Calf Weaning

Successfully Weaned Calves: A Hot Commodity

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:36:39 GMT

Whether calves are being retained after weaning, or they are arriving by the truckloads, the weaned calf is at a critical juncture in development and currently is an expensive commodity whose health and growth should not be taken lightly.

The Connection between the Nursing Calf and the Weaned Calf

Although there is much to focus on during weaning, a successful weaning is impacted by the nursing phase. In an ideal situation, the calf was born to a healthy cow on a good nutrition and vaccination program who provided high quality colostrum to the calf at birth.

In addition to receiving good nutrition as a nursing calf, the calf also received two rounds of vaccinations in a protocol developed by a local veterinarian. Much like in humans, a series of vaccinations while the calf is young can prevent viral outbreaks throughout its life.

Viral diseases are hard to treat and if a calf survives them, that calf is seldom a thrifty calf with a great rate of gain. Antibiotics are effective on bacterial infections, not viruses. Therefore, the idea of a vaccination program is to minimize the impact of viruses in the herd so that when an illness does occur, the likelihood it is a treatable bacterial infection is high.

Establishing a working relationship with a local veterinarian before weaning helps determine any booster vaccines that need to be given after weaning as well as developing an antibiotic use protocol before signs of an illness occur.

The Transition Away from Mom

By the time a nursing calf is five months old, the calf is eating more than 1% of its body weight in forage on a dry-matter basis. Once the calf is weaned, depending on the quality of the diet offered and the size of the calf, that calf will eat between 2.3% and 3% of its body weight in forage. So, the goal is to get that calf’s consumption from 1% up to 2.3% of its body weight in feed as quickly as possible.

The more familiar things can be, the smoother the transition. A similar diet to what they were eating with the cow is familiar to the calf and can encourage intake. A calf out grazing with the cow is going to prefer a grass hay or grazing situation and may not be willing to eat a silage-based diet immediately after weaning. However, a calf who consumed a silage-based diet with the cow, will eat that very well at weaning.

Rumen Development, Nutrition and Water

Good nutrition is the key to good health for the weaned calf. By the time a calf is 150 days old, the rumen is fully developed but is small compared to a yearling calf or a cow. Therefore, the diet must be highly palatable and highly digestible. A diet of poor quality roughage will not have a high passage rate out of the rumen, making it unlikely the calf can eat enough to meet its nutrient requirements.

In addition to energy, the weaned calf needs metabolizable protein to meet both the needs of the microbes in the rumen and the needs for tissue growth such as muscle and skeleton. Feeds such as distillers grains will contribute more to skeletal and muscle growth than feeds like alfalfa hay or soybean meal due to the type of protein they supply.

The importance of a good vitamin and mineral package should not be overlooked as several vitamins and trace minerals such as Vitamin A, copper, and zinc play a crucial role in the functioning of the immune system.

Water is the most critical nutrient for life but is often overlooked for its importance in the weaning calf. Not only is water important in the prevention of dehydration and general metabolic function, but it is also important for digestion in the rumen. Therefore, a calf who cannot reach the water, cannot figure out the waterer, or will not drink the water due to contaminants, will also not eat.

Predator vs. Prey

One of the most frustrating things about caring for weaned calves is not realizing a calf has a need for medical attention. Because calves see humans as predators, they will often try to appear healthy when they sense they are being scrutinized.

Sick calves will often hide in the middle of a group of calves to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Moving the calves around to see who exhibits depressed posture or labored breathing, who moves back to the bunk and continues to eat, and observing a calf from a moderate distance when the calf is unaware of being watched, can help determine which calves need to be pulled in for treatment.

Managing weaned calves, especially at today’s value, can be a little stressful. However, proper nutrition, vaccination schedules, treatment protocols and vigilance can increase the success rate tremendously.

Article by Karla Wilke, Nebraska Extension cow-calf stocker management specialist for the UNL Beef Watch eNewsletter.

Cow-Calf Checklist: It's Time to Wean Spring Calves

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:16:12 GMT

Each month, cow-calf producers are faced with management tasks related to seasonal and production goals. Jason Warner, Kansas State University Extension cow-calf specialist, summarizes the top 10 management practices producers should check off their to-do lists in October.

1. The time is here to wean spring-born calves. Are you ready?

If you’re going to retain them, know your cost of gain versus the value of gain.
Prepare pens, check waterers and have your health protocols in place.

2. Don’t misread your cows. Evaluate body condition scores (BCS) closely at weaning.

Make a record of BCS at weaning.
Use BCS to be strategic with your feed dollars this fall.

3. Take time to schedule pregnancy checks on cows and heifers.

This allows for other herd health problems to be identified.
Track conception rates yearly to gauge herd performance.

4. Work through your cull pen.

Feed prices are relatively low. Can you add value if cows are thin ?
If the cows don’t fit your herd, can they fit someone else’s?

5. Remember the fall calvers.

Review your calving health protocols as needed.
Locate and clean your calving equipment.

6. Plan your mineral needs for fall and winter.

Record the date and the amount offered, then calculate herd consumption.
If consumption is two to three times the target, then your cost is too.

7. Keep an eye on your herd bulls .

Conduct a breeding soundness exam (BSE) on bulls to be used for upcoming fall service.
Supplement thin bulls coming out of cows to regain condition.

8. Heifers are worth a lot, so let’s manage them as such.

Know your target weight at breeding and grow them appropriately.
Target 2-year-old heifers to be at a minimum BCS of 6 at calving.

9. Take inventory of and begin sampling harvested forages.

Test for nitrates and prussic acid when appropriate.
Be aware of the possible presence of molds and other anti-nutritional compounds in hay that has been harvested at higher-than-typical moisture levels.

10. If grazing crop residues following harvest, keep the following in mind:

Nitrates accumulate in the bottom one-third of the stalk.
High amounts of down grain (≥ 20 bu./acre) will require a change in management.

Your Next Read: Cow Herd Score Card: Evaluating Performance at Weaning

Starting Calves on Feed With the End in Mind

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:29:16 GMT

A new home, a new menu and new health challenges are what all calves face when being started on feed. In this article, we will focus on the second aspect — a new menu.

To start things off, on arrival it has been a long-standing practice of providing long-stem hay. Not a bad idea since it is a safe and seemingly therapeutic feed for cattle, but don’t use junk.

CRP hay (weeds), ditch hay, stuff that was rained on or made at a late maturity really does not help the cause for animals on arrival. Use your better forage, (note the word “forage” rather than roughage) and also note that the younger the calf, the more critical it is to use higher quality forage since we do want to provide nutrition rather than just something to chew on.

