the information he needs to manage his ranch. Banta also uses his spreadsheet system to introduce other cow-calf operators to the practice of keeping records. His spreadsheets are available on the Texas A&M beef cattle website at
animalscience.tamu.edu/academics/ beef/publications. One of Banta’s tables is a herd inventory. This re-
cord requires 3 vertical columns which are repeated across the page. The date cattle are counted is entered into the fi rst column, the head count is written in the second column and the last column is left for notes. The notes column is for recording observations that
may require action or monitoring such as a lame cow or one that is losing body condition. It is also used to list sales, purchases or deaths of animals to explain why the inventory numbers change. Most good managers require that cattle be checked
regularly so sick, injured or stolen cattle can be noted within a reasonable period after the occurrence. Banta says inventory records are helpful when de-
termining the average number of cows on the ranch for the year and calculating expenses per cow per year or for a particular season. Additionally, they can be useful when applying for animal loss reimbursements under
the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Ser- vice Agency (USDA-FSA) Livestock Indemnity Program. A second form in Banta’s system is for cow records.
Banta identifi es his cattle with numbered ear tags, and each animal’s identifi cation number is recorded in the fi rst column on the cow record sheet. Most cows and heifers have a metal clip tag used
for identifi cation in the brucellosis vaccination and testing program. This number is placed in the second column of the cow records. Banta records both sets of numbers so if an animal loses either its ear tag or the metal clip, identifi cation can be made from the remaining number. A calf’s birth date is entered into the third column
and its sex (heifer or steer) is noted in the fourth col- umn. Banta weighs his calves at weaning or 35 to 40 days
after weaning and calculates a weight per day of age (WDA) for each animal. This performance measure- ment is derived by dividing the calf’s weight by its age in days. WDA at weaning provides a method for measur-
ing a calf’s rate of gain from birth to weaning and the cow’s milk production. WDAs are entered into the fi fth
JAN. 17 THRU
FEB. 8
MAJOR CATTLE SHOWS/PUREBRED SALES 45th Annual Commercial Hereford Heifer Sale- Feb. 2
Call, write or click for offi cial entry applications, premium lists, rodeo tickets and other information
27th Annual Invitational Commercial Heifer Sale- Feb. 8 ENTRY DEADLINE FOR ALL LIVESTOCK: NOVEMBER 15
Best of the West Invitational Ranch Rodeo Jan. 17 - 18 A part of Ranching Heritage Weekend presented by Western Horseman®
Best of Mexico Celebración Jan. 19 - and -
Cowboys of Color Jan. 20 Each presented by State Farm Insurance® and Univision
Fort Worth Super Shootout® World’s Original Indoor Rodeo®
tscra.org Jan. 23 Jan. 24 - Feb. 8
Order Rodeo Tickets Now for any of these Performances!
Bulls’ Night Out - PRCA Extreme Bull Riding Jan. 21 - 22 Presented by PlainsCapital Bank
North Texas Chevy Dealers An ExxonMobil Subsidiary
FORT WORTH STOCK SHOW & RODEO P.O. BOX 150, FORT WORTH, TX 76101 | 817.877.2400 |
fwssr.com
October 2013 The Cattleman 73
NEW!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134