In a traditional sense, calves are weaned at six to seven months of age. However, during a drought, forage is generally limiting and early weaning should be a consideration as a management tool for a producer. The time of weaning will have effects on the cow and the calf in performance, health, and productivity in the pasture.

Like everything in the cattle business there are advantages and disadvantages to early weaning.

Four distinct advantages would be improved cow body condition, calf performance, conception rates and forage availability for the cow.

Lactating cows can lose body condition due to the increased nutrient requirements associated with lactation. When drought conditions exist, this situation is usually made worse by lack of forage in drought stressed pastures. By weaning early, the cow’s nutrient requirements for lactation are eliminated and cows are able to maintain or increase body condition prior to the fall and winter feeding period.

By weaning early and providing a highly nutritious diet, calves can reach their growth potential.

Early weaning, coupled with feeding a high concentrate diet, has resulted in increased quality grade a slaughter, and according to research conducted at several universities.

Weaning early can result in improved conception rates, provided the calves are weaned during the breeding season,” said Greg Lardy, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist NDSU Animal and Range Sciences Department. “This would require weaning calves at a very young age. When weaned early enough, cows have a greater opportunity to rebreed in an optimum time frame and an increase in conception rate can be expected.”

Lardy also explains that early weaning reduces the cows dry matter intake and also eliminates the demand on the forage from the calf.

“The cows remaining on the pasture have access to more forage and demands on the pasture are reduced, which can enhance sustainability and forage production in the future,” states Lardy.

Two disadvantages of early weaning claves would be increased attention to management, and increased cash costs.

Russ Danielson, the Associate Professor NDSU Animal and Range Sciences Department states, “Early weaning requires greater attention to proper health, nutrition, and management practices.”

Weaning calves earlier will result in increased cash costs for the rancher because instead of being in the pasture and their mother’s milk, the calves will be eating high quality grains, hays, and protein supplements that is if the rancher can provide these economically.

In this day and time, cattle prices are so high that the rancher might to decide to wean calves then take them immediately to the sale barn, for a profit margin that is beyond anything ranchers have ever seen.

Some special health recommendations should be considered when early weaning claves; producers must provide an excellent health and vaccination program.

Producers should castrate, dehorn and brand calves 10 to 14 days prior to weaning.

Producers should also make sure to vaccinate for clostridial and viral infections, and monitoring calves daily for symptoms of respiratory disease, digestive diseases, scours and abnormalities in feed intake levels.

Early weaning should be utilized as a management option, especially during drought and should be a part of every producer’s normal drought management strategy.

Early weaning will be more successful for the producers and less stressful on the calves when adequate attention to nutrition, health and management is considered to be a top priority.

Callie McCullough is a junior at Texas A&M University pursuing a dual degree in animal science and agricultural communications. She’s a fifth generation rancher from Ridge, Texas. Born and raised on the family cow-calf operation, she is an avid cattle enthusiast and has a passion for the production cattle industry and its future. cmccullough@tamu.edu

The Texas Angus Association recently hosted a field day in Luling, Texas at the Luling Foundation. The Luling Foundation is an agricultural demonstration farm that engages in many different types of ag production, including raising commercial cattle and registered Angus cattle.

At this year’s Texas Angus field day, the keynote speaker was Dr. Temple Grandin, renowned animal scientist from Colorado State University who specializes in animal behavior and handling. This was not Dr. Grandin’s first trip to the Luling area, as a good deal of an Emmy award-winning movie was filmed about her in this part of Texas a few years ago.

My father Bodey is the President of the Texas Angus Association this year and since he had invited her to speak at the field day, my parents hosted Dr. Grandin at our home during her visit. Dr. Grandin was a wonderful guest. We enjoyed visiting with her over a few meals and on the drives to and from town.

It was great to hear her speak in person. A number of subjects were covered in Dr. Grandin’s presentation at the field day but she started out with some basic tips about your cattle working areas.

When trying to get cattle into a squeeze chute, Dr. Grandin stressed the importance of making sure that the cattle cannot see any people. Many pens and walkways leading up to chutes are open sided, and if you want to get the cattle to continue down these walkways with ease, try to get out of their sight.

Also, if you’re having trouble getting cattle to go into a particular area, step back and consider what the problem might be.  Is the lighting bad? Is there a loose tarp flapping around somewhere? Things like this can scare cattle more than we realize.

Poorly lit spaces, or “black holes” as Dr. Grandin called them, are especially frightening for cattle. Figure out a way to get more light into that area and your cattle shouldn’t have as much of a problem going into it.

For situations like this, Dr. Grandin recommended the use of light translucent panels in a dark working area. Installing these might take a little bit of your time, but it will improve your pens and make working cattle an easier task for years to come.

