Breeding

Strategic Bull Selection

Strategic Bull Selection.  By Jaclyn Krymowski. Breeding season - and the work that leads to it - is a crucial time for a ranch. The decisions made here directly impact calving and sale season results.As you identify goals and ambitions and create a map to get there, it is imperative to have herd sires...

Cow Health for Breeding - Have them ready to Breed

Cow Health for Breeding - Have them ready to Breed. By Heather Smith Thomas. In order to breed in a timely manner, especially after calving, cows need to be in good body condition, healthy and cycling again.  Disease prevention and adequate nutrition are probably the most important factors in having...

Common Calving Issues and how to Avoid Them

Common Calving Issues and how to Avoid ThemBy Jaclyn KrymowskiThere may be no more special time on the ranch than calving season. This next generation represents a culmination of time and energy invested in your breeding program and preparing for the future.And while this season is full of excitement and hopes, it is...

Breeding Soundness Examinations for Bulls

Breeding Soundness Examinations for Bulls. By Heather Smith Thomas. Many factors play a role in fertility and breeding ability, so it is important to make sure every bull passes a breeding soundness examination.  The standard evaluation looks at 5 things: physical soundness (feet/legs, eyes, etc.),...

Heat Stress is a Bigger Deal Than you Think

Heat Stress is a Bigger Deal Than you Think. By Jaclyn Krymowski In the hot summer months, cattlemen face one of nature’s harshest battle against the animal kingdom. Hyperthermia, or heat stress, is the scourge of livestock especially in regions that are especially hot and/or humid. All kinds of...

Reproduction starts with Nutrition

 Reproduction starts with Nutrition By Jaclyn Krymowski Reproduction and parturition are perhaps the two most demanding life processes we, or nature, can demand of an animal. While these functions are certainly hardwired, built into the very nature of living things, they are also rather delicate, able...

Prepare Your Bulls With A Breeding Soundness Exam

 Prepare Your Bulls With A Breeding Soundness Exam By Bruce Derksen  With breeding season approaching for many producers, it is important to not only ready the cow herd for the upcoming months, but also the prospective bull battery.  If your bull or bulls are hold-overs from years past, don’t...

What's on your Breeding Soundness Exam Checklist?

 What's on your Breeding Soundness Exam Checklist?  By Jaclyn Krymowski for American Cattlemen If someone, out of the blue, asked you what your breeding soundness examination (BSE) protocol was for your bulls, cows and heifers would you be able to give a concise answer? It is easy to get caught up...

The Most Valuable Investment in the Beef Herd - The Bull

 The Most Valuable Investment in the Beef Herd - The Bull  Originally written by John Comerford Beef producers are responsible for numerous purchases for the cattle enterprise. They often purchase feed, minerals, equipment, and other supplies that many times are promised to be the “best investment...

Feature Story: V8 Ranch V8 Ranch Breeding Better Brahmans

Texas summers can be so hot that eggs fry on concrete. It’s been said you can’t visit Texas without something sticking you, biting you, or stinging you. While these may be environmental extremes, many cattlemen throughout the United States and more than half of the world endure ranching conditions that aren’t perfect...