Spring-calving cows are expected to get pregnant during some of the hottest times of the year. Heat stress can decrease the fertility of both the cow and the bull.

In anticipation of the cattle industry’s inevitable rebuilding of the national cow herd, AngusLink, the American Angus Association’s USDA process-verified program, has introduced a new tool for objectively describing the genetic potential of replacement females. 

As a beef producer, sustainability is defined as your continued ability to live comfortably, to maintain a way of life that you have chosen for yourself and to ensure that you can pass that way of life on to your children and your children’s children.

In high school biology, we were introduced to the fact that a phenotype is a function of genetics and environment. As cattle producers, we are constantly trying to optimize these two pieces.

Understanding and identifying genetic mutations allows beef producers to make breeding decisions that avoid producing cattle affected by those mutations. Working toward that goal, researchers have spent years studying genomics, identifying mutations and developing tests to help producers make those decisions.

Many beef producers use a bull to make sure calves are hitting the ground. However, artificial insemination is a viable option for farmers and ranchers.

Early embryonic loss is defined as a loss within the first 42 days of pregnancy and has been reported to impact between 20% and 40% of pregnancies in beef cattle.

As managers of cow-calf production systems, we have available to us many different tools that may be used to accomplish tasks within our operations. Every tool, no matter what type, is designed for a specific purpose.