June Tips Beef Cattle/Forage Producers
June Tips Beef Cattle/Forage Producers
TIPS FOR BEEF CATTLE AND FORAGE PRODUCERS
Beef Management Tips:
- Processing spring-born calves at 3 months often occurs during the June-July period. Now is a good time to implant castrated male calves. Implanting calves can improve weight gain by approximately 10-15%
(FSA 3019 Growth Implants for Suckling and Grown Beef Cattle).
- Make sure your cattle are protected against Blackleg. Summertime is when Blackleg issues are generally reported. With the inexpensive cost of the vaccine and the high value of cattle, Blackleg vaccination is very cheap insurance. Follow label directions.
- Check body condition scores of fall calving herds. Assessing body condition scores is essential in maximizing cow herd efficiency. It is much easier to increase condition in cows before rather than after they calve.
- Plan heifer development for replacement heifers. Acquiring or raising high quality replacement heifers is an essential and major investment for the cow-calf producer. The replacement heifer becomes the genetic building block for the cow herd. General goals for developing heifers should be to: Reach puberty by 12 to 14 months of age. Have a high percentage conceiving early in the breeding season. Be structurally large enough at calving to minimize calving difficulty. Rebreed in a timely manner. Raise a good calf to weaning.
- As summer and hot weather approaches, cattle will require more fresh water. Many factors influence the amount of water required by cattle.
Forage Management Tips:
Fertilization of warm-season grasses: Fertilize bermudagrass pastures according to soil test reports taken earlier in the year for projected management (grazing or haying). Split nitrogen applications by fertilizing after each harvest.
Weed control: Apply herbicides to summer annual broadleaf weeds. MP 522 and MP 44 are outstanding resources for weed identification and control.
Warm season annual forages: Sorghum-sudan or pearl millet are popular choices as summer annual forages. Harvest for hay or graze. In either case, leave 6 inches of stubble to reduce risk of nitrate poisoning. In sorghum-sudan, prussic acid content can be high enough to be toxic and it will also be present in leaves after the plant is stressed from drought and/or low temperatures (Reference FSA 2032).
Hay management: For cool season grasses, leave 2-3 inches stubble height to encourage regrowth. Cut at boot stage/early bloom for optimum forage nutritive value. For bermudagrass cut when about 18 inches high, then cut approximately every 30 days. For more information on Management of Hay Production refer to MP 434.
For more information on beef cattle and forage production please feel free to contact the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension office at 425-2335.
By Brad Runsick
County Extension Agent - Staff Chair
The Cooperative Extension Service
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Media Contact: Brad Runsick
County Extension Agent - Staff Chair
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
3 East 9th St. Mountain Home AR 72653
(870) 425-2335
brunsick@uada.edu
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