More than Hay

Now, taking this a step further, do not just limit these calves to only hay at arrival. We need to provide more substantial nutrition and generally young calves need and respond well to good protein nutrition.

With the abundance of higher protein feeds such as distillers grains, gluten feed and soybean meal in Iowa, these natural protein sources with minimal starch and high in digestible fiber become a very good addition to the arrival diet without much threat of digestive upset.

Supplements containing urea really are best to be withheld from arrival. Urea/NPN does take some further adjustment and an abundance of readily fermentable, nonstructural carbohydrate, which arrival diets do not and should not have.

Should we get concerned that withholding this NPN may also mean withholding mineral as is often the case where we might be using a liquid or dry supplement that contains NPN plus mineral and vitamins? My answer is “no.” The animals will be fine for a couple days without it. We may want to provide salt however, and if we strategically put the salt lick near the water source we may encourage a better, more effective rehydration after a long haul.

Next consider silage. If you are planning to feed silage or haylage later, start it now. Here I also need to qualify that we do not want to feed junk, or in the world of silage, if it is more like compost it is not good feed and should be left out. Good silage and haylage however make the arrival diet more enticing and can provide a higher level of nutrition than just hay.

From a rumen standpoint note that it takes around three days for the microflora of the rumen to start changing over to a new feed ingredient. So with an arrival diet we would be looking to feed it for about three to five days and using the time as an opportunity to adjust the animal in a gentle way to the feedstuffs they will be getting over the long haul, apart from the high energy starch, sugars or oils found in the final finishing diet in order that when we do add these high energy feeds we already have many of the ingredients already in place.

Learning How to Eat

The next aspect to consider is that we are also teaching these new arrivals how to eat. When bunk space is plentiful and all the calves in a pen come and eat together is preferred, but in reality, they may not or can not. This is especially the case with confinement buildings where maybe 1/3 of the calves can fit at the bunk at a given time. In these situations, we need to supply enough feed in order that all the calves can eat. But if we limit feed the diet, the aggressive calves will fill up and the rest will go hungry to some extent.

Arrival diet needs to allow the calves to eat to satiety without causing them to get sick. This generally means keeping the highly fermentable carbohydrates (starch, sugar) to a minimum initially. After the three to five days period of an “all you can eat buffet” that is composed of a digestible fiber and adequate protein, aggressive eaters tend to become satisfied and much less likely to over indulge while the more timid calves tend to learn to eat from a new bunk and become satisfied nutritionally.

At this point we have the calves set up to succeed. The normal finishing rations can be introduced and we can progress as normal.

— Garland Dahlke , IBC research scientist

Tips and Technology for Receiving Calves

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 15:38:08 GMT

What makes a backgrounding enterprise successful? Is it good cattle, health protocols, good nutrition or thorough record-keeping? The answer – all of the above!

A healthy, high-performing calf for the backgrounder and feeder starts on the ranch level.

“It’s beneficial if we can get some pre-weaning vaccines into those cattle… castrate those bull calves as soon as possible… and deworm those calves before they get sent off,” says Jared Ranly. “Let’s think about the good of the industry and how much we can help the calves and people in the next phase.”

Ranly is a Texas veterinarian, backgrounder and cow-calf producer who is passionate about helping others raise healthy calves and have successful operations.

How long calves have been weaned also makes a big difference in how high-risk they are for the next phase.

He says, “The highest risk calves we see are those short-term weaned calves, where they’re maybe weaned for around two or three weeks, and then they get sent to a background or a stocker operation. Those calves really wreak a lot of havoc in our system.”

Instead, consider the following options.

“I’d rather have those calves right off the cow or weaned for a minimum of 45 days,” says Ranly.

Once calves are off the ranch, backgrounders can also take key steps to have a successful receiving period starting from day one.

“We want to rest them overnight with good quality hay and good quality water,” says Ranly. “After that we want to get these cattle processed as soon as we can and get them turned back out into pasture or go to their home trap where they’re going to be on feed.”

He also emphasizes the importance of nutrition for calves before, during and after backgrounding.

He says, “Nutrition is so critical in this transition phase… have a real good palatable feed, whether it be a forage source or a feed source, that we can transition these calves onto to set them up for the best possible health program.”

Don’t forget the value of a veterinarian as a backgrounder either.

“Reach out and find a veterinarian ahead of time and don’t wait until you’re in a disaster mode,” says Ranly. “Let that vet develop a vaccination program and a treatment program, so we can try to put out these fires before we get into those situations.”

Having a successful backgrounding operation goes beyond good cattle, solid health programs and quality nutrition. Record keeping is essential.

Ranly says, “Good record keeping lets me actually see what’s going on. Without the data, we can’t narrow in and focus on the true problem—we’re just throwing darts at the wall guessing.”

The method of record keeping also makes a difference.

“The guys that are on notepads don’t always know where they’re at,” says Ranly. “They’re probably really nervous about the market and hesitant to sell because they don’t know if this profit is good enough.”

Multifaceted digital platforms are the preference for Ranly and his clients.

“If we can use a program like Performance Beef and we can know exactly what our true breakeven is, we’re not panicking when we’re selling them,” says Ranly. “We can be comfortable with the profit margin and roll on.”

Easily accessing ration costs and cost of gain are key features of Performance Beef.

He says, “That’s where we’ve seen some game changing—with clients who thought they had a cheap ration, but when we analyzed cost of gain through Performance Beef, we realized changes needed to be made.”

The bigger picture of digital record keeping comes down to making management decisions with more confidence.

“By taking all this data in, it can really let us focus on issues we need to address and fine tune the operation.” says Ranly. “We can find out what a set of cattle from a source is really worth—can we pay them a premium or do we need to discount those cattle?”

Remember a successful backgrounding operation not only crosses their t’s and dots their i’s with animal health and nutrition, they also invest in tools that allow them to know where they stand financially today and over the long term.

Listen to the full conversation on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast .

Managing the Details: Getting the Little Things Right

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:47:45 GMT

Back in the 1980s one of the stockyards in Baton Rouge where we sold our hogs had a statement on their check stubs that read “A man with a paid off cow herd is never really broke.” That simple statement always intrigued me.

Given the current market, it seems like a huge understatement, but I think the wisdom of that simple statement can be applied no matter what stage of the cattle cycle we are in. These historical prices provide an incredible opportunity to pay down debt, improve infrastructure or maybe even expand.

