Winter in the Intermountain West can be somewhat unpredictable from year to year. Due to the variability in weather and the duration of time in which we will see cold weather, it is essential producers have a plan on how they are going to provide for their herds and care for new additions.

Weaning is quite possibly the most stressful time in a calf’s life. During this process, calves are subjected to a variety of stressors including removal from their mothers, new diets, processing (vaccination, dehorning, castration, etc.) and possibly even new pen or pasture environments.

Genetic technologies available for the beef industry are being developed and improving at a dramatic pace. Parentage testing is one of these genetic tests that has been around for a while and traditionally been used to determine which bull sired which calves.

Evaluating how management decisions the year prior have affected performance at specific production time points can yield valuable information for producers.

Breeding season is upon us, and hopefully we have made some sound bull decisions that will positively influence our herds going forward. However, it is even more important we ensure the bulls we have purchased or retained are capable of incorporating genetics into our herds.

Once again it is that time of year when our email inboxes and our mailboxes are full of bull sale catalogs. It is an exciting time of year as we are getting ready for or already calving, and we are starting to evaluate the genetics we are going to incorporate into our herds this coming year.

For many of you, the upcoming calving season is right around the corner, and if your email boxes are anything like mine, they are full with upcoming bull sale advertisements.

Evaluating bull and cow body condition scores (BCS) prior to the winter months is essential to ensure productivity and longevity in our herds. There are two main activities that should be addressed prior to the winter season.