Beef Management Tips

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Beef Management Tips

Livestock Update, June 2005

John B. Hall, Extension Animal Scientist, Beef, Virginia Tech

June Beef Management Calendar Spring Calving Herds

Finish AI; turnout cleanup bulls
Check bulls regularly for performance and injury
Feed 1st calf heifers separately; give them best forage and supplement
Use 48 hour calf removal for thin cows and 1st calf heifers at beginning of breeding season
Begin fly control program
Begin creep grazing
Continue feeding high magnesium minerals to prevent grass tetany; may be able to switch to high Se trace salt late in month
Do mid summer deworming and implanting late in month or early next month
Finish making first cutting hay early in month
Start grazing warm season grasses

Fall Calving Herds

Body condition score cows; plan nutrition/grazing program based on BCS
Begin fly control program
Do mid summer deworming on replacement heifers and preg heifers (2yr olds)
Plan marketing program for calves
Vaccinate calves for VQA programs; line up certification
Wean calves if selling in VQA weaned program in August (weaned for 45 days)
Switch to high Se trace mineral salt
Start grazing warm season grasses

Young cows need extra nutrition during breeding season
First and second calf heifers are still growing as well as lactating during the breeding season. These heifers will need about the same total amount of energy as a mature cow, but they eat about 15-20% less feed. So these young cows need 4 to 5 lbs of corn, corn gluten or barley daily to meet their extra energy needs and breed back quickly. (JBH)

Stocker cattle benefit from re-implanting and ionophores
Stocker cattle will gain an extra 20 to 25 lbs if re-implanted in mid summer. Producers should use the same implant as previously given or another implant for that weight and sex of cattle. Ionophores can also benefit grazing stockers. Products like GainPro® or Rumensin® are approved for grazing cattle and can result in increased gain of 10 to 15%. Remember that response to implants and especially ionophores require abundant good quality pasture. Results with these products after July may be disappointing if you are grazing over-mature grasses or have limited grazing available. (JBH)

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