Cow

This new webinar series will focus on timely topics related to beef production in our region. Webinars will be held from 7:30-8:30 pm. on the first Thursday of each month.

Many producers are aware that gastrointestinal parasites can reduce cattle performance, and accordingly, take measures to protect their animals.  This article outlines several steps to follow in order to establish a judicious and effective deworming program.

Grass tetany is a condition that occurs when magnesium levels in the blood and spinal fluid become too low to support normal bodily functions. The occurrence of grass tetany is often isolated to the springtime when cattle are grazing primarily lush, rapidly growing perennial pasture. Author: Sarah Potts, Ph.D.; Title: Grass Tetany

Whether you are a dairy producer or a beef producer, raise your animals on pasture or in confinement, or prefer crossbreds to purebreds, at the end of the day, a bovine is a bovine. Regardless of your goals or operation size, calving is a universal process and its physiology is essentially the same for all bovines. Understanding the physiology of calving can help you better understand when and if intervention is necessary to ensure the health and wellbeing of your cows and calves.

In Maryland, May and June are the ideal breeding season for spring calving herds – pastures are looking good and the high heat and humidity of the summers here hasn’t hit yet, making for lower stress cattle handling. With each breeding season, it’s important to look back on past years – stick with methods that have worked and also learn from mistakes that were made.

As summer heats up, water becomes more important for cattle. An animal’s body is comprised of 70% water and adequate water consumption is required to maximize performance. It’s no secret that withholding or restricting water can decrease feed intake and reduce gains. Yet many producers often forget to assess whether or not their animals have optimal access to high quality water. An animal’s water requirement is met through consumption of feed and drinking. Many feeds, such as silage and grasses, contain a large proportions of water that help cattle meet their water requirement. Additional requirements are met through drinking.

As winter approaches and cool-season grass growth begins to diminish, cattle producers should start thinking, if they haven’t already, about how much forage they will need to maintain their animals through the winter.

As fall progresses, spring-calving beef producers should be thinking about how they will maintain their pregnant cows throughout the winter. The nutritional requirements for gestation increase during the second and third trimesters, which coincides with colder temperatures and decreased forage availability from pasture.

There is no question that heat stress can negatively impact animal performance. Exposure to heat stress reduces daily gains, milk production, and reproductive efficiency, though specific impacts on production varies depending on the magnitude and duration of heat exposure. Prolonged exposure to heat stress is much more detrimental than short-term heat stress and its effects linger long after temperatures drop back below the heat stress threshold.