Regardless of how we choose to use this added revenue we need to be cautious about becoming complacent in our day-to-day management. Good managers pay attention to detail, and an excellent example can be found in data gathered from the Advanced Post Weaning Value-Added Program (PVAP).

(PVAP)

The Advanced PVAP program targets producers who have routinely weaned and preconditioned their calves prior to marketing with the objective of not only evaluating the economics of preconditioning but also identifying the best management practices of these experienced producers. The chart above is a summary of 52 closeouts from 42 producers who have participated in the Advanced PVAP program to date.

As you can see the 1,645 calves in this summary were fed an average of 79 days postweaning, gained an additional 182 lb., sold for $7.91 per cwt. over the state average, and netted $221.10 per head over selling at weaning. This type of on farm data is invaluable not only for producers but also aids extension educators for more effective program planning and recommendations.

To gain even more insight into actual management practices, a survey of the PVAP participants was conducted. Of the 42 producers represented in this database, 41 responded to the survey. Some of the interesting highlights of this survey are as follows:

61% used fence line weaning
73% introduced concentrate feed prior to weaning either by creep feeding or limited hand feeding
78% castrated calves prior to 3 months of age
71% implanted their steers
78% sold their calves in some type of special preconditioned sale
53% fed an ionophore such as Rumensin or Bovatec in either the mineral or feed
49% plan to review their management practices based on closeout results

A deeper dive into the database yielded more information on two of the practices highlighted. The first of these showed that how producers marketed their calves affected price received relative to the state average price. Calves selling in special preconditioned sales averaged $9.46 per cwt. over the state average. Calves selling in non-preconditioned sales and/or private treaty averaged $3.25 per cwt. over the state average. A difference of $6.21 per cwt.

Another interesting find was the effect that time of castration had on steer average daily gain during the postweaning period. Steers castrated at or near weaning had average daily gains of only .08 lb. more than their heifer mates (2.23 vs. 2.15), whereas steers castrated prior to 3 months of age gained .39 lb. more than their heifer mates (2.49 vs. 2.10). Although not a controlled study, I think we can safely say that the early castrated calves had a weight gain advantage due to less stress at weaning. A conservative assumption of an added .30 lb. per day in this example could possibly result in an extra 20-25 lb. per head, which in today’s market could be an additional $70-90 per head.

An additional indicator of the level of management by the 41 producers in the survey was the morbidity and mortality rate among the 1,645 calves. Sickness was reported in only 32 calves (1.95% morbidity). Of these 32 calves, 28 were on the same farm that must comingle calves into one central weaning facility from several different herds. Death loss for the 1,645 calves totaled 4 head for a mortality rate of 0.24%.

It should be noted that two of these calves were from operations that castrate at weaning. The extremely low rate of mortality and morbidity among these 52 different groups of calves further reinforces the argument that the best place for a calf to be castrated and weaned is on the farm where it was born.

Although all the practices highlighted by the survey cannot be necessarily quantified in dollars and cents given the lack of controlled comparisons in this dataset, most of these areas of management have sound economic justification. Most participants in the Advanced PVAP program are embracing these practices to ensure that the calves are ready to transition and thrive at weaning thereby minimizing production risks.

But what about market risk? Maybe the next detail our PVAP producers should consider is purchasing Livestock Risk Protection (LRP), especially as we go forward in this extremely high and volatile market.

This is just one example of how managing the details can pay dividends when preconditioning and marketing our calves. I think we would all agree that paying attention to detail and getting the little things right can apply to all areas of management and position our operations for the future.

Maybe we can edit that old stockyard check stub to read “A person who manages the details and has a paid off cow herd will be ready to ride the next turn of the cattle cycle.”

Cow Herd Score Card: Evaluating Performance at Weaning

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:57:03 GMT

Tracking performance and evaluating herd success should be a year-round process. Similar to tracking athletes, consider developing a score card to monitor your herd. Understanding how your herd is performing throughout the year is important when considering management, nutrition and culling decisions.

“While producers will record individual weaning weights on registered animals, there is also value in collecting that information for commercial cow herds to understand the level of production in the herd,” says Jason Warner, Kansas State University Extension cow-calf specialist. “Recording cow BCS at weaning is very useful for tracking the plane of nutrition of the cow herd and making nutrition decisions going into late gestation.”

Post-weaning and pregnancy check is a good time to evaluate your herd’s success. For weaning, your scorecard may include:

Calf weaning weight
Cow body condition score (BCS) or Weight at Weaning (note if drastic change)
Pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed
Cow pregnancy data — did she breed in the first or second 21-day cycle?
Document any illness or injury
Disposition — identify problematic temperament issues
Udder quality
Cow teeth

Weaning Weights

Ron Lemenager, Purdue University beef specialist, says it’s nice to have a weaning weight and considers this fundamental data for making informed management decisions.

John Hall, University of Idaho Extension beef specialist, says, “In an ideal world, you’d be able to collect individual calf weights, but the reality is that probably is not going to happen at the ranch level. For commercial producers, I think the big thing is on the cow side, cow body condition and pregnancy status at weaning or close to weaning is essential, because that’s a valuable indicator of cow performance.”

He says if a group scale is available, he encourages producers to get a group weight of steers and heifers to figure an average steer and heifer weight.

When evaluating calf size, Hall and Lemenager say the goal is for a cow to wean a calf that is 45% to 50% body weight compared to cow.

“If you have cows coming in when it’s been fairly droughty and maybe not the best condition, but she’s a body condition score seven or eight, and her calf’s a little dink at like 300 to 350 lb. — she’s probably not a cow you want to keep in your herd,” Hall adds.

Pregnant or Open

Lemenager recommends doing pregnancy checks before weaning to identify open cows and make early culling decisions. While the cow is in the chute, make sure to check the teeth of the older cows.

“Broken mouth and gummer cows will have a hard time grazing efficiently and maintain their body condition for another production cycle,” he says.

When considering culling decisions, Lemenager encourages producers to also refer to a cow’s records from calving time, including udder scores, disposition, calving difficulty and mother ability.

Hall agrees, saying, “I strongly encourage people to preg check those cows, and with what an open cow is worth these days and what it’s costing us to keep cows around, pregnancy checking pays for itself pretty quickly.”

Lemenager says weaning time is when producers should “make the keep/cull decisions,” because this is when a producer has the most complete picture of a cow’s annual performance. The data collected helps determine which cows should be retained and which should be culled based on their overall productivity and any management challenges they presented during the year.

