Summer tips for beef cattle

Source: Roy Burris, UK extension beef specialist

Beef cattle production is a year-round job. There are certain things you can do to make things more organized, whether you have a spring-calving or a fall-calving herd.

For the spring-calving herd, you may want to consider cutting warm season grass pastures for hay if your reserves haven’t yet been restored. Fescue pastures tend to go dormant in July and August, so look for alternatives like warm-season grasses during this time period.

You’ll want to try to keep young calves gaining weight. Use pastures that you cut for hay; they’ll have higher quality regrowth when it is available.

Mid-July, when you are removing your bulls, is a good time to deworm cattle. Use a product that is effective against ostertagia. Re-implant calves that were implanted at birth if the type of implant and amount of time indicate. Go ahead and vaccinate calves for blackleg, if you haven’t already done so.

While cattle are gathered, you may use a spray or a pour-on for flies to supplement other fly control methods. Remember to work cattle early in the morning when it is cool and handle them gently to minimize stress.

Continue to watch for pinkeye and treat if necessary. You can minimize problems by clipping pastures, controlling face flies and providing shade. Monitor the bulls’ activity and physical condition as the breeding season winds down.

Remove bulls from the cow herd by the end of July and keep them away from the cows. A short calving season can concentrate labor. It’s a good idea to group calves by age, so it is easier to find a convenient time to vaccinate, castrate, dehorn, etc. and provide a more uniform group of calves at market time.

For fall-calving herds, deworm cows in mid-July with a product that is effective against ostertagia. Fall-calving cows should be dry and pregnant now. Their nutrient needs are minimal, and they can be maintained on poor pasture to avoid over fattening. Keep a good free-choice mineral mix available at all times.

You can use a lower phosphorus mineral supplement now, if you want to save a little money. These cows are regaining body condition after a long winter feeding period. Get ready for fall calving and plan to have good pasture available at calving and through the breeding season.

For stockers, you should sell heavier grazing cattle before their rate of gain decreases or they get into a heavyweight category. This will also relieve grazing pressure as pasture growth diminishes. You can replace them with lightweight calves after pastures recover.

You need to rotate lighter cattle on pasture to grass-legume or warm-season grass pastures to maintain a desirable level of performance. Re-implant these calves and deworm them with a product that is effective against inhibited ostertagia.

In general, it’s a good time of year to have forage analyses conducted on spring-cut hay and have large, round bales covered. You can begin planning the winter feeding program now. Most of the hay was cut late this year due to a wet spring, but a dry period permitted it to be put up without getting it rained on, so overall, it has not been a bad haying season.

Be sure your animals always have clean water, especially in hot weather. Make routine checks of the water supply. Cattle need 13 to 20 gallons of clean water daily in hot weather.

Maintain a weed control program in permanent pastures and continue to “spot-spray” thistle, honey locust, etc. Check pastures for downed wild cherry trees after storms; wilted wild cherry leaves are toxic to cattle. Start soil testing pastures to determine fertilization needs for this fall.

Contact the Clinton County Cooperative Extension Service for more information about beef cattle production.

Educational programs of the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

Upcoming meetings

Twin Lakes Cattle Association meeting

The Twin Lakes Cattle Association will hold its quarterly meeting Tuesday, July 28th at 6:00pm at the South Kentucky RECC building. Sandy Grant with Gold Standard Labs in Bowling Green, Kentucky will present on BVD-PI and pregnancy testing in Cattle using tissue and serum samples.

The upcoming TLCA beef tour to East Tennessee and Virginia will also be discussed during a short business meeting. All cattle producers are invited to attend, please RSVP to the Clinton County Extension Office at 606-387-5404, so meal preparations can be made.

CAIP cost share informational meeting

The Clinton County Farm Bureau Federation has been approved to administer the County Agriculture Investment Program (CAIP) for 2015. Producers interested in signing up for the program can pick up an application at the Clinton County Farm Bureau Office or the Clinton County Extension Office.

Applications will be available from Thursday, July 30 – Friday August 14. Completed applications must be returned to the Farm Bureau office by 4:30pm (CST) on Friday, August 14.

There will be an informational meeting held on Thursday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m. at the Clinton County Fairgrounds, program overview and changes will be discussed. For more information call the Clinton County Farm Bureau office at 606-387-6633.