Bull Health

Winter management of herd bulls: The forgotten investment

kjenkins2@unl.edu — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Cattle prices are at historic highs, making management of the cow herd investment more critical than ever. A lot of focus is put on developing heifers, rebreeding the 2- and 3-year-old cows, delivering a uniform, healthy calf crop to the next segment of the industry, or managing cull cows. Rightly so, as all these topics are important to the overall financial success of the beef cattle operation.

West: Managing bulls after the breeding season

sfonnesbeck@uidaho.edu — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As the items on our summer to-do list are checked off, ensuring the proper care of your herd bulls after the breeding season is one that should be near the top of that list.

Don’t gamble with your herd’s reproductive health: The value of breeding soundness exams

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

While statistically, most mature bulls, year in and year out, are going to be satisfactory breeders, if you're on the wrong side of those numbers and you bet wrong on that gamble, it can have a huge impact on your bottom line.

Navigating interstate regulations for bull sales

mzaluski@globalvetlink.com — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

As the winter frost melts and ranchers catch up on sleep after bringing new calves into the world, nature welcomes spring. Breeding season is not far away, and bull sales are an opportunity for ranchers and livestock producers to upgrade their genetics.

Focus on bull recovery after breeding season

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0400

It is important to keep in mind the proper nutrition and care of herd sires after the breeding season. This is especially true for bulls under 2 years of age.

8 tips to prevent trich in your herd

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Understand the risks of trich and the colossal impact the disease can have on your herd.

Heat stress and its impact on bull fertility

kalyn.waters@ufl.edu — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 19:53:25 -0400

Whether directly or indirectly, heat stress typically results in decreased performance in our herd.

Time to plan for spring herd health management

jrussell@zinpro.com — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 15:00:01 -0500

Winter is here, but it will not be long before the snow and ice melt away and pastures start to green up and become lush. Springtime can bring a host of challenges for beef cattle.

Reproductive diseases: Numerous threats and concerns

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 14:00:01 -0400

Reproductive diseases can damage a cattle operation’s profitability for months and even successive years.

Beefing up against bad feet

tyler.melroe@hubbardfeeds.com — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 14:00:01 -0400

It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, the potential for hoof injuries and infections exists in all types of environments. Producers’ “beef” with this is understandable.

Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst

hclark16@unl.edu — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 14:00:01 -0400

There are some threats to the beef industry we must never forget, even though it is painful even to consider them. One of these is foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

5 not-so-fun facts about heat stress

kalyn.waters@ufl.edu — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 20:51:53 -0400

Heat costs the cattle industry billions of dollars annually. This loss comes from reductions in feed conversion, growth, milk production and reproduction. Extensive research has been done to mitigate the impacts of heat stress in the cattle industry.

Don’t forget the bull: Proper nutrition year-round helps him perform at breeding time

wesley_moore@cargill.com — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 22:05:29 -0400

The financial success of your operation depends on one day of the year. We ask a cow to gestate for nine months, lactate for seven months and recover from calving in 45 days to maintain one calf per calendar year.