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As fall calving approaches, you may worry more about flies and heat stress than colostrum. However, colostrum is critical to giving calves the start they need no matter the season. It’s just as important to feed quality colostrum during times of heat stress as it is to feed quality colostrum during cold weather.

Weather is one of the most important factors affecting producers’ selection of calving season. This is closely linked to forage and feed availability. This undoubtedly creates a regional pattern in calving season across the nation.

We often hear about the pros and cons of retained ownership of calves post-weaning. I Googled it and got 1.5 million hits, so it is a popular subject. Much of the debate revolves around the following:

No producer wants to doctor an animal, but it is part of raising them. A producer can have the best vaccination program and biosecurity in the county, but sooner or later an animal is going to get sick and need to be treated.

Every year, around the end of fall harvest, cattle producers contemplate what to do with their freshly weaned calves: either hold ’em or sell ’em.