Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
makes a nutritious, highly palatable food for beef cattle. It must be fermented and stored prop-
erly or
Listeria
, a dangerous bacterium that can sicken and kill cattle, can become a problem.
Cattle will need supplemental salt and mineral at all times in order to replace salt lost by the
body, help produce milk and develop fetuses, and help with general body functions. These
generally are given in a premixed ration, either loose granules or in the form of a block. Dur-
ing summer pasture grazing, only salt may be needed unless the soil in your area is deficient
in certain minerals — primarily selenium. In the winter, many farmers supplement lower-
quality hay or corn stalks with an energy lick. These licks consist of a protein source, an en-
ergy source, and usually molasses. They can be formulated into 40-pound blocks up to
200-plus-pound tubs.
Reproduction
Dairies and cow-calf beef operations depend on the breeding process to make money. Cow-
calf beef operations need a new supply of animals each year that will grow on the farm until
they are sold later. Dairies need cows to reproduce so they can be milked. When you breed
cows, plan to breed them when they are 14 to 15 months old so they give birth around the
time they are 2 years old. When they are bred, they should be about 65 to 70 percent of their
mature weight. For example, if a cow's expected mature weight is 1,000 pounds, she should
weigh at least 650 pounds when bred. You can estimate an animal's mature weight based on
breed and frame size — animals with larger frames will be heavier than smaller-framed anim-
als.
You have to be careful about exposing cows to bulls until they are more mature. Heifers that
breed much earlier than 14 months often have calving problems, including calves that are not
in the correct position at birth. If you breed your own heifers and want to keep some for
breeding to replace your older or less fertile cows, you should select the ones that are heaviest
at weaning because these are the ones that were born first, indicating high fertility, and grew
the fastest.
When choosing which females to breed, you also can check pelvic measurements to determ-
ine how easy the birthing process will be. A good cattle breeder that is selling breeding stock
would have those measurements, which indicate if the birth canal will be wide enough for an
easy birth. If you want to find out about a heifer born on your farm, the best time to measure
the canal is three weeks to a month before breeding. A veterinarian can do this for you by
