Your best tips & practices...

[Wisteria Farms]

Hey all...

My computer crashed and I've been off the boards for a month or two. I'm just sick because I'd been cutting and pasting all your good tips and advice to keep for later reference. Now that I'm back on I'm cutting and pasting again (only I'm going to periodically print everything) so anything you do in your cattle operations that you feel works really well, could you pass it along here? I would appreciate it so much...

In the mean-time I'll keep reading....thanks!!

 

[novatech]

I have had the same thing happen. So here is my first tip. Invest in a backup. We have ours with an automatic nightly backup. Something my kids installed. It has really saved my A several times since then.

 

[George Monk]

back up to a flash drive

 

[gerardplauche]

Planting soybeans early reduces risk of disease.

 

[Jogeephus]

Don't ever try to teach someone how to keep a secret.

Don't go chasing fads.

There is always a good market for good quality cattle and always remember who is buying your cattle and give them what they want.

A cow will let you feed it all you can afford to feed it. Figuring out what it actually needs versus what it wants is the trick. Kinda like raising kids.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

go with your gut feeling. if it tell's you somethings wrong it more often then not, is.. never second guess a cow whether or not she's in trouble.

 

[J. T.]

Let grass feed your cattle as much as possible.
Keep a 4-wheel drive on the farm whether it's a truck, Jeep, or tractor.
Build a rugged set of catch pens that'll take all the punishment cows can dish out.
Buy Rustler jeans instead of Wrangler cowboy cut. They're cheaper and tougher.
Use electric fences as much as possible. Cheaper and easier to install than barbed wire.
Match cows to the environment whether they be black, red, white, paints, horned or polled.
Pretty is as pretty does. (Apply this to cows, machinery, fences, chutes, dogs, and women)
Spend more time farming and less time on the Q&A Boards.
Feedin' time! See y'all later!

 

[Caustic Burno]

Learn you are a grass farmer first, all a cow needs is grass,hay and minerals

 

[Mosho]

Let grass feed your cattle as much as possible.
Keep a 4-wheel drive on the farm whether it's a truck, Jeep, or tractor.
Build a rugged set of catch pens that'll take all the punishment cows can dish out.
Buy Rustler jeans instead of Wrangler cowboy cut. They're cheaper and tougher.
Use electric fences as much as possible. Cheaper and easier to install than barbed wire.
Match cows to the environment whether they be black, red, white, paints, horned or polled.
Pretty is as pretty does. (Apply this to cows, machinery, fences, chutes, dogs, and women)
Spend more time farming and less time on the Q&A Boards.
Feedin' time! See y'all later!

Now that is a good post with useful tips.

 

[grubbie]

Dont flip the 4 wheeler.

NOW you tell me!

 

[spoon]

Let grass feed your cattle as much as possible.
Pretty is as pretty does. (Apply this to cows, machinery, fences, chutes, dogs, and women)

Care to elaborate on this one? Do you prefer ugly cows, machines, fences , chutes, dogs, and women? :shock:

 

[D.R. Cattle]

How to raise cattle 101.
1. Put grass in front of the cow.
2. Put a bull behind the cow.
3. The rest will only be as complicated as you want it to be.

 

[CowpokeJ]

Yeah, I can relate to the jeans post. Although I haven't put wranglers to the test. Those cinch jeans are for those rodeo cowboys. Sure, they are comfortable, but after a few washings, and so forth...don't cut it.

 

[skyline]

1. Get a good spotlight. You'll need it.
2. Invest in your perimeter fences and working pens. Build them right.
3. Shop around for prices on feed and fertilizer, but but compare ingredients, not just price.
4. Don't expect a wife to enjoy (or even tolerate) working cattle.
5. Deer will eat your winter pasture. Either eliminate deer problem or plant enough to feed cattle and deer.
6. Don't wait till the vet is one the way to fix a working pen problem. Fix it when you find it.
7. Fix and prolapse and then put wheels under her.
8. Buy a good bull.
9. Get a good knife or multi-purpose tool and have it with you at all times.
10. Spend as much time worrying about your grass as your cows.
11. Ask for help when you need it.
12. When a cow is lame, get her up immediately and look at her hoof.
13. Spend time with your cows to notice what is going on in the herd.
14. Get your water system as automatic as possible (if you don't have ponds in a pasture) and check it often.
15. Set up a rotational grazing system.
16. Although it may sound good, you can't do everything recommended by the ag colleges and make a profit in the cattle business.
17. Feed just enough to keep your cows at a body condition score of 6 or so. Overfeeding just makes you feel good until you do your end of the year financial analysis.
18. Check your entire herd often and check on first calf heifers very often during calving.
19. Don't let buzzards hang around during calving season.
20. Be firm with your neighbors about their dogs in your pasture. Warn them one time.
21. Find a cattle mentor that you trust.
22. Spend the time to do your herd health things like deworming and taking care of flies (whatever method you chose). Also, manage your calves - castrate, dehorn (if not polled), ear tags, shots, etc... You get paid back for this investment.
23. If you're looking to buy a ranch, buy one that has the cattle infrastructure (pens, fences, barns, pastures) already in place. It probably won't cost much more and it will save you a bunch of money, effort and time.
24. You need a good dependable tractor if you're feeding round bales or if you have much land at all.
25. Enjoy the lifestyle. We're blessed and fortunate to be able to do this stuff. Lots of folks are stuck in cities just wishing they could do what we do.

