Selection Considerations to Improve Longevity

by Associate Professor & Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Longevity Jason Banta, PhD., PAS Every cow-calf producer wants a cow that is productive for 12 to 15 years or more. Longevity of both cows and bulls is influenced by a host of factors including disposition, feet and legs, udder and teat confirmation, fleshing ability, fertility, function…

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Some Thoughts on Body Condition Scoring of Cows

by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Livestock Specialist Joe C. Paschal, PhD. As far as technologies go, body condition scoring is one of the most useful and least expensive. No computers, no scales – heck, you don’t even have to pen your cows to apply it. Although body condition was certainly used before the 1960s, I…

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A Year for Advancements

by IBBA Executive Vice President Tommy Perkins, PhD., PAS Hopefully cattle prices have found the bottom and the year ahead will bring a more stable market. It appears heifer-retention growth has come to a halt in the past two years as more females are going to the feedlot. This suggests a decline in future supply,…

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Birth Weight/Calving Ease – FRONTLINE Beef Producer Fall 2016

Let’s Lose Less Sleep: Birth Weight/Calving Ease, by Robert Williams, Ph.D. Pounds of healthy calves weaned, as a percentage of cows exposed, is one of the most important characteristics of a profitable beef enterprise. There are several traits which contribute to this measurement of herd profitability, including: fertility, calving ease, calf vigor, udder quality, teat…

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