At pregnancy check, if it looks like a lot of the cows will be later in the calving season, then Hall encourages investigating what’s wrong. Issues to consider are nutrition, heat stress, injury or bull failure. He suggests the goal of 70% of the cows to calve in the first 30 days of the calving season.

Other Scores, Percentages to Review

According to Lemenager, cow BCS is critical for assessing nutritional status and to help make breeding decisions. He adds that grouping cows by BCS scores allows producers to create targeted nutritional programs to aid in maintaining or improving BCS in a cost-effective manner.

As far as the percentage of live calves weaned relative to the number of pregnant females, Jason Warner, Kansas State University cow-calf Extension specialist, says the goal is at least 90%.

Hall encourages producers to figure percentage of calves weaned per cow exposed.

“That’s pretty easy to do,” he says. “Counting number of calves that I have at weaning time versus the number of cows that were exposed over a year ago to calve.”

Warner says ideally, our goal should be to wean a calf crop of at least 85% of calves weaned per cow exposed.

If the exposure number is hard for producers to calculate, another indicator is percentage of calves weaned for cows that were present at the start of the calving season.

“That gives you an idea on things like calf health and cow performance,” Hall explains.

Another trait Lemenager encourages producers to evaluate is udder quality.

“While it is easy to see a bad udder at calving, if it wasn’t recorded, those bad udders will be highly noticeable right after calf weaning,” he says.

Lemenager summarizes weaning is a critical evaluation period where all the year’s performance data comes together to inform important herd management decisions.

Your Next Read: Calf Weaning Series

Will Buyers Pay Preconditioning Premiums for Already Expensive Calves?

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 13:06:52 GMT

Recently at the coffee shop a producer was overheard saying, “Calf prices are so high right now that I don’t see why I would bother vaccinating or weaning before I take them to town. It’s extra work and buyers aren’t going to pay premiums with prices this high anyway.”

Will preconditioning pay in the face of historic cattle prices that continue to rise? Econ 101 says that a profitable decision requires that the revenue added by preconditioning must outweigh the cost added by preconditioning. (That equation also holds true for any subset of management practices.) Looking at recent history provides insight into the revenue side of that equation.

Figure 1 overlays the average preconditioning premiums ($/cwt) for steers received by Oklahoma Quality Beef Network (OQBN) cattle from 2012 through 2024 with the average fourth Quarter price (Oct-Dec) for 500-600 lb. steers in those same years. Average price is represented by the bars with the price scale on the left. The corresponding premiums are represented by the orange line and the price scale on the right. The pattern is clear – premium levels tend to move with price levels.

OQBN Preconditioning Premiums Relative to 4^th Quarter Average Price for 500-600 lb. Steers, Southern Plains. Source: Livestock Marketing Information Center and Oklahoma Quality Beef Network Historical Data.

(Raper and Peel)

Recall that the Southern Plains suffered through a severe drought from 2012-2015, forcing herd liquidation by many cattlemen. As price levels rose drastically in 2014, many asked then whether the market would still reward preconditioned calves with premiums. Figure 1 indicates that the answer was a resounding “yes.”

Why would cattle buyers not only pay premiums, but pay relatively HIGHER premiums for those already very expensive cattle? The answer is RISK.

The whole point of preconditioning calf health programs is to prepare calves for better performance as they move through the system. That improved performance is measured in lower death loss, fewer health issues and better gain — that is, lower risk.

For example, a survey of Texas Cattle Feeders Association feedlot managers indicated death loss rates of 4.3% for nonpreconditioned cattle and death loss of only 1.5% for preconditioned cattle. As prices move upward, the cost of death loss as well as the opportunity cost of lost performance also increases.

Buyers who pay premiums for preconditioned cattle are paying to lessen that risk. And as prices move higher, the premiums that they are willing to pay for that decrease in risk will generally rise in response to the rising economic risk.

So, what’s the answer to our question “Will preconditioning pay in the face of historic cattle prices that continue to rise?” History says “Yes.” While marketing calves off the cow may yield positive returns, particularly in the current environment of rapidly rising prices, the case for preconditioning prior to marketing is still strong.

Eight Components of a Strong Preconditioning Program

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 10:13:31 GMT

Many spring-calving producers are thinking about weaning and marketing this year’s calf crop.

“In preparation for weaning and marketing, many producers do some level of preconditioning to add value and prepare calves for the next stages of life,” says Chris Clark, Iowa State University Extension and outreach beef specialist.

In a recent press release Clark describes preconditioning strategies and explains why it is valuable.

He says there is not a solid, consistent definition for preconditioning and the meaning of the term can differ person to person, regionally and among various programs.

Clark says this definition summarizes his perspective on the meaning and importance of preconditioning: “Preconditioning is a set of practices and procedures applied to prepare cattle for the next phase of production. Weaning and marketing involve many potential stressors that can negatively affect beef calves: separation from dam, new environment, diet change and new social dynamics, just to name a few. The idea of preconditioning is to prepare cattle, minimize those stressors, support health and performance, and ultimately, help cattle reach their genetic potential.”

He adds specific precondition practices often include castration, dehorning, vaccination, adaptation to new feeds and bunk breaking.

Although most preconditioning practices are associated with weaning, some of these things can actually be done well ahead of time, even in the neonatal period of a calf’s life.

“Well-preconditioned cattle are the culmination of a holistic management program that starts when calves are born and arguably even while they are in utero,” he says.

Clark shares these eight components of a strong preconditioning program:

