If you’ve driven throughout the rural Midwest in the last week or two, you’ve likely noticed a significant difference in the landscape. Where tall corn fields once stood, you can now see for miles, as harvest is in full swing and only the stalks remain. “In the upper Midwest and in the Plains, there is an […]
Category: Management Practices
How to Identify the Fall Mineral that is Right for You
Fall could undeniably be one of the most complex seasons of the year. There are crops to harvest, calves to wean, some operations are calving and yet others are preparing for their next spring calf crop. All those production cycles have various nutrient requirements on the herd, all while forages are in varying stages. Add in the mood swing Mother Nature throws out with temperature […]
How to Make Early Weaning Work in your Operation
By Jack Oattes, M.S., BioZyme Inc. The concept of early weaning in beef cattle has long been considered a management strategy that can potentially benefit cattle producers and their cow herds, although there are several considerations to make when deciding whether or not to implement this strategy. The goal of this article is to discuss some of the relevant historical […]
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 […]
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 […]
How to Make Fly Control More Efficient, Convenient with More Coverage
Fly control is an investment in your herd. Horn flies cost beef producers more than $1 billion annually, and face flies can contribute up to $150 million in losses per year. House flies can be responsible for the transmission of BVD and scours and influence BRD, while stable flies are a huge bite hinderance to […]
Steps for a Successful Sale
Pay day. It’s the day or days many Americans look forward to each month so they can pay their debts, put away some savings and live life. But for many livestock producers, pay day comes once, maybe twice a year. Pay day comes on sale day and making sure you have everything ready to ensure the biggest […]
Help your Herd Reach its Potential with Quality Nutrition
Every living being has a purpose. For the cows that graze Alder’s Ranch, at Midway, Texas, halfway between Dallas and Houston, their purpose is to convert grass to milk and pounds of beef. The diverse cow-calf operation is home to 1,800 mama cows – Angus and Angus Plus – that run on land that ranges […]
Improved Herd Nutrition is a Change Worth Talking About
Making change isn’t always easy; especially when multiple generations are working together on the family farm. However, with four people from three generations bringing ideas to the table of a progressive operation, like the Winkelpleck Family Farm in east central Iowa, change for the better is always welcome. “My dad is 81 years old, and it was his idea to research the VitaFerm®. He saw […]
American Rancher Show to Feature Wyoming Ranch Family, VitaFerm®
“A good mineral program is so important, and it is essential to animal health.” This sentiment is shared by Dr. Tim Holt. Holt is a world-renown veterinarian known for perfecting the pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) test. The PAP test is a predictor of high-altitude sickness or “brisket disease” in cattle throughout the West. Raising cattle […]
