1-6-22 – Ready or not, calving season is coming. To help cow/calf producers plan ahead, the Beef Cattle Research Council of Alberta, Canada, Thursday listed four areas of planning to ensure a safe, successful calving season.
PREVENT DISEASE
–Avoid comingling new cattle with pregnant cows and quarantine animals coming back to the main herd.
–Separate classes of cattle into different areas based on susceptibility to disease. First-calf heifers and new calves are highest disease risk.
–Consider strategies to minimize calfhood disease.
–Strategize human movement through groups to limit disease spread.
–Eliminate contaminants like old feed piles, manure, deadstock and wet areas from spring melt. Standing water can be disease reservoirs. Have dry bedding available.
–Clean and disinfect all equipment so the tractor used to clean manure last year isn’t used to haul feed or bedding without cleaning and disinfecting.
–Make a hospital with separate water and feed along with fences that eliminate cross-fence contact with other animals.
ALLOCATE FEED WISELY
–Evaluate body condition score, and make changes to raise, lower score. A score of 3.0 out of five is ideal. Too light, and cows are stress intolerant, and milk production goes down. Too heavy, and mobility is impaired with higher risk of calving problems.
–Test the feed, and use the results. Give cows the highest nutritional requirements to maintain that 3.0 body score.
–Review feed budgets and supplies to ensure having feed and mineral needs on hand for the entire calving season.
–Consider feed access through snow and snow melt.
MANAGE HERD HEALTH
–Ensure cows are vaccinated to ensure quality colostrum.
–Discuss calving plan with a veterinarian to establish relationship.
–Stock up on medications and have use protocols in place.
–Clean and service calving supplies.
–Stock quality colostrum supplements/replacers.
–Prepare calving sites with adverse weather in mind. Plan for weather to get in the way.
SET GOALS & UPDATE RECORD-KEEPING
–Evaluate last year’s calving records and address problem areas or refine winning strategies.
–Decide what data should be kept and what should be done with it.
–Update protocols and prescriptions.
–Train any staff or family on record keeping and what is new.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers this week ranged from $150.00 to $159.38 per cwt, compared with last week’s range of $155.46 to $158.80. FOB dressed steers, and heifers went for $245.58 to $249.02 per cwt, versus $243.77 to $248.27.
The USDA choice cutout Thursday was down $1.26 per cwt at $281.63 while select was up $0.55 at $256.95. The choice/select spread narrowed to $24.68 from $26.49 with 113 loads of fabricated product and 19 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA said basis bids for corn from feeders in the Southern Plains were steady at $1.90 to $2.10 a bushel over the Mar futures and for southwest Kansas were unchanged at $1.00 over Mar, which settled at $6.52 3/4, down $0.01.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Wednesday was $180.31 per cwt down $0.42. This compares with Thursday’s Jan contract settlement of $183.80, down $1.42.
IN OUR OPINION
–While beef prices through the first half of December were demand driven (retail keeping up with consumers buying for the holidays), price support since then has been supply driven. Fed supplies are getting shorter, as are cull cow supplies. Cattle prices for the next few months likely will be supply driven as well as there is no outlook calling for more fed cattle slaughter.