Castration and dehorning procedures should be done as early as possible with appropriate anesthesia and analgesia to minimize pain and distress.
“Castration and dehorning surgeries should generally be performed within the first two to three months of life,” he says. “Dehorning should be done through genetic selection or through disbudding calves before the horns become well established.”
If these procedures have not yet been done, talk to your veterinarian about the best timing and technique. Open wounds can be a problem in the summer because of fly pressure, so it is worth some thought and discussion about how to best proceed at this time of year.
Vaccination to establish immunity prior to the stress of weaning and marketing.
Stress associated with weaning and marketing can cause immunosuppression, making animals more susceptible to respiratory disease and other infections. Preweaning vaccines help ensure protective antibodies are on board at weaning, which can help prevent and reduce the severity of disease.
“Work closely with your veterinarian to determine the products and vaccine schedules that make the most sense for your operation,” he says.
Deworming to reduce internal and external parasite load can help promote animal health and performance.
Cattle commonly consume infective nematode larvae while grazing, so strategic deworming as they are coming off of pasture into drylot or feedyard settings can make a lot of sense.
Implanting with growth-promoting hormone implants is very much an optional part of a preconditioning program.
Implants improve performance and feed efficiency and can improve profitability when cattle are retained long enough to take advantage of these improvements.
“In a strong cattle market where each pound of gain has great value, implanting may be worth considering,” he says. “Keep in mind the new FDA guidance and emphasis on not reimplanting within a phase of production unless the implant product is specifically labeled for reimplantation.”
He explains with this recent development, some buyers might prefer cattle that have not been implanted, so it may be worth thinking through the value of enhanced performance versus buyer preferences and demand at market.
Adapt cattle to feed like what will be fed after weaning.
“Creep feeding consistently increases weaning weight but may or may not be profitable depending on the cost versus value of gain,” Clark explains. “In the current market with significant value for every pound of gain, creep feeding may be worth considering.”
Even when not obviously profitable, creep feeding or some kind of supplementation can help calves adapt to new feeds and feeding systems. This should support a smoother transition throughout weaning.
Postweaning feeding programs should be well-balanced to support health and growth but modest enough to prevent foot and rumen issues and over-conditioning of animals.
“Buyers generally like cattle to be relatively ‘green,’ meaning they prefer to buy cattle that are not overly fat,” he adds.
Weaning is considered by some to be an integral part of the preconditioning process.
In fact, in some sponsored preconditioning programs, cattle are not truly preconditioned if not weaned for 45 to 60 days. Weaning allows producers to start cattle on feed, adapt them to the next phase of production, and treat any illnesses that might occur.
Consider low-stress weaning strategies such as two-step weaning, fence-line weaning, pasture weaning, etc., and think ahead about what might work for you. Weaned cattle should be past some of the most stressful and high-risk times and ready to enter the next phase of production.
Strive for excellence in the basics of animal husbandry.
Shelter, shade, bedding, water, feed and low-stress handling are all components of good animal care, and the most well-preconditioned animals are those that have been well taken care of from conception to marketing.
Daily care and record keeping are key components of preconditioning.
Create a plan for performing and keeping records of daily care, and develop a record-keeping system for treatment and feed records.
“Plan to check cattle daily throughout the weaning phase to look for signs of illness, develop a working relationship with a veterinarian and establish a treatment plan in case of illness,” Clark says.
Review recommended biosecurity protocols and implement as appropriate to protect the health of your calf crop. Prepare records that can be shared with buyers so they understand how cattle have been cared for, what products have been administered and what procedures have been done.

Clark summarizes preconditioning does several things. First, it enhances animal health, well-being and performance, and increases the odds that cattle will perform to their genetic potential. Additionally, preconditioning minimizes risk.

“In the current record-breaking cattle market, cattle are more valuable than ever, and with great value comes great risk,” he says. “Every illness, every mortality, every bout of weight loss and shrink hurts that much more than it would in a weaker market.”

Preconditioning can help manage that risk and improve the likelihood of success for producers in all phases of production. Consider preconditioning to optimize cattle health and performance and promote the success of buyers of your cattle.

Check out other calf weaning stories.

Three Strategies to Prevent Weaning Health Woes

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 15:32:24 GMT

Careful planning and management are critical to maintaining animal health at weaning. Before starting the weaning process, the first step is making sure the calf’s immune system is ready for the stress of being separated from its mother.

“I encourage producers to work with their practicing veterinarian and review their herd health protocols for weaning in advance of when they start the weaning process,” says Jason Warner, Kansas State University Extension cow-calf specialist. “Have an annual conversation and a plan put together that can be adjusted each year.”

Megan Van Emon, Montana State University Extension beef cattle specialist, says the goal should be to strengthen the calves’ immune systems before they face the challenges of separation from their mothers, potential transportation and new environments.

“Proper vaccination can help reduce health risks during this critical transition period,” she summarizes.

Warner, Van Emon along with John Hall, University of Idaho Extension beef specialist, and Ron Lemenager, Purdue University beef specialist, share these three strategies to help keep calves healthy at weaning.

1. Develop a Vaccination Strategy to Boost Immunity.

“One of the first things I suggest is a good vaccination program that a producer works on with their veterinarian,” Hall says. “The earlier you can reach out to your vet, the better; just to get those vaccines lined up. Make sure they have them in stock and ready to go for you.”

It takes 10 to 14 days for a calf’s immune system to sufficiently respond to a vaccine, so immunizations should ideally occur two or three weeks ahead of weaning. The specialists explain vaccinating calves for the first time at weaning is too late, as it doesn’t allow sufficient time for the vaccine to work before introducing calves to increased exposure risk.

Lemenager recommends a minimum of two vaccination rounds for weaned calves — one before weaning and then the second at weaning.

Hall reminds producers to review the vaccination protocols and be sure to booster if needed.

2. Don’t Combine Stressful Procedures.

Lemenager stresses the importance of not combining weaning with other stressful events such as castration and dehorning. He suggests castration and dehorning at branding or earlier, if possible, to reduce stress.

3. Observe for Illness Indicators.

“It’s that seven to 10 days to two weeks after weaning that we’re going to start seeing any kind of health issues,” Lemenager says,

It is important to monitor and watch for early signs of health issues, including:

Water and feed intake
Lemenager says dehydration is a common issue that can cascade into other health issues.
Activity level
Eye brightness
Ear position
Hall says to watch for droopy ears and depressed-looking calves.
Nasal discharge
Breathing quality and speed
Coughing
Manure
Hall says to watch for manure inconsistency as well as for signs of coccidiosis (blood-tinged)
Overall energy and movement

Lemenager explains if you have a weaned calf with any of the indicators it is a good strategy to take its temperature and then work with your veterinarian or herd health provider to develop a strategy and come up with the first line of defense before a potential outbreak occurs.

Get BQA Certified

Hall reminds producers about the importance of the Beef Quality Assurance program and encourages all producers and their employees to get BQA trained and certified .

The BQA program’s mission is to guide producers toward continuous improvement using science-based production practices that assure cattle well-being, beef quality and safety. The program provides cattle producers with the resources to enable continuous improvement with the mindset of doing things the right way at the right time.

“When vaccinating or working cattle, be sure to follow BQA procedures,” Hall says. “Including proper injection sites, never mixing two different vaccines in the same syringe, using the proper sized needle and changing them often, keeping vaccines in a cooler and out of the sun (proper vaccine handling).”

Check out the BQA Field Guide for a quick reference to information.

Implementing the strategies suggested by the Extension specialists can significantly improve calf health during the weaning transition, resulting in better performance and increased profitability.

