by Bob Weaber, Ph.D., cow-calf specialist
Over the winter, I’ve had several discussions with extension agents and producers trying to sort out what went wrong last summer during breeding season. Although the ‘wreck’ happened last spring or summer, the high percentage of open cows wasn’t discovered until preg check or, worse yet, calving. Accurate diagnosis of the problem is difficult at this stage but the circumstances give us pause to consider our production system and the critical control points. All too often when producers and specialists talk about ‘fertility’ we gravitate to a discussion of reproductive failure in cows and subsequent culling or management strategies. It is, however, important to recognize the importance of bull fertility as well, especially in commercial operations that rely heavily on natural service sires. Continue reading “Avoid unpleasant surprises, monitor bull and estrous activity during the breeding season”
