Nov 28, 2018
Beef Cow Herd Planning Calendar: August
This is the August excerpt of Beef Cow Herd Planning Calendar, ANR-0968-A.
Health Tips
- Reduce cattle stress during hot weather; provide adequate shade and water.
- Watch for pinkeye and anaplasmosis problems as biting insects remain abundant.
Forage & Nutrition Notes
- Monitor body condition scores and adjust nutritional program as needed.
- Plan winter grazing and feeding programs in advance– locate seed!
- Watch dallisgrass pastures for ergot contamination as seedheads begin to appear.
- Avoid grazing heavily nitrogen-fertilized warm-season annual pastures during drought to avoid nitrate poisoning.
- Prepare to stockpile tall fescue and bermudagrass pastures for winter grazing.
Winter Calving Herd
- Perform pregnancy check on cows/heifers and cull cows/ heifers based on pregnancy status, soundness, health, and performance.
- Acquire supplies for weaning ahead of time.
- Allow bulls to rest and regain condition.
- To precondition calves, vaccinate for respiratory diseases 45 days before shipment.
- Make sure calves are weighed to collect weaning weights within age range accepted by breeding associations and for performance record keeping.
Spring Calving Herd
- Maintain good breeding records.
- Observe cows and heifers for return to heat.
- Remove bulls by mid-August to end calving season by late May.
- Schedule pregnancy checks 45 to 60 days after the end of the breeding season.
Fall Calving Herd
- Evaluate herd sire options for the next breeding season.
- Organize calving supplies and move fall-calving females close to handling facilities.
Read the full Beef Cow Herd Planning Calendar here.
Download a PDF of Beef Cow Herd Planning Calendar, ANR-0968-
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This is the December excerpt of Beef Cow Herd Planning Calendar, ANR-0968-A.
Health Tips
- Monitor cattle for lice.
- Supplement vitamin A, when necessary, if frosted grass or weathered hay is the primary forage source.
Forage & Nutrition Notes
- Monitor body condition scores, and adjust nutritional program as needed.
- Continue using stockpiled tall fescue and bermudagrass.
- Limiting grazing cool-season annuals for a few hours per day is a good way to use winter forages efficiently once they reach a target height of 6 to 8 inches.
- Modify winter supplementation based on forage analysis information, availability, and herd nutritional requirements.
Winter Calving Herd
- Make sure calving supplies are on hand.
- Move heifers into clean, dry pastures, and check frequently.
- Monitor bred heifers closely for calving.
- Tag calves at birth, and keep good calving records (birth weight, tag numbers, cow IDs).
- Establish an ID system, and tag calves at birth.
Spring Calving Herd
- Train calves to eat from a bunk and drink from a water trough.
- Select and permanently identify replacement heifers.
- Plan a heifer development program to reach target breeding weights.
Fall Calving Herd
- Calculate fall calving percentage.
- Watch calves for scours, and restock calving supplies.
- Begin breeding replacement heifers to calve about 1 month before cows.
- Expect heifers bred by early December to calve by mid-September.
- Tag, castrate, dehorn, and implant calves as soon as practically possible. Do not implant replacement heifers.
This is the October excerpt of Beef Cow Herd Planning Calendar, ANR-0968-A.
Health Tips
- Heat stress conditions are still possible in some areas.
- Horn and face fly season is ending. Remove remaining insecticidal fly tags.
Forage & Nutrition Notes
- Monitor body condition scores and adjust nutritional program as needed.
- Consider overseeding warm-season perennial pastures with cool-season annual grasses and legumes.
- Conduct a forage analysis on stored hay, baleage, and silage before feeding to develop an accurate supplementation strategy.
Winter Calving Herd
- Finish weaning late calves.
- Train calves to eat from a bunk and drink from a water trough.
- Select and permanently identify replacement heifers.
- Plan a heifer development program to reach target breeding weights.
Spring Calving Herd
- Perform pregnancy check on cows/heifers and cull cows/ heifers based on pregnancy status, soundness, health, and performance.
- Make sure calves are weaned and weighed within acceptable age range for breed associations and performance record keeping.
- Plan a heifer development program to reach target breeding weights.
Fall Calving Herd
- Tag, castrate, dehorn, and implant calves as soon as practically possible. Do not implant replacement heifers.
- Provide good nutrition for lactating cattle and first-calf heifers approaching breeding.
- Evaluate bulls and line up breeding soundness evaluations.
This is the September excerpt of Beef Cow Herd Planning Calendar, ANR-0968-A.
Health Tips
- Reduce cattle stress during hot weather; provide adequate shade and water.
- Watch for pinkeye.
Forage & Nutrition Notes
- Monitor body condition scores and adjust nutritional program as needed.
- Watch for fall armyworms in pastures and hay fields.
- Prepare to stockpile tall fescue and bermudagrass pastures for winter grazing.
- Watch dallisgrass pastures for ergot contamination.
- Plant and fertilize cool-season forages in prepared seedbeds.
Winter Calving Herd
- Wean calves based on market and pasture conditions, and deworm at weaning.
- Vaccinate for respiratory and other diseases based on veterinary advice.
- Train calves to eat from a bunk and drink from a water trough.
- Perform pregnancy checks on cows/heifers and cull on pregnancy status, soundness, health, and performance.
Spring Calving Herd
- Market bulls that will not be used again for breeding.
- Schedule pregnancy checks 45 to 60 days after the end of the breeding season.
- Observe cows and heifers for return to heat.
Fall Calving Herd
- Monitor bred heifers closely for calving.
- Maintain good calving records.
- Establish an ID system, and tag calves at birth.
- After calving, plan to move cow-calf pairs to clean pasture to minimize health risk.