K-State Research and Extension

By Jason M. Warner, Ph.D., Extension Cow-Calf Specialist

Cow Herd Management

Body condition score both spring- and fall-calving cows.

• Target BCS for spring calvers at calving: 5 for mature cows, 6 for young females
• Adjust nutrition program prior to calving as needed for spring-calvers
• Ensure fall-calvers maintain BCS through winter if still nursing calves

Continue grazing crop residues and dormant pastures as they are available but be prepared to move cattle or provide supplemental feed as conditions dictate.

Be ready to react to severe winter weather effects on cow nutrient requirements by providing additional feed.

Review your nutrition program and test harvested forages for the following:

• Moisture/dry matter
• Crude protein
• Energy (NEm, NEg, and/or TDN)
• Fiber components (ADF, NDF)
• Macro-minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, salt)
• Nitrates when appropriate
• Starch for silage crops

Manage young and mature bulls during the offseason to ensure bulls are BCS ≥ 5.0 prior to the next season of use and have adequate winter protection.

Calf Management

Consider your plans for weaning and marketing fall-born calves.

• Watch the feeder calf market
• Evaluate your feed resources and cost of gain
• Talk to prospective buyers in advance of selling

Review/update your health protocols as needed for newborn calves.

Consider either supplementing fall-calving pairs or creep feeding fall-born calves to maintain calf performance on low-quality winter forages.

Monitor replacement heifers to ensure they are adequately growing and developing, take check weights and adjust your plane of nutrition accordingly.

General Management

Update herd records and use them to assess performance.

Review your genetic selection strategy to ensure your goals are met.

Develop and/or revise your risk management plans for the coming year.

Discuss herd health protocols with your veterinarian.

Take inventory of supplies and clean equipment prior to spring calving.

Ensure plans are in place to provide bedding, wind protection, and snow removal.

Make arrangements to ensure sufficient water is available in freezing conditions.

Evaluate your short- and long-term herd inventory goals with current conditions.

Renew lease arrangements as necessary.

Schedule an annual meeting with your lender, insurance agent, and extension professional.

Management Considerations

By Jason M. Warner, Ph.D., Extension Cow-Calf Specialist

Cow Herd Management

If not already done, take inventory of and test harvested forages for the following:

• Moisture/dry matter
• Crude protein Energy (NEm, NEg, and/or TDN)
• Fiber components (ADF, NDF)
• Macro-minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, salt)
• Nitrates and/or prussic acid when appropriate
• Starch for silage crops

Calculate forage needs based on herd inventory, cattle weight, and days, and develop a plan to ensure that adequate harvested forage is available if grazing is limited (agmanager.info/hay-inventory-calculator).

Body condition score cows to develop informed supplementation strategies (both spring and fall-calving herds).

• Targeted BCS at calving: 5 for mature cows, 6 for young females (2 ,3 & 4 year olds)
• Record scores with the BCS Record Book (bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/Item.aspx?catId=562&pubId=19320) from KSRE!

Consider utilizing crop residues for late-fall and winter grazing needs. Assess down grain in the field and be aware of nitrates and prussic acid (around the time of frost for sorghums).

For spring-calving cowherds:

• Schedule pregnancy checking if not already done.
  • How were pregnancy rates relative to last year?
  • Do we need to re-think our fall/winter nutrition program?

For fall-calving cow herds:

• Plan to adjust your nutrition program to match needs of lactating cows.
• Use the estrus synchronization planner (iowabeefcenter.org/estrussynch.html) to help plan synchronization protocols.

Review your marketing strategy for cull cows.

• Cows with a BCS ≥ 6.0 will likely sell well with current market prices.
• Look for opportunities to increase value by adding weight prior to market.

Ensure bulls undergo breeding soundness exams prior to fall/winter service.

Manage young and mature bulls during the offseason to ensure bulls are BCS ≥ 5.0 prior to the next season of use.

Calf Management

If not already done, make arrangements to wean spring-born calves.

• Finalize plans to either market calves or retain and add weight post-weaning.
• If marketing calves, communicate your strategy to prospective buyers in advance.

If not already done, schedule your breeding protocols for fall replacement heifers in advance of the breeding season.

• If synchronizing with MGA, make sure intake is consistent at 0.5 mg of melengestrol acetate per hd per day for 14 days, and remove for 19 days prior to administering prostaglandin.

If retaining calves post-weaning:

• Review your nutrition plan.
• Ensure you have sufficient forages available to match cow herd needs.
• Closely observe feed and water intake the first few weeks.
• Make sure all cattle have sufficient access to feed and water.

