Stockmanship

Moving Bred Cows? This Hidden Risk Window Can Cost You Pregnancies

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:22:25 GMT

A four-hour truck ride might feel routine. The timing of that move, however, can quietly work against you if cows are newly bred. This was the topic of discussion between Kansas State animal health experts on a recent episode of “ BCI Cattle Chat .”

Transport stress during early pregnancy is a management risk that often goes unnoticed. The issue is not just whether to move cows, but when.

The Critical Window

Early pregnancy is not equally stable from day to day. Specific windows carry a higher likelihood of pregnancy loss, and one stands out above the rest.

“There are a couple of times in pregnancy where we lose more fetuses, and one of those is maternal recognition of pregnancy, about two weeks after conception. That time is a really critical time, we lose a fair number of pregnancies right around that time so I don’t want to do anything to stress an animal then, like putting them on a truck for four hours,” says Bob Larson, professor in production medicine at Kansas State University.

That 14-day time point is roughly when the embryo signals its presence to the dam. Disruptions during this period can increase the likelihood of pregnancy loss.

This is not the only vulnerable stage.

“Probably the most loss is during that first two weeks. The next most is over days 28 to 35, and still some out to day 50,” Larson explains.

Taken together, much of the first 50 days of gestation carries elevated risk, with peaks at key developmental milestones.

Why Transport is a Problem (Even When it Seems Minor)

It is easy to assume only long hauls pose a threat. Distance alone misses the bigger picture.

“A lot of the risk or stress really comes from the gathering and loading, and in some ways, it hardly matters how far they go,” Larson says.

From a physiological standpoint, stress is cumulative. Gathering cattle, sorting and handling, loading onto trailers, the ride itself, and unloading all contribute to the total stress load. Even short trips can stack multiple stressors into a narrow window, especially when handling is rushed or facilities are limiting.

Is There Any Safer Time to Move Them?

If cattle must be moved around breeding, one narrow window appears more forgiving.

“There is one period of time when the cow is pretty protected, and that’s actually during the first week of pregnancy. That early embryo is still up in the uterine tube and is pretty protected up there,” Larson says.

During this stage, the embryo has not yet entered the uterus, which may provide some buffer against external stressors. The window is limited. Moving cattle later increases the likelihood of overlapping with more vulnerable stages of pregnancy.

Trucking Versus Walking: Not All Movement is Equal

Not all movement carries the same level of risk, and the way cattle are handled can significantly influence outcomes. Lower-stress handling appears to reduce the overall impact of movement, particularly over short distances.

“If you’re talking about walking cows slowly under low-stress conditions, one, two, maybe three miles somewhere, you’re probably okay,” Jason Warner, cow-calf specialist at K-State, explains. “Cattle handling is always an important aspect. So it’s not just distance or just putting them on a trailer, it’s how. Acting calmly with not a lot of dogs, not a lot of yelling, just really calmly. That’s a key component.”

This highlights an important distinction: while short, low-pressure movement may be tolerated, trucking often concentrates multiple stressors into a short period. Gathering, sorting, loading, transport and unloading all stack together, increasing the total stress load on the animal.

Practical Takeaways: Managing Stress and Timing in Early Pregnancy

Across all scenarios, the same principle applies: Minimizing stress during early pregnancy is essential for maintaining fertility. Whether managing bull turnout, coordinating pasture moves or planning transport logistics, early gestation is a high-risk period where even routine decisions can have measurable reproductive consequences.

From a practical standpoint, timing and handling decisions should work together:

Avoid moving cows around day 14 post-breeding
- This is the highest-risk window for pregnancy loss
Exercise caution throughout the first 50 days
- Risk declines over time but remains elevated
Move earlier rather than later when possible
- The embryo may be more protected the first week post-breeding
Focus on handling, not just distance
- Stress from gathering and loading is a major contributor
Prioritize low-stress stockmanship
- Calm movement reduces overall physiological strain

Transporting bred cows is not automatically a problem, but poor timing can be.

When moves overlap with early pregnancy, especially around the timing of maternal recognition, the cost may show up later as open cows and a stretched calving window. Management decisions made during this period carry more weight than they might appear.

The key question remains simple: Are you moving cows at a time when the pregnancy can handle it?

Data Collection and Analysis Keeps Oklahoma Ranch Profitable

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 18:05:10 GMT

If you take a right at the shiny, new athletic fields and facilities where Oklahoma State University Cowboys shed blood, sweat and tears in front of cheering crowds, as the pavement fades into green, you’ll soon hit the pastures and fields that make up Burtrum Cattle, LLC.

Geographically bumping up against a public land-grant university can prove challenging for a ranch family that is trying to run a 400-500 head cow-calf stocker operation.

“Our home ranch is here in Stillwater,” says Clay Burtrum, co-owner of Burtum Cattle and second-generation on the ranch alongside his father, Mike Burtrum. “But, we work in three counties—here in Stillwater, about 30 miles northeast in Glencoe and in Pawnee.”

Along with 650 acres of wheat production, Burtrum Cattle operates between 5,000 and 6,000 acres of grass for their herd.

“You know, we’re not like the Osage northeast of here with vast land masses,” Clay says. “Most of our parcels are 160 acres here, 300 acres here, 80-acre pasture here, so our cows are broken up in groups of 25 to 30 head. Our largest group of cows is about 120 head.”

