K-State Research and Extension

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

COWHERD MANAGEMENT

• 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 female 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.

CALF MANAGEMENT

• 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.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

• 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.

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

COW HERD MANAGEMENT

• For spring-calving cow herds:
  • Score cows for BCS concurrent with grass growth.
  • 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 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.
• Closely manage free-choice salt and mineral programs.
  • 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!
  • Properly store bags and pallets to avoid damage and product loss.
• Continue to monitor bulls and their activity throughout the breeding season.
  • Monitor BCS, particularly on young bulls.
  • If pulling bulls from cows to manage the length of the breeding season, schedule those dates and have them on the calendar in advance.
  • If bulls are BCS ≤ 5.0 after breeding, consider supplementing to regain BCS going into fall.

CALF MANAGEMENT

• 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.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

• Evaluate grass growth and adjust your grazing plan as needed.
• Continue efforts to control invasive species in pastures.
• Employ multiple strategies, chemistries for late-season fly/insect control.
• Begin taking inventory of harvested forages for fall feed needs.
• If planning to harvest corn silage, prepare your pile/bunker site and equipment.
• Use the Management Minder tool on KSUBeef.org 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.
• Visit with your local FSA and extension office if you plan to utilize CRP acres for emergency forage use or other assistance programs.

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

COW HERD MANAGEMENT

• For spring-calving cow herds:
  • Evaluate BCS in conjunction with feed/forage availability.
  • Think through your plan if you anticipate early-weaning or needing to feed/supplement on pasture through the summer.
  • Schedule early pregnancy checking activities if not already done.
• For late-summer and early-fall calving cow herds:
  • 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.
  • Review your calving health protocols as needed.
• Closely manage free-choice salt and mineral programs.
  • 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 intake early in the summer.
  • If consumption is 2X the target intake, then cost will be too!
  • Properly store bags and pallets to avoid damage and product loss.
• Closely evaluate bulls at the start of the breeding season
  • Watch for injury so you can intervene and treat bulls promptly if needed.
  • Ensure they are aggressively covering cows.
  • Monitor BCS, particularly on young bulls.
  • If pulling bulls from cows to manage the length of the breeding season, schedule those dates and have them on the calendar in advance.

CALF MANAGEMENT

• If considering creep feeding calves, make sure you understand what your objective is by doing so and calculate the value of gain relative to cost of gain.
• Monitor calves for summer respiratory illness.
• Schedule any pre-weaning vaccination or processing activities.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

• Continue to evaluate early-summer grass growth and adjust your grazing plan as needed.
• Continue efforts to control invasive species in pastures.
• Use the Management Minder tool on KSUBeef.org to plan key management activities for your cow herd for the rest of the year.
• Employ multiple strategies and chemistries for controlling flies and insects.
• With high feeder calf prices, consider price risk management tools.
• Make and evaluate important production calculations:
  • Calving distribution (% 1st cycle, % 2nd cycle, % 3rd cycle)
  • Calving interval
  • % calf crop (# calves weaned/# cows exposed for breeding) for calves born in fall 2022.

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

Cow Herd Management

• If cows are marginal (BCS 4.0 – 5.0) going into breeding, possibly consider:
  • Supplementing 2-3 weeks prior to and through 1st cycle.
  • Using monensin (200 mg/hd/day) in feed supplements.
  • Temporary calf removal or a CIDR to initiate estrus in an estrus females.
  • Early weaning if BCS doesn’t improve during the season.
• Pregnancy check and cull fall calving cows, if not already done.
• With higher costs, it’s important to closely manage salt and mineral programs.
  • Record date and amount of salt and mineral offered and calculate herd consumption.
  • If consumption is 2X the target intake, then cost will be too!
  • Properly store bags and pallets to avoid damage and product loss.
• Continue to provide high magnesium mineral formulas to cows grazing high risk forages: wheat, rye, triticale, oats, bromegrass, and other cool-season forages.
• The estrus synchronization planner on KSUBeef.org is a helpful tool for scheduling synchronization protocols.
  • Order your A.I. supplies well prior to starting your protocols.
• Closely monitor bulls at the start of the breeding season for injury and to make sure they are aggressively covering cows.

Calf Management

• Calculate the value of gain relative to cost of gain for:
  • Implanting nursing calves and grass cattle.
  • Creep feeding nursing calves
• Finalize health protocols for spring-born calves and cattle going to summer grass.
• Consider supplementing or feeding replacement heifers for a period when initially turning to grass if they don’t have post-weaning grazing experience and/or forage supply is limited.

General Management

• Reconsider stocking rates and turn-out dates for drought stressed pastures.
• Begin implementing early-season weed/invasive species control.
• Use the Management Minder tool on KSUBeef.org to plan key management activities for your cow herd for the rest of the year.
• Employ multiple strategies and chemistries for controlling flies and insects.
• With high feeder calf prices this spring, consider price risk management tools.
• Make and evaluate important production calculations
  • Calving distribution (% 1st cycle, % 2nd cycle, % 3rd cycle)
  • Calving interval
  • % calf crop (# calves weaned/# cows exposed for breeding) for calves born in fall 2022.