Even if you just make small, semi-permanent changes to your cattle working area or pens, you should see big improvements. As Dr. Grandin said, it is amazing what you can do with duck tape, zip ties, cardboard, and portable lights.

Dr. Grandin covered some of her low stress cattle handling methods and reminded the audience that although it takes time to learn how to effectively use these low stress techniques, it is well worth the effort.

And she pointed out that animals must be acclimated into this style of handling. Their first experiences need to be good ones where they don’t get too worked up because they will remember a bad experience the next time you try and work them.

Always work your cattle in small groups and be prepared to do a lot of walking. You want to refrain from making any sudden, jerky movements and try to maintain optimal pressure on the cattle. This means not too close and not too far away. Practice with this will help you learn where that perfect position is.

Dr. Grandin went over a few basic things you should always keep in mind to help you with your cattle.

New things are attractive to an animal if they are voluntarily allowed to explore them. Cattle are either in fear mode or seek and explore mode. If you can keep your animals out of the fear mode, you’ll have a much easier time getting them to do what you want.  Going through an open gate will seem a lot better to them if they are allowed to explore it first.

Also, once an animal learns that they can defeat something like a fence or a cattle guard, they will never forget it. Grandin said fences only work for us today because most cattle haven’t realized that they are stronger than the fence.

And last but not least, remember that cattle will almost always want to go back to where they came from.

When trying to use low stress cattle handing, Dr. Grandin said people often realize just how valuable a calm animal is.  If you have a cow that is notorious for being wild or rowdy, consider how beneficial the animal is to you overall. If your goal is low stress to the cattle and yourself, you may want to think about culling her.

However, Grandin pointed out that we don’t necessarily want to select for the very calmest of cattle. “Get rid of the nutcases,” she said, “…but don’t turn your beef cattle into Holsteins.”

Dr. Grandin said that most people who intend to use low stress handling methods start out with great intentions. But all too often people will slip back into their old habits when they aren’t immediately seeing the results they want.

Unfortunately- bad habits can easily become what are considered normal if we aren’t careful.

We all need to remember how important the overall concept of low stress cattle handing is to each of us as individuals AND to the entire cattle industry. Because, like Dr. Grandin mentioned several times in her talk, agriculture is facing an ongoing battle of criticism and judgment for every action we take.

Making a point to handle our cattle in the best manner reinforces the fact that livestock producers care about their animals and about the quality of treatment that they receive.  The next step is showing the public how things really are.

Dr. Grandin said she felt that this is where the agriculture industry does not do a good enough job.

There are certain terms and phrases used today to describe agriculture – and the picture they paint isn’t pretty. Factory farm and CAFO are two of these that really cast a bad image on the ag world.

I found Dr. Grandin’s suggested approach to this very interesting. She said instead of shying away from these terms- we need to use them to our benefit. Because these are the kind of words people will often search for on Google or YouTube, we need to be putting positive media out there that is associated with these terms.

Let’s say someone searches for the term factory farm on YouTube. What if the first video their search returned was a positive piece from an ag company or producer instead of the typical animal activist group’s depiction of a processing facility?

A video showing the facts about this segment of meat production from our side of things would be so much more beneficial to our industry than what is out there today….like the clips labeled “Live fast, Die young”, “Body Harvest”, or “Inefficient and Inhumane”.

Grandin said if these are the kind of topics people want to find out more about, agriculture needs to use these terms to show the truth. Personally, I think we are becoming better “agvocates” all the time but that we are nowhere close to where we need to be.

So what can you do to be a better advocate for agriculture? Dr. Grandin suggested making a short video of your operation showing how well you treat your cattle. She also said to document your children in 4H or FFA and the loving care and devotion they give their livestock projects and put this on YouTube

Or do you need to just start with the basics – like implementing low stress cattle handling in your operation?

Dr. Grandin is an amazing person and we are very lucky to have her representing livestock producers in all the ways that she does. She is full of knowledge and is doing a great job of putting it to use for the ag industry.

But we should all do our part to make this industry the best it can be and to help ensure we are able to carry on our way of life for years to come. Think about what you can do and then get started doing it. Let’s make Dr. Grandin proud.

If you are interested in finding out more about Temple Grandin and her methods, information is available at www.grandin.com.

Written by Anna Langford – anna@midwesterncattle.com

Anna Langford is a graduate student at Texas A&M University studying agricultural communications. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M in 2009 in Animal Science with a certificate in Meat Science.

Anna is from a fifth generation ranching family. They raise Black Angus cattle in South Central and West Texas.

The winter season is already upon cattle producers and with winter feeding management is critical as feed costs become the largest expense in a cow/calf operation.

“A winter feeding program will vary for each operation depending on the quality of forage being fed, cost and availability of winter supplements, body condition of animal and calving date,” says Dr. Ryon Walker of the University of Minnesota Beef Team.