The Role of Rotational Grazing
For the Burtrums, the ranch spread requires a rotational grazing matrix that’s consistently under the microscope.

“We run those 25 to 30-head on native pastures through the winter where we have stockpiled grass through the summer,” Clay says. “In the first part of June, we’re working those cow-calf pairs and we’re moving them to the wheat ground areas that have been grazed.”

That time of rest all summer lets those native pastures regrow.

“On the Bermuda grass pastures, most of them are broken up where we can rotationally graze those cattle about every two weeks,” he says. “By rotationally grazing or letting these pasture areas rest, we’ve done better to regenerate the land.”

Clay may be seeing restoration of the land as a result of his rotational grazing strategy, but he’s also seeing the benefit in his herd as well.

“This rotational grazing has done right by our cow herd by maintaining those body condition scores and not having to use a lot of feed,” he says. “Even in the wintertime, we are not having to feed a lot of hay because we have that stockpiled forage to go to.”

Successful management of the matrix means that Clay can also battle the land encroachment forces that are always knocking at his door, namely urban sprawl and the rising costs of land leases.

“We’ve lost leases because we weren’t able to pay the high prices in this area, but we’ve been able to maintain our cow herd population,” he says.

In June, Burtrum Cattle opened its ranch gates, welcoming neighboring ranchers, local agribusiness officials and even Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur for the Trust In Beef Sustainable Ranchers Tour . During the tour, the common thread that wove through each session was data.

Clay Burtrum and Burtrum Cattle, LLC hosted the Oklahoma stop of the 2024 Trust In Beef Sustainable Ranchers Tour at their Stillwater ranch, using the opportunity to share how their use of data and technology is helping them protect profitability while stewarding resources.

(Rachel Slathar - Trust In Beef )

The Role of Data
It’s not entirely because for the past 43 years the Burtrums have also run Farm Data Services, a farm management accounting provider analyzing data for clients across the region, but Clay is constantly collecting data, and giving it to Mike for analysis.

The father-son duo says that partnership is the key to both operational success and profitability.

“We measure every single thing,” Clay says. “Pounds per acre, dollars per acre, input per acre, output per acre—if I can get the number for it, I give it to Mike and he measures it.”

For Mike, it’s not just about crunching numbers.

“The first leg of sustainability has got to be bottom-line profits,” Mike says. “Without profits, there is no sustainability, so the data comes in and we analyze it, whether it’s fertilization of particular farms or analyzing the projected weather.

“The weakness I see in agriculture is implementing information from the data and using that to make the change,” he adds. “It’s really easy to think that it’s the way you’ve always done it, but that is the worst way you can look at it.”

Mike says if you’ve spent the time collecting the data, analyze it to reach conclusions and implement programs based on that data.

“Don’t just let it sit there in the box,” he adds.

The Role of Technology
Collecting data on “everything” is no easy task, which is why the Burtrums are always looking for tools that make the process more efficient. Time and time again, this leads them to technology, which Clay Burtrum says has changed a lot in his time on the ranch.

“Twenty years ago, when I moved home, the cell phone was just coming out and we had a bag phone in the truck that we weren’t allowed to use unless it was an emergency,” he says. “Now we don’t go anywhere without our cell phone with us.”

Using his ever-present cell phone, Clay is able to monitor his cattle’s location and even shift their grazing pattern using Vence virtual fencing technology.

“We know where our cattle are at all times,” he says. “Every single one of my ranch hands knows where those cattle are at all times. We can move them, we can track them. That is technology to make us more efficient so that we’re not wasting money.”

Jimmy Emmons, senior vp of climate-smart programs for Trust In Food, the implementer of Trust In Beef, has seen this technology popping up on ranches across the nation. In planning for the Oklahoma stop in the Sustainable Ranchers Tour, it was an integral part of the education that Emmons wanted to feature for rancher attendees.

“Virtual fencing is giving ranchers a level of control over their cattle that we’ve never had before,” he says. “Now, not only can they keep track of their herd, but they can adaptively graze based on changing conditions and they can use the data to make better operational decisions.”

“This technology is helping ranchers look out for not only the environment and resources, but their bottom lines as well.”

The Role of Sustainability
Two decades ago, when Clay came back to the family ranch and was using the single bag cell phone, he had much different perspectives on success than he does today.

“I wanted to be the biggest in the country,” he says. “I wanted to have the most cows. I wanted to lease up every piece of land that I could because, to me, biggest was best.”

“Today, we aren’t the biggest. We don’t have the most cows anymore. We are focusing on what we do best with a smaller cow herd and fewer acres to produce a better, sustainable product that we can sell to our customers,” he says.

Battling time has solidified Clay’s perspectives and now, as he sees the end of his ranching career flickering in the future, his thoughts are turning to sustaining the land and opportunity for future Burtrum Cattle generations.

“Life goes pretty fast,” he says. “And I would like to slow down. Dad is in his 70s, and he wants to slow down as well.”

Burtrum is looking to the future.

“With all this work and with the great people working by my side, hopefully I can pass this on to my girls or even maybe my grandkids someday,” he says.

Read more coverage from the 2024 Sustainable Ranchers Tour:
Playing the Long Game: What Works at G Bar C Ranch
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Selling Sustainable Beef
G Bar C Ranch Takes Texas Ranchers Behind the Farm Gate

You can join the Tour for future stops by visiting www.trustinbeef.com .