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🐄 Making Cull Cow Decisions
Is herd rebuilding coming?, How does freeze branding work? and Turning body conditions into numbers from Ranching.com by CattleMax.
Welcome to the 87th edition of Ranching.com – the leading cattle management resource for a community of 93,000+ ranchers and farmers.
IN THE NEWS
🐄 Making Cull Cow Decisions
Ag Proud - Progressive Cattle
🐄 Making Cull Cow Decisions - Deciding when to cull and how to market your cull cows can make a big difference in returns. This article outlines key criteria to evaluate — like body condition, fertility, and market demand — and suggests strategies to get the best price. Making stronger cull decisions now can protect your herd’s profitability.
💡 Reintroduce Bulls Wisely - Putting bulls back together after the breeding season often leads to fighting and injury, especially without a plan. This article offers practical tips—like using large pastures, separating by size first, and installing temporary electric boundaries—to reduce stress and protect your bulls.
📈 Is Herd Rebuilding Coming? - Recent trends in cow slaughter, heifer retention, and cull dynamics suggest U.S. cattle herds may be starting to rebuild. This article explores the data behind those signs, the challenges still in play, and what to watch in the coming months.
💉 Castration Done Right - Castrating beef cattle at the right time with proper technique reduces stress and illness while improving growth. This article highlights timing, methods, and welfare practices that make the process more effective.
💵 Hidden Cost You Might Be Ignoring - Depreciation and opportunity interest are quietly adding to your cost of production—and they’re often overlooked. This article explains how these financial factors inflate true expenses and offers ways to account for them in your budgeting and pricing.
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VIDEOS FROM AROUND THE WEB
How Does Freeze Branding Work?
RANCHING KNOW-HOW
Turning Body Condition Into Numbers
 Getty Images - Beef Magazine | When cows’ body condition score (BCS) moves by one point, their weight changes by about 7% of the average BCS-5 weight. This “7% rule” helps producers gauge how much feed or supplementation is needed to get cows ready for breeding and calving. It’s easiest to assess BCS in late summer or early fall, when cows are slick and in mid-pregnancy. |
RANCHING AROUND THE WORLD RECAP
🇦🇺 NT’s Murranji makes $44m bare, bought by Viv Oldfield [Beef Central]
🇦🇺 Numbers fall 21pc online, with breeding female markets stronger [Beef Central]
CATTLE COMMUNITY
ogilviestockranch | Fall is just around the corner, and I couldn’t be more excited! It’s my favorite time of year when we get to see the results of our decisions in cattle management and genetics all together. As we gather the cows and calves this month to weigh them and choose our replacement heifers, I can’t help but feel that satisfaction of seeing what each cow has produced. We then analyze these records which help us to make our breeding decisions for the following year.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The western life is more than just a cowboy hat”
READER POLL
What’s the biggest factor in your decision to cull a cow? |
LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS
If you had extra calf income this year, which area would you invest in most? | 60.53%: Ranch infrastructure or equipment 14.47%: Genetics or herd health 6.58%: Training & education (people-focused) 18.42%: Financial planning (eg. tax strategies) |
