Prepare for Fall Calving

 Fall calving cows are known to calve earlier than expected. With this year’s soaring temps, those calves might even have arrived earlier than usual. Hopefully you were prepared for your fall-calving cows; if not, here are a few tips and reminders.  The Benefits of Fall Calving  There are definite benefits to fall calving. A key advantage is that cows will spend […]

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Making Weaning More Profitable

In a time of unpredictability in the cattle market, one thing remains predictable. The fewer days you have a calf on feed, the lower your input costs will be. With a great percentage of cow-country covered by drought, higher feed costs and a volatile market, finding profit in the cattle business is on top of mind […]

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Signs of Heat Stress in Cattle

Raise your hand if you enjoy heat and humidity? If you are in production agriculture and specifically in the livestock business, chances are those hands remained at your side or maybe tucked deep inside your pockets. Summer’s high heat and humidity brings extra challenges to livestock producers when it comes to overall health and performance.   Heat stress […]

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Take the Stress Out of Weaning

A high-quality, healthy calf crop doesn’t just happen. It takes well-planned matings, caring for gestating and lactating cows with proper nutrition and management, and a low-stressed, healthy weaned group of calves. Producers know that perhaps the most challenging aspect of that equation is reducing the stress during weaning time, but one progressive seedstock operation in Central Illinois has found a […]

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How to Get Weaned Calves a Healthy Start

Freshly weaned calves are a lot like small children starting their first day of preschool. They’re learning a new routine in a different environment and eating from a new menu all while being without their mamas for the first time. That equals a lot of stress, which can lead to sickness, going off feed and […]

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Summer Gains are Possible

Summertime. For cattle producers the season means turning cows out to green grass, having cows bred, and backgrounding weaned calves. However, expecting young calves to gain in extreme conditions can sometimes be a challenge. That’s why providing them with the best nutrition possible is imperative during this most stressful time of their lives. “During that […]

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