Your Next Read: Key Nutrition Strategies for a Successful Weaning

Risk Factors Associated with BRD in Preweaned Calves

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 13:55:32 GMT

A well-managed Midwest cow-calf ranch has a problem with respiratory disease in its preweaned calves. They retain ownership, artificially inseminate and manage everything well according to Kansas State Veterinarian Brad White.

During a recent “ Bovine Science with BCI ” podcast, Kansas State University veterinarians Brad White and Bob Larson explore potential causes for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in preweaned calves and how to mitigate the problem. White says discussing how to deal with preweaning BRD with producers can be frustrating because clear answers are not always possible.

Larson explains typical BRD preweaning symptoms for a spring calving herd will show up midsummer when the calves are about 4 months of age or a little older and still nursing on pasture.

“We could see 15% to 20% of the calves display symptoms,” Larson explains. “What we’re looking for is kind of typical, depressed, their heads down, maybe rapid breathing, those types of things. They’re not really being aggressive with their suckling or eating or anything.”

Larson reminds producers this fits the same description of respiratory disease in older calves. He says, likewise, some death loss can occur.

“Probably the most common what I see is up to 20% of the calves are affected, and from among those that we treat, you get just a few deaths,” he says.

Research Findings

Larson explains a recent K-State research project regarding BRD. Research surveys of more than 400 herds revealed several key insights. Several potential risk factors were identified that could contribute to preweaning respiratory disease:

Artificial Insemination (AI) and Synchronization. Gathering cattle for AI can increase disease transmission and changing pasture dynamics and increasing close contact among calves.
Management Practices. If cattle are managed using intensive grazing strategies or creep feeding these practices that alter normal grazing patterns and increase calf interaction and thus disease transmission.
External Exposure. Grafting calves into a herd, grazing stocker cattle in the same pasture or any introduction of outside animals can be a potential risk factor.
Immunological Factors. Declining maternal antibody protection at 3 to 5 months of age. Front-loaded calving seasons creating a cohort of calves vulnerable at the same time.

Larson stresses this is speculation because many herds do those types of practices and do not have a summer pneumonia problem.

“So, it’s not a smoking gun that if you do these practices, you’ll run into summer pneumonia,” he summarizes. “It’s just that we saw a little bit higher risk in those herds that did some of these, again, kind of changing the normal grazing distribution and pattern that calves interacted.”

Larson and White share several prevention and management strategies:

Maintain strict biosecurity
Isolate grafted or new calves
Avoid commingling different cattle groups
Ensure good nutrition and sanitation
Consider vaccination protocols carefully

During the podcast , the researchers highlight the complexity of preweaning BRD, noting that no single factor guarantees prevention. Each herd requires a tailored approach and working closely with a veterinarian to understand specific risk factors.

The primary takeaway is that while preweaning BRD is frustrating and not entirely predictable, producers can mitigate risks through careful management, biosecurity and proactive health strategies. Good, foundational practices such as maintaining cow health, providing a sanitary environment and monitoring the herd remain the most critical components of prevention.

Producers experiencing recurring issues should reassess their management practices, vaccination protocols and herd dynamics to reduce the likelihood of preweaning respiratory disease outbreaks.

Key Nutrition Strategies for a Successful Weaning

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 10:27:30 GMT

Keys to a successful weaning are reducing stress, supporting the calves’ immune systems and maintaining good nutrition.

Megan Van Emon, Montana State University Extension beef cattle specialist, shares these four nutritional strategies that are key to success at weaning:

Help calves learn to eat from bunks and drink from troughs before weaning if possible.
Provide high-quality feed immediately after weaning.
Ensure fresh, clean water is available.
Use palatable feeds to encourage calves to eat.

Jason Warner, Kansas State University Extension cow-calf specialist, says if producers are weaning calves and placing them in pens and are planning to deliver them a mixed ration, they need to remember that feed intake will be low initially but will gradually increase as calves transition and the initial stress due to the separation event subsides.

“When calves are first weaned, providing them with plenty of access to palatable, fresh, long-stem grass hay is always a good approach and gradually introducing them to a weaning ration over a period of several days,” Warner explains. “Feedstuffs low in starch and high in digestible fiber such as distillers grains or gluten feed are good choices to include in weaning and receiving diets.”

John Hall, University of Idaho Extension beef specialist, suggests a weaning diet of: 60% to 65% forage, 14% to 16% crude protein and around 65% total digestible nutrients (TDN)

“I prefer byproducts such as distillers grains, corn gluten feed, soy hulls — those kind of highly digestible fiber products — which don’t cause us big problems with acidosis and problems with rumen function that feeding straight corn or milo or something like that would cause,” Hall explains.

He emphasizes using high-quality forages and by-products to support rumen function and avoid digestive issues in newly weaned calves.

Hall also stresses a good mineral program is crucial for supporting immune function during the stressful weaning period. He encourages producers to focus on trace minerals — copper, selenium, zinc, manganese — and to use chelated or hydroxy mineral forms.

Hall shares these suggestions for producers to consider:

Work with a nutrition expert or consultant when formulating rations.
Use highly digestible fiber products.
Avoid straight corn to prevent rumen issues.
Supplement calves on pasture if possible.
Introduce new feed sources gradually.

If early weaning, Hall says: “For these early weaned calves, diets that are fairly high in forages are very important in terms of rumen function and calf health, and then enough energy.”

Ron Lemenager, Purdue University beef specialist, says a key principle is maintaining consistency in the ration. He suggests using the same creep feed during preweaning as the initial weaning ration to reduce stress and digestive disruption. This approach helps calves transition smoothly from milk to solid feed.

“I like to include an ionophore in my creep and weaning rations to help stabilize rumen fermentation,” he says. “When using byproducts like distillers grains or corn gluten feed, make sure to check the calcium to phosphorus ratio of the feed to prevent urinary calculi.”

Lemenager explains that the time around weaning is a critical “marbling window” between weaning and 9 to 10 months of age when strategic starch feeding can enhance meat quality. For replacement heifers, he recommends maintaining a high-fiber diet, while steers and market heifers should transition to more corn-based rations to develop intramuscular fat.

He stresses a weaning nutrition program isn’t one size fits all. Producers should consider individual herd characteristics, calf age and intended market endpoint when designing weaning nutrition strategies.

“The overarching goal is to support calf health, minimize stress, maintain growth performance and potentially improve future meat quality through strategic nutritional management during the critical weaning period,” Lemenager summarizes.

Your Next Read: Step-by-Step Weaning: How to Choose the Best Method

Step-by-Step Weaning: How to Choose the Best Method

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 16:28:34 GMT

Weaning is a stressful time — stressful on calves, cows and producers.