To choose a winter feeding program that is most viable for a producer’s operation is to know the type of animal you are feeding, such as replacement heifer versus mature cow, stage of pregnancy, body condition, available feed resources and feed prices.

“Generally, winter feeding is accomplished with harvested forages, mainly hay and silage,” said Beka Gill of the Beef Team at the University of Minnesota.

The majority of beef producers can estimate how much winter feed will be needed for all cattle on the operation during the winter feeding period.

Grazing crop residues may also be utilized as well, but may not be a feasible option for areas that receive significant amounts of snowfall during the early winter months.

“Besides limiting the grazing of crop residues, winter conditions will decrease the feed’s nutritional value by reducing the digestibility of dry matter and protein,” says Walker.

Winter precipitation and adjustments for cold temperatures need to be taken into account.

Regardless of whether the producer is in a harsh winter or not, and if the feed is stored or graze crop residues, a cow’s diet must be sufficient throughout the winter months to uphold a body condition score (BCS) of 5 to 6.

It is accepted that a BCS of 5 to 6 is optimum for reproduction. A cow should be able to maintain its weight and support fetal growth and lactation.

“Depending on forage quality, supplementing beef cows may be necessary when nutrient demands are not met by the basic diet the cow is offered,” says Gill.

A management practice that producers tend to not do is pregnancy check in spring calving herds prior to winter.

This is an important strategy so that winter feed costs can be taken into account, because it is estimated that up to 60 to 70% of yearly feeding costs come from winter feeding.

As seen with the current high market of cow prices, an option to increase profit would be to sell open cows, selling the open cows will prevent feeding additional cattle in the winter.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Callie McCullough is a junior at Texas A&M University pursuing a dual degree in animal science and agricultural communications. She’s a fifth generation rancher from Ridge, Texas. Born and raised on the family cow-calf operation, she is an avid cattle enthusiast and has a passion for the production cattle industry and its future. cmccullough@tamu.edu

One reproductive disease that all cattle ranchers find disastrous to a cowherd is Bovine Trichomoniasis also known as Trich.

Bovine Trichomoniasis is a veneral disease caused by the protozoan Tritrichomonas foetus, a mobile complex, single-celled organism that is characterized by the early embryonic death of a fetus.

The primary production and economic impact of Trich is on the cows and heifers in the herd.

This is because the disease causes infertility and abortions. And to some ranchers dismay it can extend the breeding and calving season on the ranch.

Trich will not have any visible symptoms in bulls and rarely any in cows and heifers.

“Because the organism lives in the female reproductive tract, it’s very difficult to collect samples from cows,” says John Wenzel, New Mexico State University Extension DVM. “In bulls, the organism lives on the penis surface, making collection and sampling easier.”

Bulls become infected by breeding infected cows and when a bull becomes chronically infected, he never clears the disease. Some state regulations require the slaughter of infected bulls.

Labatory tests can determine whether a bull is infected. Only a certified, accredited veterinarian may collect samples from the bull’s penis and internal prepuce and submit them to a certified lab.

There are two tests that veterinarians can be give to test bulls. Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and a culture test.

“Cows and heifers become infected when bred by an infected bull, but can later clear the disease and return to normal estrus,” states Wenzel.

The protozoa can reside in the vagina, cervix, uterus, placenta and even the fetus.

The organism causes the cow or heifer to abort the fetus in the first 60 days of pregnancy.

After the cow returns to normal estrus, she’ll usually clear the infection in 3 to 5 heat cycles, so she will need around 120 to 150 days of sexual rest to make sure she clears the infection.

Cows can acquire temporary immunity for up to 15 months. However, this immunity is shortlived and a cow can be re-infected. To help reduce the severity of the disease in an infected cowherd, ranchers can vaccinate the cows.

Repeat breeding, extended calving season, very early abortion, high percentage of open cows at pregnancy check are all signs that Bovine Trichomoniasis is on your ranch.

To prevent Bovine Trichomoniasis on your cattle ranch maintain a closed herd by separating breeding groups, test all new bulls that enter the herd, as well as before breeding the season and try to use young herd bulls or use tested virgin bulls.

Trich Truths:

· Bovine Trichomoniasis does not affect semen quality of semen behavior.

· Bulls are asymptomatic carriers of Bovine Trichomoniasis.

· Bulls infected with Bovine Trichomoniasis serve as a reservoir of infections in a cowherd.

· Bovine Trichomoniasis can only be transmitted by sexual intercourse and not by the environment.

· Bovine Trichomoniasis is not transmitted to humans.

Remember to check with your state’s Bovine Trichomoniasis regulations for testing and procedures.

Most regulations only impact bulls, but there are regulations and tests for positively tested bulls, untested virgin bulls, and untested non-virgin bull.

Callie’s Prevent Trich Tip: Don’t forget to test your bulls before you turn them out on cows!

