Rick Machen from the King Ranch Institute addressed a full house at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course when he spoke to attendees about marketing commercial calves. The overarching question he addressed throughout the presentation was “What is a ‘good’ price for my calves and how do I get it?” 

Cow-calf producers often simply view creep feeding as a way to increase calf weaning weights beyond what can be produced with mother’s milk and available forage. However, the benefits of creep feeding can reach well beyond weaning weight and are summarized below:

Between fieldwork, cattle work and everything else happening on the farm or ranch, stress levels seem to increase during the fall. Calves may also experience stress during this time of the year, as well as at weaning – when they are adapting to big changes.

Just as cattle genetics and management practices have advanced over the last few generations, nutritional knowledge and practices have also evolved. These developments have allowed calves to continually improve, meeting the increasing demands of cattle producers and consumers alike.