Latest News From Calves

The calf and feeder cattle market have remained strong through the late summer months and the futures market is suggesting continued strength while seasonal price trends would suggest lower prices.

Agricultural Marketing Service reporters called steers $1 to $6 higher, with heifers steady to $3 higher nationwide.

Prolonged heat stress this year may bring a smaller calf crop next year. Herd owners are seeing cows known to be pregnant coming back into heat to be rebred.

Very often two-year-old cows and even some three-year-old cows will be in marginal body condition at the end of summer.

Spring born calves have already been, or soon will be weaned to meet the 45 day requirement for value-added calf sales.

Most of the “Value-Added” calf sales require that the calves are weaned at least 45 days prior to sale date.

Completing a number of management techniques and vaccine protocols prior to the stress of weaning, comingling and transport will help assemble a calf crop more resilient to disease challenges.

The risks and rewards of retained ownership are fairly even.

Cattle prices have struggled to move higher as beef supplies have been increasing.

Preconditioning programs can vary greatly from one operation to another but share the common goal of preparing calves for the next phase of production.

A review and understanding of past data can help determine the future of the beef industry.

Implanting your calves has many benefits, and can easily be done during a summer processing event.

The most successful early wean programs begin with a healthy calf prior to weaning. Calf age plays a crucial role on when to early wean.

Many cattle producers express concerns over the thought of weaning 350-450 lb calves during the heat of the summer and believe that early-weaned calves will not perform well in a dry lot environment.

Re-implanting strategies are an important management tool for improving efficiency of cattle fed up to 200 days.

Fall born replacement heifers have been (or soon will be) weaned and will be at a very critical growing period.

The recent decline in fed cattle prices has producers wondering about calf prices for this fall.

Researchers from the University of Tennessee have found that castrating bull calves can generate an additional $57 per head for a 550 pound animal.

Weaning during very hot summer weather is stressful enough to the calves. 

As grass leases continue to get harder to find and more expensive to acquire, and drought continues, cow/calf producers are showing more and more interest in feeding pairs in a confinement system.

Creep feeding must be carefully appraised in view of economics of cost of gain, potential market, and the influence on sale price of the calves.

Producers that are engaged in AI as a method of breeding cows and heifers need to be aware of the impact that handling cattle in summertime temperatures and humidity can have on reproductive success. 

Research has shown that calves from cows that shed their winter hair coat earlier tend to weigh more at weaning.

For more than half of the last decade, the U.S. beef cow herd continued a nearly uninterrupted liquidation that began in 1996 and continued until 2014. 

As branding season approaches, consider using calfhood implants as a management strategy to maximize returns.

Market volatility is not new. However, it seems more pervasive and this is true whether discussing the futures market or the stock market.

Now is the time to be protecting calves' health with vaccinations.

“Is the temperature and humidity going to kill these cattle this afternoon if we work them?”

Bad weather and poor cow nutrition are the leading causes of weak calf syndrome.

Although early weaning is certainly not advocated for all producers all of the time, it can provide an attractive alternative in certain situations such as drought.

The feeder calves with the greatest value are almost always the heavier calves, but producers must calculate if it is profitable for them to own the cattle longer, and provide the resources to add the additional weight.

While some pairs were reunited, unfortunately, other calves were not claimed and now cattlemen are dealing with the challenge of managing orphaned calves through the rest of the spring and summer.

In her research report, Chesney Reeves, a high school student from Central City, Neb., says coccidia was present in 100% of the pens tested and in over 50% of the samples from every pen.

In her research report, Chesney Reeves, a high school student from Central City, Neb., says coccidia was present in 100% of the pens tested and in over 50% of the samples from every pen.

Opportunities make the grass-born calf a very real option.

A rancher in northeast Oregon has been granted the right to kill two wolves by state officials following an attack on calves in his cow herd.

A rancher in northeast Oregon has been granted the right to kill two wolves by state officials following an attack on calves in his cow herd.

Develop good herd health and vaccination strategies to minimize losses.

Cattle markets moved down sharply but possibly have turned a short-term corner higher.

If you love cute animals, click here. If you don't love cute animals, click anyway and we'll try and change your mind.

If you love cute animals, click here. If you don't love cute animals, click anyway and we'll try and change your mind.

A newborn calf is a reason for joy, but twin births in cattle are a reason for concern.

The best defense against failure of passive transfer (FPT) is good colostrum management, ensuring that each calf receives an adequate amount of good quality colostrum shortly after birth.

The effect on the cow as well as weaning weight of the calf must be considered when the impact of the weaning date is considered.

Any calf castrated with an elastrator band should be given tetanus prevention.

Acidosis is the result of oxygen deprivation and accumulation of carbon dioxide that results from passage of the calf through the birth canal.

A nice spring (or we might say late winter) rally has had fed cattle in the upper $120s for most of the last 8 weeks.

Antibodies in colostrum provide calves with their initial protection.

Cattle conditioning or flesh is probably one of the largest contributing factors to reduce value at time of sale.

Here’s some tips to navigate calf health products that might be handy this calving season.