifer is the opportunity cost of that heifer at weaning. High quality weaned heifers, in the 500-600 lb range, are bringing Continue reading Three Considerations When Comparing the Cost of Buying Bred Heifers to the Cost of Developing Them →

Long-Term Considerations When Investing in Replacements

– Hannah Baker, M.S., State Specialized Extension Agent – Beef and Forage Economics, Range Cattle Research and Education Center, University of Florida / IFAS Extension

The value of young cows and heifers is increasing.

Due to current inventory levels and producers beginning to think about expansion, the value of young cows and heifers is increasing as demand for breeding stock increases. As discussed in last week’s In the Cattle Markets issue, pastures in the majority of the country are in better condition than they have been since 2019, which will play a key role in producers’ ability to start expanding. However, there are still no strong signs of heavy retention efforts, yet when looking at the percentage of heifers on feed (38.1%). The next quarterly Cattle on Feed report in October will provide more insight into whether or not more heifers are starting to be retained.

On average, (heavy emphasis on average), bred heifers are selling between $3,500 -$4,500 per head. Alternatively, the cost of Continue reading Long-Term Considerations When Investing in Replacements →

Pregnancy Testing Pays Off

– Dean Kreager, Extension Educator – Agriculture and Natural Resources, Licking County

Ultrasound is one of 3 popular methods of pregnancy checking.

With cull cow prices hitting record highs, this may be the time to pregnancy check and avoid overwintering open cows. For many, the breeding season has wrapped up and weaning time will be here soon. This is a time where a small investment in a pregnancy check can result in saving on winter feed as well as a nice check for those cows that did not get pregnant.

Overwintering open cows is not typically a profitable venture. The largest expense coming out of your pocket is the value of feed needed to get the cattle through the winter. Let’s be on the conservative side and say your hay is worth $60 per round bale and each cow eats 5 bales through the winter, that is $300.  This number could easily go up to $500 with a longer time on hay or a higher quality of hay fed. This does not count for all the other expenses involved with keeping cattle.  With record high feeder calf prices, the loss caused by open cows does not hurt as bad, but it is still a loss.

On the other side of the coin is Continue reading Pregnancy Testing Pays Off →

Understanding Late Embryonic Mortality and Its Impact on Cow Productivity

– Lucas Melo-Goncalves and Pedro Fontes, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia

Late embryonic mortality can have lasting consequences for cow productivity and herd performance.

In cow-calf operations, reproductive success is the primary driver of productivity. Each cow must produce a healthy calf every year to keep the herd economically sustainable. Most producers are familiar with the challenge of cows that fail to conceive, but fewer recognize the long-term effects of pregnancy losses that occur after a cow has already become pregnant. Most pregnancy loss in cattle occurs in the first 3 months of pregnancy. The term early embryonic mortality (EEM) is used to describe pregnancy loss that occurs within 30 days after conception. These losses are unfortunately common, affecting approximately 20 to 40% of pregnancies in beef herds. While undesirable, these early pregnancy losses are often manageable because cows experiencing EEM often have enough time to rebreed during a typical 60- to 90-day breeding season. Pregnancy losses that occur later in the first trimester of pregnancy, between 30 and 90 days after conception, are referred to late embryonic mortality (LEM). Although less frequent, affecting approximately 3-8% of pregnancies, these later losses can . . .

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