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Prep now for winter calving

Checking for pregnancy, nutrition and status of facilities now will all be beneficial later at calving time.

Kevin Schulz, Editor

August 11, 2022

3 Min Read
Calf drinking milk off her mom along with other cattle
PLAN NOW, BENEFIT LATER: Veterinarian and beef specialist Lindsay Waechter-Mead says now is the best time to plan for the next calving cycle.Farm Progress

Though we’re still holding onto summer, it’s never too early for cattle producers to prepare for winter.

Lindsay Waechter-Mead, DVM and a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension beef systems educator, first recommends doing pregnancy checks.

“August is really good timing. Especially if you’re late-winter, early-spring calving, you can get some of those girls … preg-checked as early as 35 days,” she says, to determine if cows are open. “You’re going to be able to cull when the market is historically stronger, and you’re not going to be wasting forages or resources if you’re feeding somebody that is open.”

Also, if producers are fetal sexing, that could help them take advantage of a potential market for bred heifers, Waechter-Mead suggests. “If you know the sex of the calf, you have the opportunity to target a specific clientele,” she says.

Another benefit of preg checking, Waechter-Mead says, is that cattle producers can put their cows into pregnancy groups. “So you know when they’re going to calve approximately,” she says. “That will help at the time of calving because then you can actually sort them out and segregate, trying to have calves in the same age group, which will help prevent some illnesses.”

Don’t forget calving pens

With late-winter and early-spring calving on the mind, Waechter-Mead recommends deciding now on where the calves will be born. Even if the calving pens haven’t changed over the years, she says it helps to have another set of eyes survey the situation, such as your veterinarian or an Extension professional.

This third-party walk-through at this time of year allows for any necessary changes. “Have you had issues in the past? Can they be addressed by some facility changes?” she asks. Such changes can include creating a fenced-off calf escape zone “to get out of pathogen load or to have an area where the calves can get away from the cows for a little bit to really help with illness problems.”

Also, ensure facilities are structurally sound now, rather than during a stressful calving season.

Assess winter nutrition

When cows are coming off grass at the end of summer is a good time to score them for body condition, wanting them to be a 5 on the 1-to-9 scale when they calve.

“Maybe if the cows are a little thin, what energy or protein levels do they need to be at to make sure they are at the peak nutritional rate when they calve,” she says. “As soon as you wean those calves is the best time to put on condition, they [cows] have the lowest energy and nutritional requirements. So if you know what you have to feed, you can adjust accordingly.”

Because feed is the highest cost of cattle production, Waechter-Mead suggests now is the time to assess your stored forages for quantity and quality. She suggests getting your hay tested and “getting all of that set up with your veterinarian, Extension professional or nutritionist — someone that you trust to get that nutritional plan set so you have all of that ready to go.”

About the Author

Kevin Schulz

Editor, The Farmer

Kevin Schulz joined The Farmer as editor in January of 2023, after spending two years as senior staff writer for Dakota Farmer and Nebraska Farmer magazines. Prior to joining these two magazines, he spent six years in a similar capacity with National Hog Farmer. Prior to joining National Hog Farmer, Schulz spent a long career as the editor of The Land magazine, an agricultural-rural life publication based in Mankato, Minn.

During his tenure at The Land, the publication grew from covering 55 Minnesota counties to encompassing the entire state, as well as 30 counties in northern Iowa. Covering all facets of Minnesota and Iowa agriculture, Schulz was able to stay close to his roots as a southern Minnesota farm boy raised on a corn, soybean and hog finishing farm.

One particular area where he stayed close to his roots is working with the FFA organization.

Covering the FFA programs stayed near and dear to his heart, and he has been recognized for such coverage over the years. He has received the Minnesota FFA Communicator of the Year award, was honored with the Minnesota Honorary FFA Degree in 2014 and inducted into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame in 2018.

Schulz attended South Dakota State University, majoring in agricultural journalism. He was also a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and now belongs to its alumni organization.

His family continues to live on a southern Minnesota farm near where he grew up. He and his wife, Carol, have raised two daughters: Kristi, a 2014 University of Minnesota graduate who is married to Eric Van Otterloo and teaches at Mankato (Minn.) East High School, and Haley, a 2018 graduate of University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She is married to John Peake and teaches in Hayward, Wis. 

When not covering the agriculture industry on behalf of The Farmer's readers, Schulz enjoys spending time traveling with family, making it a quest to reach all 50 states — 47 so far — and three countries. He also enjoys reading, music, photography, playing basketball, and enjoying nature and campfires with friends and family.

[email protected]

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