Utilize Brangus to Fullest Capacity

by IBBA Field Service Representative Kyle Dykes

Sale season has been off to a strong start considering the way the market has fluctuated, and I hope your fall calving is off to a great start as well. Please send pictures via email, the office, or our Facebook page, and we will share those as soon as we can. You might even see your picture on the front cover of the Brangus Journal.

Many items fill the to-do lists of cattlemen and women across the country. Two big thoughts are fall calving and bull buying. As calves hit the ground and move through the next growth phase, it’s time to be thinking about your plans to market those cattle down the road. Whether you are planning to sell them through private treaty, through a production sale, direct to a feedlot, or at your local livestock market, you want to have a solid preconditioning program in place for your operation. Everyone’s operation is a little different and that is understandable, but the ultimate goal is for your cattle to be in the best shape possible when it comes time to sell. Even if your cattle are far from sale day, the preparations to market those calves should begin at conception.

It is crucial to get calves off to a healthy start and give them ample time and supplement to reach maximum potential. As always it depends on your situation and geographic location, but many cattlemen have found that fall calving has helped them find success in their business. Fall usually brings more consistent weather conditions overall, with less volatility in temperatures, as well as dry, clean pastures in the warmer months to provide an ideal environment for calving. However, you may find your pastures to have more moisture than usual this year. Although this is favorable, you will have a much more ideal environment for pasture pests. For example, army worms seem to be more prevalent this year. Monitor your pastures and your cattle closely when conditions vary from the norm. Many ranchers feel that avoiding some of the heavy moisture and mucky conditions, that are more common in the spring, help to prevent some illness or death loss in the calving phase. Having a consistent climate to start out and grow plays a major role in survival rates of calves and ultimately keeps money in your pocket.

Not only is fall a beneficial time for newborn calves; it gives the cow a little bit of a break as well. Fall calving can be advantageous especially with a year like this one, because cows typically should have a higher body condition at calving. This is because they didn’t have a calf at side during summer grazing. A better body condition score can result in better calving ease and less assistance required on your part. This will also help their reproductive efficiency come breeding season. Cows with the opportunity to forage all summer will return to heat more quickly in the fall than thinner cattle that just made it through a harsh winter. Improved fertility is noticeable in both cows and bulls when heat stress is taken out of the picture. Even though Brangus cattle will have fewer problems with heat tolerance than other breeds, extend the extra advantage to them if you can.

In addition to calving being more appealing in the fall, the strong demand for weaned calves in the spring can also drive one’s interest in this type of program. Spring provides the ideal situation for weaned calves. Grass is becoming more plentiful, and the demand for weaned calves provides an up market, in which to sell in the spring.

When thinking about marketing your replacement heifers, I highly suggest getting involved in the Brangus Built program. Participation has grown tremendously over the last year, and commercial and registered cattlemen alike are recognizing the benefit of using these tags at sales across the country. We have had some great feedback and multiple reorders for people that won’t take their cattle to market without the tag. After all, no one wants to pass on some extra cash. The International Brangus Breeders Association (IBBA) has redesigned the tag to make more room for your customizations. Datamars has also redesigned the tag physically to fit both Z2 Tag guns and Temple Tag guns. These improvements make this tag an ideal product for all cattlemen, because the necessary tools and information have been made easily accessible. Call the office, and ask about how you can get your cattle involved in the Brangus Built program.

The rest of the year and the start of 2017 will be interesting to watch as wholesale and retail beef prices have lowered. Experts say that the increased production of beef is not directly related to retail pricing, but that the competitive pork and poultry markets are interfering with the market share. In order to get more beef in front of consumers the price on the shelf naturally has to come down. Nevertheless, when taken on a five-year average beef demand is still strong.

With fed-cattle prices starting to show some erosion, it is important to know your market, your buyers, and your budget. Never sacrifice quality when purchasing genetics to improve your herd. Money is made on the buying side in the cattle business, and cattle buyers will try to find the lowest cost possible. The opportunity for producers to achieve premium prices lays in the quality of their product. This is why building with Brangus genetics can help you maintain high demand for your cattle. Brangus are hardy, efficient cattle with low input and maximum output. They can save your pocketbook when it comes to cost of production without sacrificing pounds at weaning.

Make Brangus your next choice for your herd replacement decisions and I can confidently say you won’t regret it. Contact the IBBA today for any information you may need to make decisions about Brangus cattle. We are happy to help you get in touch with breeders in your area and become involved in the breed that can do more. As always, thanks for reading and Build with Brangus!