As a beef producer, you may think having at least some calves with scours every season is inevitable. It’s not. In fact, having a herd with zero cases of scours should always be the goal. And it’s an achievable one.
Follow practical information for the beef producer on essential topics including management, reproduction and calving, new technology, facilities improvement, beef quality, and feed and nutrition.
As a beef producer, you may think having at least some calves with scours every season is inevitable. It’s not. In fact, having a herd with zero cases of scours should always be the goal. And it’s an achievable one.
There are more microbes in the rumen of a single feedlot animal than there are humans on earth. If you think it’s challenging for all of those people to work together, imagine what’s going on in the rumen.
Occasionally, a calf is born with crooked legs, lax or contracted tendons. Many straighten on their own with time and exercise, while others require intervention. Some are so severe the calf must be euthanized.
Genomics, in addition to being a powerful decision-making tool, is finding a new home in cattle marketing.
Seedstock buy-back programs are popular for customers and breeders alike. Commercial producers receive higher prices for high-quality cattle, with a ready market for superior calves.
Production livestock sales in the West have been happening since last fall: purebred bulls and heifers, commercial heifers, open or bred heifers and young cows of all breeds.