Callie McCullough is a junior at Texas A&M University pursuing a dual degree in animal science and agricultural communications. She’s a fifth generation rancher from Ridge, Texas. Born and raised on the family cow-calf operation, she is an avid cattle enthusiast and has a passion for the production cattle industry and its future. cmccullough@tamu.edu

When the drought gets brought up at the coffee shop these days – it’s old news. The states in the southern and southwestern parts of the United States are experiencing some of the worst drought conditions in history and have been for some time now.

The U.S. Drought Monitor, available through the USDA, shows all of Texas and Oklahoma as well as a good part of New Mexico and Kansas to be in the worst intensity of the drought possible – “Exceptionally Dry.”

Surrounding these areas are the “Extremely Dry” and “Severely Dry” regions with “Moderately Dry” and “Abnormally Dry” conditions spreading on farther west and up into the Midwest.

The land is parched and the rainclouds are few and far between. Unfortunately, it isn’t much of a surprise when we see small fires start up and almost instantly transform into out of control firestorms.

Flames have raged across Texas over the last few months, destroying nearly 35,000 acres of land and over 1,500 homes in the central part of the state alone.

The Texas AgriLife Extension Service recently estimated total fire losses for Texas agriculture to be around $152 million. Over 5,000 miles of fences and nearly three million acres of pasture have burned up from fires throughout the past year.

We’ve also seen wildfires take their toll in Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, and other areas across the country.

Although many homes and neighborhoods have been affected by the wildfires over the last few months, much of the land where these fires have burned is pasture or ranchland.  And where there’s pasture – there’s livestock.

Grazing lands are particularly susceptible to fire danger. They are prime areas for wildfires because there is a great deal of fuel present (grass) and this fuel is often very dry.

Bordering a road or highway provides a great ignition source, be it from the spark of a vehicle or a cigarette tossed carelessly out the window.

When a wildfire starts, there is always a lot of effort to get animals to safety, not only from the livestock owners but also from volunteers.

A great outpouring of help came during the recent Central Texas fires. Bastrop County Texas AgriLife Extension Service agricultural agent Rachel Bauer said their office was flooded with calls from people all across the state who wanted to help.

They offered transportation, feed, land, pens and anything else they could give.

It is always refreshing to see people reaching out to help in situations like this. And it is comforting to know that someone would be willing to lend you a hand if your livestock were in danger.

But no matter how many people rally together to help or how many resources are used, sometimes it will just be too late. In a matter of moments, wildfire can take  everything – homes, land, livestock and more.

When it comes to wildfire, preparing and protecting your property before any danger arises is the only thing you can do to give yourself an advantage.

You and your family’s safety is the number one thing and that must always be remembered. Once human safety is established, homes, pets, livestock, and buildings are generally the main things people try to save.

But what else should you think about? You may have valuable crops planted on your land or feed supplies. Your equipment, machinery, and stored bulk materials could all be in jeopardy.

It’s wise to keep inventory of what all you have – from amounts and types of livestock and equipment to pesticides, fertilizers, fuels, and medicines. This will also help later if you have fire insurance for your operation – which isn’t a bad idea.

Firebreaks are very important in protecting specific areas from danger. These are guards designed and implemented in order to keep a fire from spreading in or out of a region.

Structures in particular should have a defensible space around them, with nothing that could spread the fire closer.

Can you establish firebreaks around your pastures, structures, and other important areas?  Firebreaks can either be permanent or temporary but either way – they are important to have in place.

A permanent firebreak can be any area that provides no bridge of continuous fuel. This includes disked or plowed land, pasture roads, or even rivers and stock tanks.  If maintained properly, these can last a long time.

Temporary firebreaks can be created by mowing or shredding areas of tall grass into shorter stubble that won’t burn with the same intensity as tall grass would.

Burned firebreaks, or blacklines, can also be created by burning out areas to keep a fire from spreading past it. These are effective but must be established beforehand under safe and secure burning conditions.

When it comes to highly combustible equipment such as a fuel tank, a safe zone is invaluable. There should be no vegetation on or around equipment like this and it’s a good idea to store them about 40 feet away from buildings or other machinery.

Always keep your machinery and implements parked away from any highly combustible materials like your fuel or haystacks.

What is your livestock evacuation plan? How will you quickly round your stock up and what will you use to transport them?

If you are unable to access your cattle in time to get them loaded and removed from the property in danger, try to unlock or open any gates that may trap them inside a pen or pasture.

If there is a structure such as a barn that could catch fire, do your best to block access to this area. Horses in particular are known to try to return to burning barns when panicked.

Opening or closing the proper gates will help direct the way livestock run. This will increase the chances of them being able to escape the flames. Again, don’t forget your safety is the most important thing.