Review/update your health protocols as needed for either weaned or new-born calves.

Consider either supplementing fall-calving pairs or creep feeding fall-born calves to maintain calf performance on low-quality winter forages.

For replacement heifers, manage your program to properly develop them prior to your given breeding time.

Forage/Pasture Management

Make plans for controlling invasive species for the next growing season.

Winterize water sources if applicable.

Work on fencing/facility projects as time/weather allows.

General Management

Develop and/or review your risk management plans for the coming year.

Evaluate your short and long-term herd inventory goals with current conditions.

Update lease arrangements as necessary. ·

Schedule an annual meeting with your lender, insurance agent, and extension professional.

Consider opportunities to lock prices in, if possible, for co-products and commodity feeds.

Understand what nutrients you are targeting to purchase and price feeds on a cost per unit of nutrient basis.

Management Considerations

By Jason M. Warner, Ph.D., Extension Cow-Calf Specialist

Cow Herd Management

For spring-calving cow herds:

• If not already done, make plans for weaning calves.
  • Test your forages and have feedstuffs on hand prior to weaning.
  • Check and clean waterers and prepare weaning/receiving pens.
• Evaluate cow BCS at weaning.
  • Record scores with the BCS Record Book (https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/Item.aspx?catId=562&pubId=19320) from KSRE!
  • Use BCS to strategically supplement cows during fall, if needed.
  • Female requirements are lowest at weaning so weight and BCS can be added more easily in early fall rather than waiting until closer to calving.
• Schedule pregnancy checking and fall health work if not already done.
  • How were pregnancy rates relative to last year?
  • Do we need to re-think our fall/winter nutrition program?
• Evaluate the cost of gain relative to the value of gain when making feeding and marketing decisions for cull cows.

For fall-calving cow herds:

• If not already done, review your calving health protocols as needed.
• Have calving equipment cleaned and available to use as needed.
• Plan to adjust your nutrition program to match needs of lactating cows.
• Use the estrus synchronization planner (https://www.iowabeefcenter.org/estrussynch.html) to help plan fall synchronization protocols.

Plan your mineral supplementation for this coming fall and winter.

• Record date and amount offered and calculate herd consumption.
• If consumption is 2X the target intake, then cost will be too!
• Risk of grass tetany is greatest for lactating cows. Consider magnesium levels in mineral supplements for cows grazing cool-season forages and winter annuals this fall.

Schedule breeding soundness exams for bulls used for fall and winter service.

• Monitor BCS, particularly on young bulls.
• If bulls are BCS ≤ 5.0, consider supplementing to regain BCS going into winter.

Calf Management

Consider the economic value by implanting nursing fall-born calves and weaned spring-born calves.

If not already done, schedule your breeding protocols for fall replacement heifers in advance of the breeding season.

• If synchronizing with MGA, make sure intake is consistent at 0.5 mg of melengestrol acetate per hd per day for 14 days, and remove for 19 days prior to administering prostaglandin.

General Management

Take inventory of and begin sampling harvested forages for fall feed needs.

• Be aware of possible presence of molds and other anti-nutritional compounds in hay harvested at higher than typical moisture levels.
• Test for nitrates and prussic acid when appropriate.
• Use the forage inventory calculator (https://www.agmanager.info/hay-inventory-calculator) to balance forage inventories with fall/winter grazing acres.
• If grazing crop residues following harvest, keep the following in mind:
• The bottom 1/3 of the stalk is where nitrates accumulate.
• Be aware of prussic acid in new regrowth of sorghum plants, and the time around frost is the greatest risk.
• High amounts of down grain will require a change in management.

Use the Management Minder tool on KSUBeef.org (https://www.asi.k-state.edu/extension/beef/tools.html) to plan key management activities for your cow herd for the rest of the year.

With high feeder calf prices, consider price risk management tools.

Begin preparing for cold weather (i.e. tank heaters, windbreaks, bedding).

Management Considerations for October 2024

By Jason M. Warner, Ph.D., Extension Cow-Calf Specialist

Cow Herd Management

For spring-calving cow herds:

• If not already done, make plans for weaning calves.
  • Test your forages and have feedstuffs on hand prior to weaning.
  • Check and clean waterers and prepare weaning/receiving pens.
• Evaluate cow BCS at weaning.
  • Record scores with the BCS Record Book from KSRE.
  • Use BCS to strategically supplement cows during fall, if needed.
  • Female requirements are lowest at weaning so weight and BCS can be added more easily in early fall rather than waiting until closer to calving.
• Schedule pregnancy checking and fall health work if not already done.
  • How were pregnancy rates relative to last year?
  • Do we need to re-think our fall/winter nutrition program?
• Evaluate the cost of gain relative to the value of gain when making feeding and marketing decisions for cull cows.

