Supplementing the cow herd with organic trace minerals improves ovarian activity, increases conception rates and helps cattle breed back sooner. Calves from supplemented cows are also in better health and immune status.

There’s no bigger reward in this industry than capitalizing on the decisions of last year, but like the tax collector, don’t pay attention to your herd in arrears. Now is the time to begin thinking of next year’s calf crop.

Beef producers face countless obstacles in raising high-quality, nutritious products. Deficiencies, avoidances and half-hearted energies directed toward any management area will result in mediocre performance, reduced profitability at a minimum and financial disaster in the worst cases.

Nutritional management plays a central role in promoting the health, productivity and reproductive success of beef cattle.

What is the first word that comes to mind when you see a bull sale catalog in your mailbox? Usually, I hear responses like “profitable,” “cost-effective,” “traditional” or "necessary."

Grounded in faith and family while investing in the future, Aletta Holsteins followed an articulate succession plan. The family now operates two dairies and has expanded to poultry and hogs as well.

Developing replacement heifers is one of the most expensive and complex management decisions for a cow-calf producer and also has long-term implications for profitability.

Cattle producers select their breeding stock variably, using an assessment of parentage production, price, expected progeny differences (EPDs), genetic testing or a simple eyeball test. A few swear by the oft-forgotten linear measurements, which gauge numerous body parts with uniquely designed calipers.

Many livestock economists have demonstrated over the years that there is a premium in the marketplace for uniform lots of calves. For further proof, just watch what happens at the local auction market when it comes to selling feeder cattle and then tune in to one of the online video auctions and compare prices.

Early gestation is a critical period in the cattle reproductive cycle, laying the foundation for the health, productivity and profitability of both the cow and the developing fetus.