How will you take care of your livestock after a fire? If their grazing land is destroyed, you are not only going to need a place to feed and care for them but you need to have an idea of what you will feed them.

Keep in mind, having your animals properly registered or branded will make identification after a fire much easier.

There’s a lot to think about when preparing for something like this. It may seem a little overwhelming.

But planning for an emergency now gives you better odds of seeing less destruction later. Being prepared will also help you to minimize recovery time after a fire and get your operation back to being productive quicker.

What if a fire started today on your land? Wouldn’t it be comforting to know that you are prepared as you can be?

As the old saying goes – “Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst.”

Times are tough and much of the land is dry. What are you, as a producer going to do with your
herd?

As a producer, the first thing you have to ask yourself is why do you have cattle in the first
place? The most important answer is to harvest forage but the real job as a producer is to grow
forage and convert it to a saleable product.

Drought management is never easy, but as a producer you should always be prepared and to have
a plan and developing a destocking plan is a key factor.

The objective of herd reduction or destocking is to optimize cattle performance of the remaining
breeding herd and to balance the herd requirements with forage supply.

Dr. Ron Gill, Texas AgriLife Extension at Texas A&M University, states that there are two rules
of destocking:

· Identify the problem and take action as soon as possible
· Make sure that stocking adjustments are made sooner, so that the reduction of the
herd will be less severe

In an average year, cull cow sales at 10 to 20 percent of a cow/calf operation’s gross revenue. As
for long term price trends, prices have been increasing annually since 1996. Seasonal price trends
are always predictable with fall prices being low and spring prices being high.

Many producers make common mistakes when destocking their herd.

The “hanging on” method, hoping that things will improve, raises havoc with marketing options
and sale value of live cattle, local markets decline and feed prices increase during the drought
and finally, this practice results in reduced income from the cattle sold.

Other mistakes include weaning calves early and keeping all the cows, retaining young cows at
the expense of more productive cows and selling cattle to buy feed for the remaining herd.
Under drought conditions, the best destocking strategies are culling spring or summer calving
cows that do not have a calf at their side.

“By removing current year non-producing females, stocking rates and forage requirements can
be reduced by 12 to 25 percent without affecting the current year’s production,” said Gill.
Depending on the ranch’s current management practices, producers need to identify and cull
either shortbred fall cows or longbred summer calving cows. The extended breeding seasons
requires palpation because culling depends on stage of pregnancy.

As well as checking for pregnancy, producers need to inspect for defects like teeth, udder, and
structural defects. Producers should also check to see if the potential cull cows have a calf at
their side.

“Any cows that are identified as potential culls should be sorted off to prevent the need to gather
and stress the rest of the herd,” said Gill. “Once cows have been sorted and inspected, it is
expected that there will be 25 to 55 percent of the herd prioritized for removal.”
A producer’s hardest job is culling his producing cow herd. For management purposes,
producers need to cull cows that are at marginal production, bad disposition, have low
performance records and low post-weaning calf performance. These cows may have calves that
can be weaned early and retained, if resources are available and economically beneficial.
Many producers wait to wean claves will have less of a dramatic impact on forage demand for
the rest of the cow herd. Although, calves may need to be weaned earlier if the cow has a lower
body condition score than desired.

Other options to consider while destocking the cow herd would be to cull cows least likely to
rebreed for the next year’s calf crop, and cull older cows that are at the eight year old mark.
The cattle still have to eat, but make sure that during a drought that pastures are not grazed too
short. Before overgrazing, Gill suggests bringing the cattle to a central location to feed in a
sacrifice area to prevent destruction of the forage base.

Callie’s Cow Culling Caution: Be prepared, react early, and have a plan!

Callie McCullough is a junior at Texas A&M University pursuing a dual degree in animal science and agricultural communications. She’s a fifth generation rancher from Ridge, Texas.  Born and raised on the family cow-calf operation, she is an avid cattle enthusiast and has a passion for the production cattle industry and its future.

cmccullough@tamu.edu

Curt Pate. Just sounds like a name out of an old Western novel, doesn’t it? When Curt Pate was born, his parents must have known he was going to be a cowboy. They sure named him appropriately.

Curt Pate grew up to be much more than a cowboy. Today he is a well-known horse trainer, an American Quarter Horse Association Professional Horseman and an AQHA Regional Experience Clinician.  He is also a former auctioneer and lifelong rancher.

Pate is probably best known for being the real-life version of the “Horse Whisperer.” That’s why the 1998 Robert Redford film worked with Pate as their equine technical advisor and consultant.

Pate’s fame may have come through working with horses but in recent years he has transitioned his work into the cattle industry.  While there are many popular horse trainers out there today, very few of them have legitimate experience with cattle. This is what sets Pate apart.

A genuine stockman, Pate works with both cattle and horses everyday. Being a rancher, he knows that cattle production is about making a profit.

