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Farm Management

Halter training your calf….when is the right time?

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The Question is often asked “When is the best time to halter train your calves?”. We put a halter on a calf for our milk cows calves within the first week of life. This gives them time to establish a nursing routine, so the halter won’t risk being an interference in the first few days of life. You can easily pick up a newborn calf and take them to the barn to separate for the morning’s milking but that lasts for a short time. The sooner you get a calf to learn to lead the better off you will be as they only get stronger. If they learn from day one that you are boss, it’s a great start. For us the most preferred time for calving is when there is no grass growing and we are feeding hay. You can have a calf and its mother in a small pasture where the calf learns on a small scale to be caught, lead and released again. Then by the time the grass is green the calf has a better idea of what to expect and has gained more trust in people. You can use a small pasture during the growing season too, but then your feeding hay when they could be eating grass. We also teach our calves to be pushed at a young age. Often times the oldest calf that has been trained the longest will be the leader but temperament also has a play in the matter. If you start in small pastures you can round up the calves and they will all walk together to a location you want them to go to. If one doesn’t get into it’s mini herd, you can clip it’s halter and get it to walk. Training calves to do multiple things at a young age really saves you a lot of headaches later on when they are much larger. I halter train older calves too out of cows we don’t milk. They can be trained just as well in the end but it takes more effort than just integrating it into your everyday routine.

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Farm Management

Willow for Grazing

Are cows that eat willow better for the planet? A Queens University research project aims to find out if Willow can make farming more carbon neutral.

One aspect of Agroforestry uses trees as forage for livestock, and is gaining in popularity. Willow contain anti-parasitic compounds, they can be a great buffer around water sources, and have other great benefit to livestock and pasture. Do you graze Willow trees, or would you give it a try?

https://theorkneynews.scot/2021/10/12/willow-as-a-feed-for-livestock-pioneering-research/

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Farm Management

Chasing Fads will Leave You Behind

A great podcast by Working Cows, interviewing Bart Carmichael and Pat Guptill of “Principled Land Managers.” Bart and Pat talk about the importance of vision and principles in farming. Practices are flexible can change based on the land, animals and resources available, but having solid principles can set you up for success no matter where you go and/or what you do.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/working-cows-regenerative-ranching-to-maximize-profitability/id1307361758?i=1000703248694

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Farm Management

Basics of Record Keeping

Keeping records is an important aspect of running a successful livestock business. It is even more imperative if you are raising pedigreed and registered animals. But, how do you know what details will be helpful and what details will just add more work to your already full plate? This article is a practical guide to the who, what, why and how of record keeping. And remember, “it’s practically impossible to manage what you do not measure.”

https://www.farmbrite.com/post/the-beginner-s-guide-to-keeping-livestock-records

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Farm Management

When can my cows start grazing?

The question that starts rolling around in all our brains the moment the weather turns and we see the fresh green forage poking through the soil is, when can I start grazing my cattle? This is an important question and one that requires some observation. Turning the cows out too soon could have significant impact on the length and quality of forage growth during the entire grazing season. The hay is usually dwindling at this point and everyone is eager to start grazing. But, please pause and read this short article for advice and have a great grazing season!

https://cropsandsoils.extension.wisc.edu/articles/when-can-i-start-grazing/#:~:text=So%2C%20when%20can%20you%20start,20%20days%20of%20forage%20available.

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Farm Management

Farmer-led research

When you are considering trying something new it is always helpful to have the wisdom of others who have tried and failed or succeeded. We’ve done a little winter bale grazing with our Dexter herd, and the effects on the pasture are dramatic and obvious (a swath of lush green and clover through a mostly browning pasture). Here is a great farmer led study on the benefits of bale grazing that I have found compelling. Have you or would you try bale grazing?

https://practicalfarmers.org/research/bale-grazing-effects-on-soil-and-pasture-plant-communities/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR12RUqGZHHVrzgIknlKpftHaJXMNRuzAbjeQdmtnQ7LYIbs4_DRrmEA8dY_aem_nwVxF1iDSxHNk7PRtA41fA

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Farm Management

Managing Mud

The article below has some simple, cost-effective solutions to managing mud on your farm or ranch. there are also a few more in-depth, long term solutions if you have the time and resources to complete them.

We have used wood chips in high traffic areas of our farm with good results. And, we get free wood chip drops from local arborists, so it is very cheap. The added benefit is that the manure and wood chips make great future compost for the garden.

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/cattle-connection/2018-12-03-managing-mud-cattle-farms

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Farm Management

Line Breeding vs. Inbreeding

I really enjoyed listening to this Chute Side podcast with Dr. Ryan Rathmann on the definitions and nuances of line breeding vs. inbreeding. As a beef producer he favors cross breeding, but I got a lot of good take-aways for my registered/purebred Dexter breeding program. He talks about the benefits line breeding can add to your herd, such as uniformity in offspring. He also talks about challenges and down sides to line breeding, and how to avoid.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chute-side/id1468813469?i=1000474332264

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Farm Management

Things necessary to get your cows through the winter – Part 1

Written by Shelley Hatfield/Whippoorwill Pines Farm

I’m going to talk about 6 things needed to help your cows get through the winter.  I’m sure that there are more than 6 things but these are what I think are most important.  The first thing that you need is fresh water!!  Where you are in the United States will determine how hard this will be over the winter.  Some places are warm enough that they just have to make sure it stays full.  But in some places it almost freezes before you get back to the house.  But fresh water is so important in the health of your cows.  It has been said that cows need 1 to 2 gallons of water per 100pd of body weight.  I know some think that maybe they can lick the snow or lick the ice.  But licking the ice would take so much time to get what they need.  It would also take up body energy that they need to keep warm. Cows that don’t have enough water supply can get dehydrated and are susceptible to colic and other issues.  It is just best to keep fresh water out to them daily.  

Not having water can hinder so many areas in a cow.  Whether in summer or winter, water is so important to the health of your cow.  People usually think about water problems for the summer time, but making sure they have water is also very important for winter.  It affects their digestive system.  It keeps their body temp regulated.  It affects milk production.  Water or lack of it can affect the overall health of your herd.  

There are a couple of different tank heaters that you can use.  One is a floating one that has a cage around it.  I used those for several years, but ran into problems with them.  My cows would get bored and chew on the cord as it hung over the tank.  I used a pvc pipe to try to help.  It worked as long as they left it alone.  There is also a tank heater that goes in the drain hole at the bottom.  This is the one that I’m using now.  I can run the cord out the bottom and around so they can’t reach it.  I will warn you that tank heaters can run up your electricity.  But unless you have waterers run to your pastures, it is tank heaters or break the ice!!  I’ve tried all the tricks that people have come up with and I haven’t found any that work for me.  

Whatever method you decide, tank heaters or breaking ice all day, lets just make sure that we are keeping fresh water to our herds this winter!!

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Beef Farm Management Herd Health
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