Proper nutrition involves providing a balanced diet to meet the energy, protein, vitamin, and mineral requirements of beef cattle to promote growth and health.
Preconditioning beef calves prepares them for a successful weaning and life after they leave home. The goal of your farm’s preconditioning program is to build a health and nutrition plan that meets the buyer’s expectations and includes tasks your farm can achieve.
UW-Madison Extension experts have designed tools that will producers with their preconditioning programs.
Spring is just around the corner which makes it a great time to consider what you would like to change. Some people have personal goals for change, but what about your farm goals? Are there aspects of the farm you would like to upgrade, incorporate new technology, or change all together?
Just like humans need a few extra layers in the winter months, our heifers and cows may need to rug up or add layers now in order to maintain performance through the winter months.
Feeding high-quality colostrum to the calf as soon as possible after birth is the most important thing you can do for calf health. The timely ingestion of adequate amounts of high-quality colostrum allow the calf to acquire passive immunity from the dam.
Feed cost is usually ranked as the highest expense in animal production. Proper management of feed storage can prevent feed shrink – or the loss of feed. Reducing feed shrink in storage can help decrease the cost of production.
If your pastures have an abundance of biennial or perennial weeds like spotted knapweed, wild parsnip, thistles, Canada thistle, and horsenettle, then fall is a good time to get a handle on these tough to control weeds.
Now is the time, before the snow flies, to take inventory of your farm’s forage supply and determine how well it meets the herd’s needs. Knowing your feed inventory and needs early allows you to purchase now, rather than wait to purchase during the winter when forages are usually priced higher.