So he travels all across the country reminding others that cattle which are under low stress and are well taken care of will equal a better bottom line.  Any kind of stress to cattle – physical, nutritional, or psychological – can cause reduced performance and health.

But here’s the best part. Reducing stress while handling your cattle will improve your operation for free! Pate says this is the easiest way to increase your profits  – without any financial input.

Pate uses his horsemanship skills to demonstrate this low stress style of gathering, sorting, and doctoring cattle. He shows that by using these techniques, a mounted cowboy can save time, keep cattle stress down, and maximize overall productivity.

While it may seem obvious, one of the most important things for keeping cattle calm while working horseback is… the horse. Pate says that you want a horse that will keep calm. The manner and disposition of your horse is very important.

You should be able to handle your horse in a manner so discrete that no major physical movements are needed, which could upset the cattle.

Pates description of a good horse to work cattle with is one that you can easily move in any direction, start, and stop. This should all take the least amount of work possible from the cowboy. He needs to keep his mind on the cattle.

Over time, low stress cattle handling will actually train the cattle to work better for you.

It should also be mentioned that public perception is improved with low stress cattle handling.

Pate reminds us that handling cattle this way is the right thing to do for the animal and it helps society to see agriculture and the cattle business in a more positive light.

Pate’s basic tips for working cattle include:

1. Make sure the cattle can see you.
2. Don’t make sharp, loud noises.
3. Don’t rush the animals.
4. Use cattle prods and other equipment as little as possible.
5. Try to think like a cow.

And since we are talking about the original “Horse Whisperer” – here are his top ten tips for working with your horse:

1. Never think “predator/prey relationship.”
2. Teach your horse to accept pressure.
3. Always work with the horse to achieve mental and physical balance.
4. Recognize the negative effects of over flexing your horse.
5. Stay calm to relax a nervous horse.
6. Keep groundwork to a minimum – It’s OK to take a break.
7. Use as little equipment as possible.
8. Before working with a young horse, learn how to correctly catch and saddle him.
9. Practice the “emergency stop.”
10. Patience is a virtue – remember that when you’re with your horse.

Pate isn’t the only cattle-handling specialist out there but he is a good one. He has a series of short videos on YouTube over Low Stress Cattle Handling. Watch them when you get some spare time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k0JGCQ1W_s

And one more thing! Curt’s advice doesn’t stop at just cattle and horse handling. He also has a few things to say about cowboys and manners. Follow this link for a short YouTube clip that would make your grandfather proud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOoxLHPPrgw

Written by Anna Langford – anna@midwesterncattle.com

Anna Langford is a graduate student at Texas A&M University studying agricultural communications. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M in 2009 in Animal Science with a certificate in Meat Science.

Anna is from a fifth generation ranching family. They raise Black Angus cattle in South Central and West Texas.

When it comes to size, the definition is relative. “Small” beef cattle operations are defined as
those maintain a cowherd of less than 100 head.

Be sure to not that “small” does not equate with insignificant or unimportant. Every cattle
producer that contributes to the nation’s cowherd and food supply is obligated and encouraged to
share their personal story.

According to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture (2007), 91% of Texas cow/calf
operations had 100 head or less.

The following are the seven things that professor and specialist in Animal and Natural Resource
Management with Texas Agrilife Extension Service, Rick Machen believes every small producer
should know.

1. Environmental Stewardship

“Regardless of the size (acres) of an operation or the number of cattle involved, managers are
called to first be stewards of the resources entrusted to them,” said Machen.

Natural resource stewardship is a responsibility not a voluntary act. If managers neglect to care
for the resources, the eventual losses will be the topsoil and water infiltration.

2. Herd Health Plan

The significance and relevance of a preventative herd health plan is a defined function of
potential health risks.

“Small producers are often more hesitant to employ services from an animal health professional
because of the associated expenses,” states Machen.

As the bare minimum, cattlemen should vaccinate calves against the clostridial complex. Also
castrating bull calves before four months of age. In addition, it is the in the cattlemen’s best
interest to identify all of the cattle as a means of ownership.

3. Proper Nutrition

The most frequent concerns of small producers relates to nutrition. Body condition score is the
most practical way of assessing nutritional status of the herd.

Machen suggests looking at the grass and asking yourself, “does it look like there is enough to
sustain the number of cows in the pasture?”

Grazing activity is affected by weather conditions, so be sure to take that factor into affect.
During hot summer months, cattle will usually defer their grazing activity to the cooler times of
the day or night.

Machen also stresses the importance of drinking water. Water is the most important nutrient.
Restrictions in water intake will result in reduced forage and feed consumption and the result
will compromise performance.

4. Reproductive Performance

Reproductive performance is the most critical factor in the profitability representation.

Reproductive performance is calculated: # of calves weaned / number of cows exposed to a bull.

