The Extension Livestock Program provides timely resources and information to help farmers, consumers and allied industry to make informed decisions about beef cattle, poultry, sheep and goats, equine, swine, and meat science. There are also resources for youth caring for livestock.
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Good winter management practices contribute to healthy cattle, reasonable feed costs, and long-term productivity of the beef cow herd. There will be times during the winter when it will be necessary to adjust the ration to help cows through cold conditions.
As the cold weather sets in and winter feeding begins, many bulls have already been removed from the cows to wait for the next breeding season. During this time away from the cows, bulls may be expected to require minimal maintenance to thrive through winter, but it is important to understand the significance of meeting bulls’ needs to ensure their dependability for the next breeding season.
Producers can take steps to minimize the risk of a disease outbreak on their livestock premises. When beef producers increase biosecurity measures to decrease the likelihood of foreign animal diseases, they are also taking steps to reduce exposure to and disease losses from more common endemic diseases such as bovine viral diarrhea, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, mycoplasma, Johne’s disease, shipping fever, trichomoniasis, warts and ringworm.
Download a copy of the Sheep Operation Enterprise Budget to determine the past year’s production costs and profitability, and develop budgets for evaluating next year’s profitability. Accurate closeouts and projections can help identify the sheep enterprises’ strengths and areas for improvement.