If you are in the cattle business, chances are you’ve likely heard of VitaFerm®, and perhaps over time you’ve mistaken VitaFerm as a company. If you have, you aren’t alone. However, VitaFerm is one of several offerings in the family of brands manufactured by BioZyme® Inc. VitaFerm is a line of nutritional supplements for beef […]
Tag: Stocker Calves
4 Tips to Successfully Wintering Stocker Calves
It’s no doubt, agriculture is a risky business. There are a lot of uncertainties, especially when you add the environment and the ever-changing weather into the mix. But with a good plan and some of these best management practices in place, you can come out in the springtime with healthy, growthy calves that are ready […]
A Guide to Selling Stockers
For cow-calf producers who spring calve, now seems like a logical time to market weaned calves. You’ve invested time and resources into breeding the cows, raising the calves and getting them weaned. Those cows should be bred back, and the cycle continues. But, is this really the best time to sell? Like any good business […]
Seeing is Believing When it Comes to Healthy Calves
For one progressive cattleman, seeing is believing. And seeing a program on RFD-TV several years ago, has made a difference in the way Tom Carter, Reidsville, North Carolina, backgrounds and markets cattle. Carter buys 300 head of calves throughout the year that he backgrounds on grass, hay and mineral. He puts the calves together and […]
Getting Your Stockers Prepared for Turn Out
Stocker calves can be a good investment and are a great source of converting available forage into protein. However, those producers who plan to run stockers need to be prepared with good health, nutrition and vaccination protocols in place before the first calf steps off the truck. There are two critical time periods for the […]
How Nutrition Works to Amplify Your Animals’ Health
Health and nutrition. To some livestock producers these terms might seem like the “chicken and egg” expression, and leave you wondering which one came first. Do you amplify your nutrition program to get your animals to perform to their highest potential? Or does a high-quality nutrition program help keep your animals healthy and therefore performing? […]
Turning Pastures into Profit Doesn’t Have to be a Gamble
“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em; know when to fold ’em.” If the lyrics of this age-old Kenny Rogers song, “The Gambler” sound familiar to you, you might be in the cattle business. But, with proper planning, adequate resources and some helpful advice, you can reduce the gamble, and turn existing pasture land […]
How Nutrition Plays a Key Role in Animal Gains
When it comes to your cattle feeding operation, pounds matter. The more pounds your animal gains in a shorter period means the animal is more efficient and consequently, you should see a greater return on your investment. But what factors influence those gains? Certainly, genetics play a role, but so does the nutrition you provide […]
When You Can’t Afford Not to Use a Mineral Program
With the ringing in of a new year and the ups and downs of the cattle cycle, it’s reassuring to have a tool in the cattle feeding business that will help decrease costs and minimize health risks to calves during one of the most stressful times of their lives. With three simple steps and just […]
Natural Ways to Help Reduce the Risk of Bovine Respiratory Disease
It can be a challenge to keep stocker cattle healthy. Temperature swings, moisture, poor ventilation and commingling with calves from other points of origin are all stressors that impact the calves’ overall health and performance and can lead to Bovine Respiratory Disease or BRD, the leading cause of sickness in cattle. Even healthy-appearing cattle can […]