Production costs, weaning weight, shrink and market price are some of the factors that affect the
profitability in a cow/calf operation.

5. Hay

Hay is a replacement for forage rooted in the pasture.

“Hay is fed for one of two reasons, either the producer cost-effectively grew more grass in the
spring and summer than the annually number of cattle could efficiently harvest or the natural
resource is overstocked,” said Machen.

Hay is expensive, whether it is raised or purchased. Hay producers continually consider the
tradeoffs between tonnage (number of bales) and quality (digestibility and nutrient content).

6. Cost Production

“Cost production is the name of the game – if the competitors can consistently and profitably
produce beef for less than your breakeven cost of production, they win, you lose,” said Machen.

Small producers find it difficult to individually take advantage of forward contracting.
Comingled feeder calf sales are available as is the opportunity to sort similar calves into uniform
lots and thereby take advantage of marketing calves in groups.

7. Educate Yourself

As a producer, you never know enough. Be observant, ask questions and compare notes with
other producers in your area.

The beef production sector is ever changing. Public policy, weather, markets, production costs,
animal health regulations, environmental concerns, land fragmentation, and urban sprawl are all
dynamic factors that shape and impact the business of animal agriculture.

Successful cattlemen keep up with the changing times.

Callie McCullough is a junior at Texas A&M University pursuing a dual degree in animal science and agricultural communications. She’s a fifth generation rancher from Ridge, Texas. Born and raised on the family cow-calf operation, she is an avid cattle enthusiast and has a passion for the production cattle industry and its future. cmccullough@tamu.edu

One important herd management practice that often gets overlooked or neglected by beef cattle producers is pregnancy examinations.

According to 2007-08 National Animal Health Monitoring System data, only about twenty percent of beef cow-calf producers use pregnancy testing or palpation in their herds.

The most obvious benefit of knowing which cows are open is cost savings. A pregnancy examination will typically average $5 per head but carrying an open cow over the winter may cost several hundred dollars in hay alone. Not to mention mineral, supplemental feed, vaccines, and de-wormers that adds additional carrying costs.

Beyond the marketing aspects, pregnancy checking can be a tremendous decision making tool. Cows can be grouped into herds as having early or late births in the calving season. This way the females can be fed accordingly.
Scours vaccine can also be administered at the right time to optimize colostral antibodies for the calf.

Pregnancy exams are also important for the measurement of herd health and reproductive status. More open cows than expected may indicate an abortion problem caused by the IBR or BVD viruses. It could also be an indicator of a sexually transmissible disease such as vibriosis or trichomoniasis.

Nutritional deficiencies including a lack of energy, trace minerals, and/or protein may delay estrus and conception due to poor egg development and subsequent ovulation, resulting in open cows.

Occasionally, cows that will not breed back may have had damage to the reproductive tract due to a difficult birth.
Infertile bulls may be discovered at pregnancy checking time when too many cows are returning to heat. Hopefully, this would be noticed before the end of the breeding season. Bulls should have a breeding soundness examination prior to breeding season for this reason.

Pregnancy examinations can be accomplished by several different methods including rectal palpation, ultrasound or a blood test.

Rectal palpation performed by an experienced veterinarian can estimate the approximate stage of pregnancy and can be detected 35-40 days after breeding. Veterinarian use the palpation of fetal membranes, position of the uterus, size of the cotyledons and size/strength of pulse in the uterine arteries to determine pregnancy status and length of gestation.

Many cow-calf producers have taken to palpating their own cows to cut veterinarian costs.  

• The following are the stages of pregnancy that are detected by palpation.
  70 days – The enlarging uterus is readily felt. The amnion sac feels like a solid oval ball (about 2¼ in. in diameter) floating within it.
• 90 days – The uterus is usually still resting up near the pelvic brim, with the pregnant horn about 3½ in. wide and the non-pregnant horn about 2 in. wide. The fetus can sometimes be felt in the pregnant horn.
• 110 days (3½ months) – The enlarging uterus has dropped below the pelvic brim (the cervix lies at the brim) and there is fluid distention in the lower part of the uterus.
• 4-5½ months – It is possible to feel the fetus in about half the cases.
• 5½-7½ months – It’s more difficult to reach the uterus, but if so, you may be able to touch the fetus’ head or flexed limbs that lie just beyond the pelvic brim.
• 7½ months to birth – It’s often easier to feel the fetus because it’s grown so much that the front legs are closer to the pelvis. If you can’t reach the uterus, you may be able to feel large cotyledons or a strong vibrating pulse in the enlarged uterine arteries.

Disadvantages to palpation are few and often exaggerated. Rough handling of the fetus or membranes early in gestation has been associated with abortion but it is difficult to differentiate these from the “normal” amount of expected embryonic loss.