For fall-calving cow herds:

• If not already done, review your calving health protocols as needed.
• Have calving equipment cleaned and available to use as needed.
• Plan to adjust your nutrition program to match needs of lactating cows.
• Use the estrus synchronization planner to help plan fall synchronization protocol https://www.iowabeefcenter.org/estrussynch.html

Plan your mineral supplementation for this coming fall and winter.

• Record date and amount offered and calculate herd consumption.
• If consumption is 2X the target intake, then cost will be too!
• Risk of grass tetany is greatest for lactating cows. Consider magnesium levels in mineral supplements for cows grazing cool-season forages and winter annuals this fall.

Schedule breeding soundness exams for bulls used for fall service.

• Monitor BCS, particularly on young bulls.
• If bulls are BCS ≤ 5.0 after summer breeding, consider supplementing to regain BCS going into fall.

Calf Management

Schedule any pre-weaning vaccination or processing activities if not already done.

Consider the economic value by implanting nursing fall-born calves and weaned spring-born calves.

If not already done, schedule your breeding protocols for fall replacement heifers in advance of the breeding season.

• If synchronizing with MGA, make sure intake is consistent at 0.5 mg of melengestrol acetate per hd per day for 14 days, and remove for 19 days prior to administering prostaglandin.

General Management

Take inventory of and begin sampling harvested forages for fall feed needs.

• Be aware of possible presence of molds and other anti-nutritional compounds in hay harvested at higher than typical moisture levels.
• Test for nitrates and prussic acid when appropriate.
• Use the forage inventory calculator (https://www.agmanager.info/hay-inventory-calculator).
• Balance forage inventories with fall/winter grazing acres.

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

• The bottom 1/3 of the stalk is where nitrates accumulate.
• Be aware of prussic acid in new regrowth of sorghum plants, and the time around frost is the greatest risk. High amounts of down grain will require a change in management.

Use the Management Minder tool on KSUBeef.org to plan key management activities for your cowherd for the rest of the year.

With high feeder calf prices, consider price risk management tools for fall-calves.

Management Considerations for August 2024

By Jason M. Warner, Ph.D., Extension Cow-Calf Specialist

For spring-calving cow herds: Monitor BCS through late summer, particularly on young females. Use the BCS Record Book from KSRE to record scores! 2–4-year-old females and thin females will respond most to early-weaning. If you plan to early-wean: Develop your plan for feeding and marketing calves. Prepare weaning/receiving pens and waterers in advance. If feeding early-weaned calves, test your forages and have your ration plan and ingredients in place 2-3 weeks prior to weaning. Schedule early pregnancy checking activities if not already done. For managing cull cows, evaluate the cost of gain relative to the value of gain for marketing decisions. For late-summer and early-fall calving cowherds: Evaluate cows for BCS and adjust your plan to ensure mature cows are ≥ 5.0 and 2–4-year-old females are ≥ 6.0 at calving. The final 60 days prior to calving represents the last opportunity to add BCS economically. Review your calving health protocols as needed. Have calving equipment cleaned and available to use as needed. Closely manage free-choice salt and mineral programs through late summer. Record date and amount of salt and mineral offered and calculate herd consumption on a pasture or group basis. Adjust how you are offering product to cattle if needed to achieve target intake. If consumption is 2X the target intake, then cost will be too! Continue to monitor bulls and their activity throughout the breeding season. Monitor BCS, particularly on young bulls. If bulls are BCS ≤ 5.0 after breeding, consider supplementing to regain BCS going into fall. Schedule breeding soundness exams for bulls used for fall service.

If creep feeding calves, closely monitor intake and calf condition/fleshiness. Monitor calves for summer respiratory illness. Schedule any pre-weaning vaccination or processing activities.

Evaluate grass growth and adjust your grazing plan as needed. Employ multiple strategies, chemistries for late-season fly/insect control. Begin taking inventory of harvested forages for fall feed needs. Use the forage inventory calculator (https://www.agmanager.info/hay-inventory-calculator). If planning to harvest corn silage, prepare your pile/bunker site and equipment. If using a custom harvester, communicate with them well in advance. Closely monitor whole plant moisture levels. Have silage tarps in place and ready to cover once harvest is complete. Use the Management Minder tool on KSUBeef.org to plan key management activities for your cowherd for the rest of the year. With high feeder calf prices, consider price risk management tools. Visit with your local FSA and extension office if you plan to utilize CRP acres for emergency forage use or for information on other assistance programs.