Annual Herd Management As Part of Your Ranch Plan. Dr. Marcy Ward Livestock Extension Specialist NMSU Dept. of Animal Sciences & Natural Resources

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1 Annual Herd Management As Part of Your Ranch Plan Dr. Marcy Ward Livestock Extension Specialist NMSU Dept. of Animal Sciences & Natural Resources

2 Nutrition Animal Health Profitability

3 Objective Provide consistent health and nutrition management to optimize cattle performance, resource management, and profitability. Establish an annual schedule Track input costs Monitor cow performance Monitor resources Be flexible with conditions Keep records and USE them Establish a good working relationship with your veterinarian Never stop learning

4 Reproduction & Nutrition Priority Function 1 Maintenance 2 Growth 3 Milk Production 4 Reproduction Yates and Schoonover, 1982

5 TDN Requirement (%) CP Requirement (%) Effect of Stage of Production on Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cows Calving to Breeding Breeding to Weaning Mid- Gestation Month Since Calving Late Gestation TDN CP

6 Cow Body Condition BCS at Calving is critical Want to be at least a 5 (on a scale of 1-9) at calving Thin cows have higher requirements Monitor at least once/yr

7 Cow Body Condition BCS can be impacted easily with manipulation of weaning date Low requirements following weaning Condition can be put on with modest feedstuffs Late weaning, Overstocking, Delayed supplementation or feeding draw reserves down Very hard (and expensive) to increase BCS postcalving

8 In the Eye of the Beholder

9 Things to Consider

10 Water Most essential nutrient Most limiting

11 Water How much does a cow drink? Size Stage of Production Forage/diet Temperature. Rule of thumb = gal/pair

12 Year 1 Year 2

13 TDN, % (OM basis) Low High Avg NRC Requirement - Heifer Year 1 Year 2

14 Mark Your Calendar! January/February Nutrition Moderate to high protein supplementation Mineral Supplementation Breeder Mineral = added Cu, Zn, Mg, and ADE Prepare for calving Inventory supplies Calving pasture Scour management plan? Scourguard cows/heifers???

15 Mark Your Calendar! February-April/May Calving Season Nutrition Moderate to high protein supplementation Maybe increase fat content (5%+) in supplement Mineral Supplementation = Breeder Mineral Calving pasture Scour management plan?

16 Pasture Mgt for Scours Day 0-7 Day 7-14

17 Mark Your Calendar! May August Breeding Season Nutrition Low protein/high Fat to heifers/1 st calf heifers Mineral Supplementation = Breeder Mineral Health - CALVES At branding vaccinate/worm/pi test calves: ****Modified live**** $ Way Clostridial +? $ Ivermectin injectable $0.28 PI test $3.20

18 TDN, % (OM basis) Mark Your Calendar! May August Breeding Season Nutrition Low protein/high Fat to heifers/1 st calf heifers Mineral Supplementation = Breeder Mineral Low High Avg NRC Requirement - Heifer Energy Gap

19 Mark Your Calendar! May August: Breeding Season - Health HEIFERS Vaccinate/worm/PI test: Modified live (booster?) $ Way Clostridial +? $ Ivermectin injectable $0.28 Trichguard (lepto/vibrio) $4.00 Requires booster 2-4wks $4.00 PI test $3.20

20 Mark Your Calendar! May August: Breeding Season - Health BULLS Process at testing. PRIOR to turnout: worm/vaccinate(?)/bse Ivermectin injectable $2.80 Annuals? (respiratory/clostridials/lepto/vibrio) $4.00 BSE and Trich test $75 $90.00 PI? $3.20

21 Mark Your Calendar! August Breeding Season Nutrition Mineral Supplementation = Standard 12:12 Mineral PULL BULLS!!! ( day season)

22 Mark Your Calendar! September/October Weaning: Nutrition Mineral Supplementation = Standard 12:12 Mineral HEALTH CALVES Modified Live Respiratory 7 way plus Somnus COWS KILLED respiratory 7way plus Somnus PREG CHECK Body Condition Score

