Last month’s Regional Roundup discussed feed additive options to aid in horn fly control and some differences between horn, stable and house flies. This month’s roundup will focus on topical insecticide options and considerations to help control horn flies.

When developing strategies for horn fly control, it is important to distinguish between horn flies, stable flies and house flies.

Are you short on hay? Are your pastures struggling? Do you need an emergency forage if it turns dry this summer? If you answered yes to any or all these questions, you should investigate planting a summer annual forage.

When it comes to breeding heifers there are several questions that often come up. Should they be bred to calve at 24, 30, or 36 months of age? Should they be bred to calve a month earlier than the cow herd? How long should the breeding season be?

Increasing the bull-to-cow ratio would reduce the number of bulls needed, allow for more cows to be bred to the top bulls in an operation and reduce breeding cost per cow.

Controlling lice populations is important from both a performance and animal welfare standpoint. Proper lice management will help cattle get through the winter in better shape.

Reducing hay storage loss and feeding waste are always beneficial, but given limited forage supplies and the price of hay, this year they are even more critical.

The most appropriate feed cube option will vary depending on forage or hay quality, nutrient needs and body condition of the cows, and cost of the cubes.

Now is a good time to double-check hay inventories and test hay quality.

This month the focus will be on proper development of those heifers for both short- and long-term success. Heifer development includes getting heifers ready to breed and also making sure bred heifers are developed properly.