There are many tools available in the toolbox of livestock managers that can be used to maximize reproductive efficiencies. One of these tools is blood-based pregnancy tests. Over the last 10 years, this technology has been gaining in popularity as a tool to find the open cow.

Today’s cow-calf producers face uncertain times, as the U.S. cow herd is the smallest it has been in decades.

As the days get shorter and daytime high temperatures fall, many cattle operations are focused on weaning calves, making final preparations for the coming winter and the arrival of next year’s crop of calves. The operation is also set to enter the most expensive part of the production cycle – feeding a cow through the winter. This period in the production cycle can represent 60 to 70 percent of all production costs of an operation.

With the cost of inputs rising, it is becoming increasingly harder for cattlemen to receive an adequate return on investment.

A goal of many cattlemen is to maximize the genetic potential of their animals and tailor them to their production environment.

For Eric Evans of Celeste, Texas, 2011 was a tough year to be a cattleman. Like most beef producers in the southern U.S., record-low rainfall levels left the Hunt County, Texas, operation low on feedstuffs and searching for answers on how to keep the bottom line in the black.

It is a tough year to raise cattle. As the Southern tier of the United States continues to struggle through one of the worst droughts on record, many Northern states are experiencing record precipitation and cool temperatures, which caused late planting and slow growth of forages.