The most rewarding time on a ranch is the time of new life – newborn calves hitting the ground. Calves have resiliency and spirit and often thrive even when born in the wrong circumstances or weather. Still, any beef producer will have the occasional calf who was stuck or had some other mishap that requires extra care.

How often has the calving book been lost or accidentally destroyed by the calf being warmed in the feeding pickup? Or when has information failed to be recorded toward the end of the calving season because our attention turns to other matters that time of year?

Cows that arrive on the farm with a high price tag have a tendency to be crowned as queens before they prove themselves in the system. Hopefully, they are worth that special treatment and they pay for themselves quickly, but it takes time to find out.

In the past 20 years, genetic potential of the cow herd and production costs have steadily increased; however, production outputs (pregnancy rates and weaning weights) have been stagnant or declined.