L
OOKING FOR A LOW-STRESS SOLUTION TO WEANING? TWO
producers share the success they have found with fenceline weaning and offer suggestions
for getting started.
Reduced stress equals reduced illness Casey Wade, general manager of ranching opera-
tions for Dixon Water Foundation, says their whole ranch takes a holistic approach to raising cattle, and fenceline weaning fi ts well into that system. “There is reduced stressed with fenceline weaning,
which reduces illness in calves,” he says. He explains the simple system used at the Founda-
tion’s West Texas location on the Marfa Plateau. Calves are weaned at 8 to 9 months, brought into
working pens, vaccinated and branded. After the calves and cows have been worked, the cows are turned out into a pasture adjacent to the pens. The calves are kept in a small lot at the pens. “The cows and calves can still be nose to nose,”
Wade says. “Cows can check on their calves. We also check on them daily and can see when the whole pro- cess is done.” Wade adds that because they start weaning when
the grasses are still dormant, the calves are fed alfalfa along the fence line. “The cows stay out longer and longer each day,” he
says. “Cows are weaning calves themselves. The whole process takes a week to 10 days.” A net wire fence separates the cows and calves.
Within the lot where the calves are kept is an electric wire “training fence” used to train the calves to know their boundaries. “During weaning time, calves have to learn to re-
spect the fence,” Wade says. “Weaning time is critical to our operation. We can’t put calves back into grazing rotation if they don’t respect the fence.” The operation uses single wire electric fence for
ease of cattle movement throughout the pastures. Cattle are used in a high-stock density, short duration grazing system. “We move the cattle a lot, either by horseback or on foot,” Wade says. ”We’re in with the calves daily because
we want to be able to move and handle them often.” Building the future cow herd remains top of mind
during the weaning process. “Our No. 1 goal with weaning is to prepare replace-
ment heifers to go into our grazing program,” he says. “They will be moved and handled daily, so they have to respect the fence.” This approach has led to healthier animals and pre-
vented them from having to doctor calves at weaning. “Animal health is important for the animal’s sake,”
Wade says. “But, animal health also decreases the time and money investment for us. It helps us reach our overall ranch goals.” Mother Nature is one factor ranchers cannot con-
trol, so having a solid weaning system in place can help alleviate some of the issues, which arise due to weather or climate. The annual rainfall for the West Texas ranch is 15 to 16 inches and the area is considered short grass prairie ecology. In 2011, the entire ranch burned in the Rock House fi re. “The ensuing drought had a huge affect on us, and
we’re still in recovery mode,” Wade says. “This climate plus drought creates our No. 1 problem of dust. It’s not good to have calves walk in it.” To help prevent problems from dust, Wade says they
keep animals in large areas and confi ned for only a short length of time. Wade says this system was well established when he
came to work for the Foundation 6 years ago. They had been using fenceline weaning for about 10 years. “I was blessed to come into a well-run operation,” Wade says. The Dixon Water Foundation was established in
1994 by the estate of the late Roger Dixon. Wade says Dixon was concerned about water issues in Texas. “Our ranches work to create healthier watersheds
through better grazing management,” Wade explains. “We work with researchers on water conservation, offer educational workshops and grant funding for special projects.” The cow-calf operation consists of Hereford/Red
Angus cross cows. They hold their steers over until 2 years old then market them as all natural, grass- fi nished beef.
MORE
The livestock are our employees. We want them eager to work and get work out of them.
tscra.org October 2016 The Cattleman 129
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