RANCHING Business
bovine respiratory virus disease complex vaccination and a vibriosis/leptospirosis combination vaccination prior to breeding. “To maximize marketing options for replacement
heifers, a brucellosis vaccine and test is a good idea,” Wells says. “While Texas no longer requires the test, some other states do. It keeps all options open.” A fi nal consideration is testing for calves that are per-
sistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea (BVD-PI). “It silently robs pounds from the calf crop, causes
cows to abort, and can weaken the calf’s immune system to allow a secondary bacterial infection to overwhelm and kill the calf,” Wells says. If a calf tests negative for BVD-PI, the dam is un-
infected as well, Wells says. He recommends testing a single calf crop, any open cow, and all bulls. If all calves are clean, then the herd can be put on a surveillance testing protocol of every 3 years. If not, the test should be repeated annually and infected animals removed from the herd. It’s important to keep all replacement cows separated from the main herd until their calves are born and tested in order to prevent the introduction of BVD-PI, he says.
Nutrition When appraising an operation’s nutrition program,
Wells begins by examining the cows and assigning body condition scores (BCS), while being aware of where the cows are in the production cycle. “The textbook says that a cow should be close to
a BCS of 6 year-round, but in reality there are certain times a hard-working cow’s score will be lower,” he says. “Generally, producers should strive to keep their cows between 4.5 and 7. Remember, too much fl esh can cause problems just as too little will.” A body condition score gives a historical view of a
cow’s nutrition over a several month period because weight gain or loss takes times, Wells says. Manure, the other evidence Wells examines, gives a glimpse into a cow’s diet over the previous 4 to 6 days. Manure pats are rated on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1
being diarrhea and 5 being dry and stacked. Ideally, manure scores should be a 3, meaning the pat is the consistency of thick cake batter and not stacked higher than an inch. Another consideration is the mineral program. “When it comes to nutrition, the mineral program is
the greatest weakness of most producers after overstock- ing and overgrazing,” he says. “A lot of the time, I’ll see a red trace mineral block or a yellow sulfur block or a
48 The Cattleman June 2015
white salt block, but not the complete combination.” Instead of blocks, Wells recommends a loose mineral
mix containing macro and micro minerals as well as salt. To maximize its effect, the mineral mix should be formulated for the region and the season.
Breeding soundness of bulls and breeding status of cows Bulls should undergo an annual breeding sound-
ness examination before being turned in with cows, to ensure the bulls are physically able to cover the cows and that they are fertile. “A sterile bull, especially if he is a dominant bull
or the single bull in small herd, can be economically devastating,” Wells says. “No calves will mean no pay- check — for up to 2 years.” Palpating the cows not only gives the producer an
option for managing female fertility, it also provides a fail-safe if there is an undetected problem with a bull. “It’s better to discover a potential problem before
calving season arrives bringing no calves,” Wells says. “If producers uncover a problem in the fall, they have the option of selling the open cows and replacing them with bred cows that won’t interrupt or disrupt their breeding program.”
Bull selection When it comes to selecting genetics, the cow should
fi t the environment and the bull should fi t the market, Wells says. “The cow has to work 365 days a year,” he says. “If
producers choose cows that don’t fi t the environment, they’re setting the females up for failure.” Crossbred cows offer resilience for producers, he says. “A crossbred cow generally lives longer, produces more
milk and has a strong mothering ability,” he says. “They tend to be out grazing when other cattle are shaded up.” Wells places a high value on the production power of
hybrid vigor. For instance, producers who are using an Angus bull on Angus cows could increase their wean- ing weights by 20 to 30 pounds per head by switching their bulls to another breed, such as Charolais. “For every bull unit of 25 animals, it’s like adding a
free calf annually,” Wells says. A producer’s marketing goals will determine what
type of bull would be recommended for an individual ranch, Wells says. Generally, though, most ranchers want to produce the most pounds of beef possible. “It’s all about getting heavy, high-quality beef across the scales,” Wells says.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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