23 Mark Your Calendar! October - December Nutrition Supplement?? Let the cow do the talking (based on fall BSC) Mineral Supplementation = Standard Range Mineral

24 Tips of the Trade Why Boosters are Important 2 Wks Pre Weaning Weaning Branding Castrate/Dehorn

25 Quarantine Tips of the Trade Brining New Animals To Your Operation If health history is known, 2 wks to monitor for sickness If health history is not known Administer your animal health protocol (worm/vaccinate) 2 to 4 weeks Prevent nose/nose (direct contact) with home herd

26 TESTING THE HERD

27 PI = Persistently Infected with Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) Viral disease that causes respiratory sickness and or reproductive failure. Highly contagious Can be transmitted by the dam to the fetus Calf is PI+ Calf is aborted Carriers may never show signs of the disease. Huge economic loss in BOTH the cow/calf sector and feedlot sector

28 Fetal BVD Disease (BVD Infection of the Unborn Calf) The BVD virus is capable of passing easily in utero from an infected cow to the fetus, which is particularly vulnerable to the BVD virus during the first 6 months of pregnancy.

29 PI = Persistently Infected with Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) Earnotch the calf. Mark a small Ziploc bag with the calf s ID Best if it is also the cow s ID If you do not plan on sending off to lab immediately, freeze.

30 Prevention Non-Replicating BVD Vaccine Killed Virus Replicating BVD Vaccine Modified live Unfavorable reactions frequently follow the use of modified live virus BVD vaccines. PI Test All replacements or suspect animals Cull all positives. Cost = $4.00/head

31 Trichomoniasis Def: Is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease in cattle that result in abortions and infertility, and is caused by a microscopic protozoan parasite Tritrichomonas foetus.

32 Trichomoniasis Non fatal Sexually transmitted Abortions 1. Delayed/extended calving season 2. More open cows/infertility 3. Lower weaning weights

33 The Cost of Trichomoniasis

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36 The Cost of Trich Cows Short breeding seasons = 50% < calf crop No defined breeding season = 1 calf per cow/18 mo. Or no calf at all. OVERALL REPRODUCTIVE FAILURE!

37 The Cost of Trich No Defined Breeding Season Cow will only produce a calf MAYBE every 18 months Loss input costs + calf revenue (~$900/cow) Shortens the productive life of the cow Weaning weights are dramatically reduced Increase replacement rate of bulls (+$5000/bull)

38 Monitoring/Preventing Trich Cows Check for pregnancy! If a cow is at the tail end of the breeding season she needs to be looked at closely. What is her production history? Bag quality Structure issues? Just a bad year. Or.

39 The Price of Pregnancy Diagnosis <20% of Beef Cattle Operations Utilize Pregnancy Diagnosis as a Management Tool. USDA-APHIS, 2009

40 The Price of Pregnancy Diagnosis Cost of diagnosis Ultrasound = $5.00 Palpation = $3.00 Labor Ave $1.00 per head Feed Intake and $ Income Differences Profit Difference

41 Tying in to profit Item Early Preg Check Mid term check d205 No check % open Feed Intake-10h 35T 54T 96T Feed $ for Opens $2,385 $5,310 $11,550 Preg Check$ $500 $300 0 Labor Cost$ $100 $100 0 Income from the Cow+Calf $24,000 $27,487 $27,487 TOTAL Net Income $21,015 $21,177 $15,937 Net Difference -$5163

42 Monitoring/Preventing Trich COWS Purchase heifers Reputable producer Quarantine any new aged (2+) or pregnant Vaccinate Not a guarantee of prevention

43 BULLS

44 Testing must be done by a trained veterinarian. Do during BSE AFTER collection Ask if samples can be pooled $35.00 per bull vs. $50.00

45 In Summary Establish a breeding season Pregnancy check your cows Keep records and monitor % opens Buy replacement animals from reputable breeders Test your current bulls Vaccinate your cows, particularly in an open grazing system.

46 Thank you

47 QUESTIONS?