Weaning can have a major impact on a calf’s short and long-term health, growth performance and economic returns. Minimizing weaning stress should improve calf health and weight gain.

“Weaning can be approached many different ways depending on what facilities are available,” says Jason Warner, Kansas State University extension cow-calf specialist.

Four beef cattle extension specialists chime in on weaning methods, including the pros and cons of each option.

“Everybody’s got an opinion,” says Ron Lemenager, Purdue University beef specialist. “I don’t think it’s a one option fits all.”

He also encourages producers to minimize any additional stressful events at weaning time, such as castration, dehorning, vaccinating, physical separation or transportation.

“While we can’t eliminate all stresses, castration, dehorning and the first round of vaccinations can be done preweaning in many situations to reduce weaning stress,” he says.

The three weaning methods discussed by the specialists include:

Fence-line weaning.
Calves and cows are separated by a fence but can still see each other. Fence-line weaning is considered a low-stress method because calves can still see, hear and smell their mothers, which helps reduce the psychological stress of separation. This method helps calves settle down faster.

“Fence-line weaning is ideal if the facilities are available,” says Megan Van Emon, Montana State University extension beef cattle specialist.

John Hall, University of Idaho extension beef specialist, agrees.

“When you’re set up for it and used to it, my preference is fence-line weaning. We’ve gotten along very well with it over the years at the research station here. Those calves do settle down more easily,” Hall says.

Warner says fence-line weaning requires good fences and the ability to gather and separate cows and calves that rejoin each other.

“Many producers often remove calves from their dams, leave the cows on pasture and then place the calves in pens or feeding traps,” Warner says. “If producers do the opposite — take cows to the pens and leave the calves on pasture — then it is generally best to keep a few older, trainer cows with the calves during the initial weaning period to help reduce stress. Nutrition is key during this time period regardless of the approach used.”

There are pros and cons of putting the cows or the calves in the lot. If the lot is dusty, it might be a better option for the cows, due to health concerns. Ideally, it would be a grass lot, not dirt.

“Putting the calves in a lot gives an opportunity to really keep a close eye on those calves,” Lemenager says. “I can get them into the handling facility if I need to — a lot easier than if I’ve got to move them off of pasture.”
Nursing prevention tools.
Devices, such as nose flaps or clips, can be placed in a calf’s nose to prevent nursing while allowing them to remain with their mothers. This is also considered a low-stress weaning option.

Lemenager explains his apprehension with the nose flaps are the lesions they create.

Both Hall and Van Emon say nose flaps help reduce anxiety at separation but require additional labor to put in and remove.

“There’s been some research done on nose flaps that seems to have positive benefits if you’re trying to early wean,” Hall explains. “But it is a whole different level of stress for the rancher and cattle to get those animals up, put the nose flaps in, and then take them out at weaning time.”
Abrupt weaning.
This method is the complete separation of calves from cows. This can be separating and taking straight to the sale barn or it can be to a completely different location owned by the rancher.

“Here in the West, we tend to wean straight onto a truck and into the sale barn,” Van Emon says.

This method can be the most stressful on the calf if they go straight from a pasture setting with mom to a new location they do not know and are subjected to a new concentrate diet and water source.

Lemenager’s preference is abrupt weaning with his personal cow herd. He moves the calves nine miles away from their moms to be weaned and backgrounded. He says with this method, the cows and calves cannot hear each other and the bawling is done in three days.

He gets the calves used to eating with a pre-weaning creep feed and drinking out of a water tank. At weaning, the creep feeder moves with the calves in a grassy lot with shade and easy access to both a water tank and an automatic waterer along the perimeter fence.

Hall says asking calves to transition from pasture to a dry lot setting with a feed bunk and from creek water to a water tank can be stressful and hard to understand. If possible, allow the calves access and train them to feed bunks and water tanks before weaning.

He encourages producers to choose the weaning method they are most comfortable with, that works for their specific ranch and fits their facilities, labor and management style.

“Don’t try a new method during a challenging weaning year,” he summarizes. “The goal is to reduce stress as much as possible for both cows and calves.”

Your Next Read: When Is the Best Time to Wean?

When Is the Best Time to Wean?

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 10:13:27 GMT

If conditions warrant, now might be the time to start thinking about weaning for spring calving herds. But weaning strategies are not one plan fits all, and what your neighbor does might not be the best decision for your herd.

The average suggested weaning age is 205 days. Four beef cattle extension specialists discuss the factors to consider if early weaning is the best option.

“Early weaning can be one of the most effective management strategies from both a grass/forage and cow nutrition standpoint,” says Jason Warner, Kansas State University extension cow-calf specialist.

According to Ron Lemenager, Purdue University beef specialist, the earliest recommended age for weaning a beef calf is between 60 days to 80 days, with 70 days being a common benchmark to ensure calves have a functioning rumen.

“When you wean at less than 70 days of age, the chances of having that calf turn out to be a little, potbellied orphan-looking calf goes up,” he says.

Warner adds weaning 60-to-90-day-old calves requires good, tight facilities to keep them in and feed bunks and watering troughs that the calves can reach.

Lemenager explains the decision to early wean is based on two things:

Feed resources: the kind of quality and quantity of feed.
Body condition of the cows.

John Hall, University of Idaho extension beef specialist, says there are two age ranges for early weaning. Very early weaning is weaning calves at 90 days prior to the breeding season. Producers can use this strategy to try and induce cycles in thin cows. He says calves weaned this early will require a unique management plan.

He describes early weaning as when the calf is between 150 days to 180 days of age.

“The nice thing about that 5-month-old calf is it’s only getting about 30% of its nutrition from the dam,” Hall explains. “So, making the switch when the calf is already used to eating a lot of forage is ideal.”

Megan Van Emon, Montana State University extension beef cattle specialist, encourages producers to plan to make sure the weaning process — no matter how the age of calf — goes smoothly.

“The earlier you can make the decision, the better,” she says. “Not only for the producer, but also for those calves to be prepared.”

Four Factors to Consider

The specialists share these points to aid in your early weaning decision:

Pasture and Forage Conditions
Drought is the primary trigger for early weaning. All four specialists encourage producers to assess pasture conditions, rainfall patterns and forage availability. If pastures are short and producers are concerned about overgrazing, then early weaning should be considered.

“In times of reduced forage availability — primarily drought — early weaning should be considered as a method to preserve the forage base by removing the forage demand from the calf and also reducing forage intake by the cow,” Warner says.