Another concern is blood borne diseases such as anaplasmosis and bovine leukemia virus that can be transmitted cow-to-cow by blood present on an examination sleeve used in multiple cows.

An ultrasound can detect pregnancy earlier than palpation but is more expensive, largely due to the cost of the equipment. It can provide more detailed information such as viability of the fetus, presence of twins and sex of the calf and it is considered extremely accurate.

Both ultrasound and palpation provide immediate answers as to being pregnant or open, so cows can be sorted from the chute without being handling multiple times.

With a blood test, heifers and cows can be tested at 30 days or later after breeding but a cow must be at least 90 days post calving due to residual protein from the previous pregnancy. The blood must be drawn and sent to a participating laboratory for results so cows would need to be sorted at a later date after results were reported.
A blood test is advertised as ninety-nine percent accurate when it identifies open cows at least 30 days post breeding with less than one percent showing false-open. Being correct with an open detection is very important because giving prostaglandin to a pregnant cow will cause an abortion. The false-pregnant rate for the test is approximately five percent.

In a year such as this, where hay prices are high and cattle prices are as well, producers need to save as much as they can on costs and sell off those unproductive cows as soon as possible.

Getting the female herd checked for pregnancy, by means of whichever the producer chooses, is an essential herd management tool that will ultimately pay off every season for every cow-calf producer.

Callie McCullough is a junior at Texas A&M University pursuing a dual degree in animal science and agricultural communications. She’s a fifth generation rancher from Ridge, Texas. Born and raised on the family cow-calf operation, she is an avid cattle enthusiast and has a passion for the production cattle industry and its future.

The popular HBO movie released in 2010 was probably the first exposure many people had to the name Temple Grandin.

In the agricultural world however, Dr. Temple Grandin’s name is incredibly well known. She is a very respected animal scientist at Colorado State University, a highly esteemed consultant on livestock welfare, handling and facility design, and a unique woman with what seems like the uncanny ability to read an animal’s mind.

There is no doubt that Grandin has made phenomenal progress in educating the cattle industry on the best ways to handle livestock. She has brought a lot of positive attention to the agricultural world and we should be grateful for such a brilliant woman as a representative and advocate for agriculture.

When it comes to handling cattle, our favorite western movies often show cowboys shouting, whistling and prodding cattle. We probably all know people that move cattle that way today. We may work cattle that way ourselves.

But people like Temple Grandin are trying to teach us that those “whoop and holler” days are over. Today there are a number of respected animal handling specialists in this field. And it is a field growing in importance as the scrutinizing public eye continues to focus in on agriculture.

These specialists have made significant strides in educating our industry on how to work with and handle cattle in the best possible way. And the best possible way means the lowest stress to the animal.

Low stress animal handing is also referred to as sound stockmanship. Ron Gill and Rick Machen teach producers about sound stockmanship through the Texas Agrilife Extension Service. Both men are Extension Beef Cattle Specialists.

The five basic principles of low stress animal handling according to Gill and Machen are:

1. Cattle want to see you.
2. Cattle want to go around you.
3. Cattle want to be with and will go to other cattle.
4. Cattle want to return to where they have been.
5. Cattle can only process one main thought at a time.

Gill and Machen say producers can use these key points to manage the movement of cattle. Correctly using your own position among a group of cattle can create and control the desired effect.

Sight is the best method of communication with cattle. Sounds from humans are stressful and should only be used as a secondary method of communication. Touch is the last form of communication that should be used.

Along with the five basic principles, Gill and Machen offer several other tips for handling cattle.

1. “The only way to work cattle quickly is slowly”.
2. Work from the front to draw cattle to you.
3. Apply pressure when cattle have a place to go.
4. Pressure from the side.
5. Cattle must be comfortable to go by you and stay straight.
6. Pressure cattle from behind only when absolutely necessary.
7. When working cattle, move in triangles.
8. Going with the flow of cattle slows them down or stops their movement.
9. Going against the flow of cattle initiates or accelerate their movement.
10. Cattle work best when they are ready – You have to get them there.

A more detailed explanation of each tip is available at:

http://animalscience.tamu.edu/images/pdf/beef/cattle-handling-pointers.pdf

Follow this link to see these principles in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gycWs6q1GBw

Handling cattle with these points in mind can make working cattle easier, faster and more efficient. It will also reduce the amount of stress to the cattle – and yourself.

The principles that livestock handling specialists teach are critical to improving both the welfare and productivity of cattle. Both of these things should be very important to us as producers.

Check back soon for more ideas and perspectives from other livestock handling experts.

Written by Anna Langford – anna@midwesterncattle.com

Anna Langford is a graduate student at Texas A&M University studying agricultural communications. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M in 2009 in Animal Science with a certificate in Meat Science.

Anna is from a fifth generation ranching family. They raise Black Angus cattle in South Central and West Texas.