Winter Nutrition Critical for Cow Herd

Though many ranchers are still focused on calving season, this is the time to be thinking about their cows and bulls nutritional needs for the upcoming breeding season. Performix Nutrition Systems Animal Nutritional Consultant Dr. Boone Carter says

Carter: "Now is a pretty critical time to make sure that we have everything lined up. Both with our bulls and our cows — the egg and the sperm are fertilized in 60 days are being developed right now. So the fertility of the cow then is really a reflection of how the cow is being managed right now. The critical thing is to be sure that all of the nutritional bases are covered — with a good trace mineral program, adequate protein and energy in the diet. We want that cow to reach the breeding season on an inclining plane of nutrition - meaning that she has more energy and is gaining weight than she had right now. That is somewhat difficult to do when she is reaching peak lactation about at the same time. If there was one thing we could do from the reproductive side to bring more profit back to the producer it would be to group that calving season into a smaller time frame."