Van Emon explains the “take half, leave half” grazing principle becomes difficult when grass is only 3" to 4" tall, emphasizing the need to leave enough root reserves for future grazing.

Most of the research data suggests that for every two to two-and-a-half days that a calf is weaned, there is one more day of available forage for grazing for the dry cow.

“We can conservatively save or extend our forage resources by a third,” Lemenager explains. “Cow forage intake goes down and calf consumption of forage is eliminated in that grazing environment.”
Cow Body Condition
Hall says if cows are at a body condition score (BCS) 4 or lower by mid-summer, they’re in nutritional trouble and it’s likely their calves are not doing well in terms of growth rate either.

Early weaning removes the lactation demands, which will allow the cow to start regaining condition before winter. Lemenager also suggests early weaning can help reduce winter supplementation needs.

Lemenager and his family also have a cow herd in Indiana. They typically wean at about 6 months of age.

“That gives me an extra month of cows being able to pick up some body condition before the winter,” he explains.

Van Emon says research predicts for every two weeks earlier you wean, a cow will gain about a tenth of a body condition score.
Feed Resources Available for Newly Weaned Calves
It is important to have high-quality feed available for early weaned calves, as they require better nutrition for continued growth. Hall recommends producers work with a nutrition consultant or other extension specialist to create a nutrition plan for the newly weaned calves.
Facilities and Labor
Early weaning requires appropriate facilities with secure fencing and can require additional labor. Van Emon encourages producers to consider if they have the resources available to manage early weaning effectively.

Hall reminds producers the primary goal of early weaning is to maintain or improve cow condition and stretch limited forage supplies while supporting calf growth.

By carefully evaluating the factors suggested by the extension specialists and implementing proper management strategies, you can make early weaning a successful part of your operation when conditions warrant the strategy.

Your Next Read: Step-by-Step Weaning: How to Choose the Best Method

When Is the Best Date to Calve?

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 19:14:53 GMT

When is the best date to calve? Well, it depends. Several factors help determine the best time to calve including geography, forage availability, weather, labor, marketing and the cow herd type, and producers should consider the trade-offs for the operation.

If I was a calf, I think the perfect day to be born would be May 5. It’s beautiful weather and forage is about coming on, so mom’s going to hit peak milk when there’s plenty of good forage out there in a short or tall grass prairie.

— Bob Larson

“When you ask this relatively simple question of when’s the best time to calve, it is complicated and needs to be thought through,” says Bob Larson, Kansas State University DVM.

Larson considers the optimum weather for both calving and breeding, and for optimum price value of 500-lb. weaned calves and for yearling calves kept post weaning to determine when would be the best breeding and calving seasons.

The conclusion? Everything is a trade-off.

“There’s probably no one perfect time, but I think you have to look at productivity,” Larson says. “I don’t want dead calves. I want my feed cost to be low, but I want to at least consider the marketing window of when those calves will hit the market that I want to hit. There’s a lot to consider.”

Considerations for best calving dates:

Geography, weather and forage availability
Labor
Cow herd and marketing

“Really low temperatures, cold and wet are hard on newborn calves, and extremely hot temperatures with a high fly load can be hard on newborn calves in the middle of the summer,” Larson says.

Asking when forage is greening up and when forage turnout needs to be is a big part of the decision, says Phillip Lancaster, K-State cattle nutrition specialist.

“If you’re in a fescue belt where you get a good forage regrowth in the fall, I like fall calving,” Lancaster says. “If you’re in a warm season type of situation, then I like a late spring calving. I’m not a proponent of this kind of late-winter calving type of stuff. I want to be later in the year than that.”

Lancaster adds research shows calving later in the spring is beneficial from an economic standpoint and from a cow reproduction standpoint.

“That cow is getting that peak forage quality during early lactation and helps her rebreed better, maintain body condition score better, and I’m not feeding a lactating cow on a hay and supplement through late winter,” he says.

Avoiding feeding cows a hay-based diet through late gestation and early lactating is the goal for Larson.

“I would much rather have that be based on a grazing forage,” he says. “That depends on how far north or south we are and also what forage type.”

Labor is another consideration.

“We have a lot of people that have corn, soybean, wheat and cattle,” Larson says. “I might really prefer calving in April and May, but that’s a lot of labor on the crop side of the operation.”

Marketing and the cow herd type plays a role in when to calve. Oftentimes seedstock producers calve in January or February because they are selling yearling bulls and want them ready for breeding season.

“If a bull calf is born in February, and I expect him to go out and start breeding in May, that makes him a long yearling,” Larson says. “That’s an appropriate decision for the maturity that I need that bull to be for his first breeding season.”

For commercial producers, calf prices change at different times of year and producers can modify when they wean and market calves without changing calving seasons.

On the Drovers Facebook page, producers shared their responses and why they chose their calving season. Katy Jones of Rocking J Ranch, who raises cattle north of Homer, Alaska, shares her example of assessing a combination of factors to determine when she calves.

(FJ)

She says she’s typically calved in February and March, but is looking at moving it back to January and February.

“March can get wet and we have what’s called breakup season, and everything is sloppy,” she explains. “The ice is there, but it’s melting, so you end up with mud. So you’re fighting mud and ice, which is not a good combination.”

Mud also harbors bacteria.

“You end up with your joint ills, your navel ills, your pneumonia issues, all your respiratory issues, all of that stuff in trying to calve in those months,” she adds.

While January and February typically sees the coldest temperatures, wind and snowstorms, Jones says she only has to worry about cold and piling up snow. To combat that she uses calving sheds and monitors her small herd of crossbred cows with cameras.

Katy Jones of Rocking J Ranch prefers calving in the cold of winter than waiting to March when the wet season hits her area of Alaska.

(Katy Jones)

“I would rather check my cows every two hours for two months and have every calf alive and well, then not have to worry about checking them and have dead calves,” she says.

Jones markets all her beef direct to consumer as there are no auction markets or packing plants in Alaska.

“From weaning through the summer our calves are putting on 3 lb. a day on grass pastures,” she says.

Brad White, K-State Beef Cattle Institute director, says producers might not dramatically change their calving seasons, but they can tweak and consider trade-offs to be more effective.

“It’s not set in stone,” White says. “Sometimes we get into momentum, and we calve at this time of year and get into that cycle of, I don’t really like calving in March or February, and you can tweak that a little bit, but there are trade-offs the more I slide towards spring. If I’m in a place where it gets really hot during that time of year, breeding can be more challenging. So, look at all of the trade-offs all the way through.”