That's all for me. :tiphat:

 

[Caustic Burno]

1. Get a good spotlight. You'll need it.
2. Invest in your perimeter fences and working pens. Build them right.
3. Shop around for prices on feed and fertilizer, but but compare ingredients, not just price.
4. Don't expect a wife to enjoy (or even tolerate) working cattle.
5. Deer will eat your winter pasture. Either eliminate deer problem or plant enough to feed cattle and deer.
6. Don't wait till the vet is one the way to fix a working pen problem. Fix it when you find it.
7. Fix and prolapse and then put wheels under her.
8. Buy a good bull.
9. Get a good knife or multi-purpose tool and have it with you at all times.
10. Spend as much time worrying about your grass as your cows.
11. Ask for help when you need it.
12. When a cow is lame, get her up immediately and look at her hoof.
13. Spend time with your cows to notice what is going on in the herd.
14. Get your water system as automatic as possible (if you don't have ponds in a pasture) and check it often.
15. Set up a rotational grazing system.
16. Although it may sound good, you can't do everything recommended by the ag colleges and make a profit in the cattle business.
17. Feed just enough to keep your cows at a body condition score of 6 or so. Overfeeding just makes you feel good until you do your end of the year financial analysis.
18. Check your entire herd often and check on first calf heifers very often during calving.
19. Don't let buzzards hang around during calving season.
20. Be firm with your neighbors about their dogs in your pasture. Warn them one time.
21. Find a cattle mentor that you trust.
22. Spend the time to do your herd health things like deworming and taking care of flies (whatever method you chose). Also, manage your calves - castrate, dehorn (if not polled), ear tags, shots, etc... You get paid back for this investment.
23. If you're looking to buy a ranch, buy one that has the cattle infrastructure (pens, fences, barns, pastures) already in place. It probably won't cost much more and it will save you a bunch of money, effort and time.
24. You need a good dependable tractor if you're feeding round bales or if you have much land at all.
25. Enjoy the lifestyle. We're blessed and fortunate to be able to do this stuff. Lots of folks are stuck in cities just wishing they could do what we do.

That's all for me. :tiphat:

Good list I just don't agree with a BCS of 6 unless it is on grass only.

 

[skyline]

Good list I just don't agree with a BCS of 6 unless it is on grass only.

CB, a lot of that list came from what I have learned from you and Dun and others. Help me out with my BCS error. What do you look for to know that you are feeding too much?

 

[dun]

Help me out with my BCS error. What do you look for to know that you are feeding too much?

No real error in the BCS, if you have the genetics and quality forage.

 

[Caustic Burno]

[

I don't think you had a BCS error IMO just I feel there is difference in between a wet or dry cow.
I am perfectly happy with a wet cow of 4.5 to 5 much fatter than that I figure she isn't doing her job of turning grass to milk for that calf. I expect her dry to gain and attain a 5.5 to 6 on grass. Can cause rebreeding problems as they get to fat.
If she goes under a 4.5 she is a hard keeper in my book and over 6 she isn't working.

 

[skyline]

I am perfectly happy with a wet cow of 4.5 to 5 much fatter than that I figure she isn't doing her job of turning grass to milk for that calf. I expect her dry to gain and attain a 5.5 to 6 on grass. Can cause rebreeding problems as they get to fat.
If she goes under a 4.5 she is a hard keeper in my book and over 6 she isn't working.

I had some late calves that we just weaned in January. Those cows were living on poor hay and cubes. We lost a lot of condition over the winter and I'm trying to bring them back up. What BCS would you be shooting for in that case?

BTW, I'm trying to prevent this situation in coming years. Not a good deal.

 

[Caustic Burno]

[

IMO no more than 6 a 5 doesn't bother me at all. This is one thing I hate about carrying wet cows in the winter. One of the things I like about Nutreana liquid feed is you can maintain BCS with the wet cow on poor hay. I have heard some good things about Mix 30 but have never tried it. One of the best Cattlemen I know uses it.
I have found the CLS the cheapest route to maintain wet cattle in our winters on poor hay.

PS you have to have hay if you feed CLS as it is hot and makes them get after hay or anything else to fill that belly.