Fall frenzy of activities to prep for winter conditions 

When it’s 90 degrees still in the fall, it’s hard to think ahead to winter.  

For those with calves ready to wean or other herd changes taking place, it’s the ideal time to prep for colder temps, shorter days and supplemental feeding, said Sandy Johnson, Extension beef specialist at Kansas State University’s Northwest Research and Extension Center in Colby. Don’t forget to secure feedstuffs early, and make sure to have other winter weather needs on hand or at least accessible, she said. 

Johnson said there are several tasks cow-calf producers should consider when prepping their herds for winter.  

“For spring calving herds, fall is a great time to put condition back on cows so that they achieve a body condition score of 5 by calving,” she said. “Cows will gain roughly 150 pounds of fetal weight and fluids before calving.” 

Body condition scores, according to K-State, are a method for determining the relative fatness of beef cattle. The system used by beef producers in the United States rates body condition on a scale from 1 to 9, with 1 being severely emaciated and 9 extremely obese. Animals are judged by fat thickness in areas such as the spine, ribs, hooks and pins, tail head and brisket and muscling in the round and shoulder. Body condition scoring can be done using indicators or a combination of visual and palpation techniques. 

Johnson said if cows don’t manage to gain weight during this time, they end up taking from their own fat and muscle reserves to generate energy for fetal growth. 

“If they are thin in addition to this needed weight gain, they will be more susceptible to winter weather stress, be thin at calving and more likely to be open or calve late the next year,” she said. “Young cows have an additional demand for growth, and the reason they are more likely to be open at pregnancy check time is a prime example of what happens when your needs are not met.” 

Johnson said that since fall is the best time to assess cow body condition, it’s also a good time to get an inventory on feed resources and start making a plan to provide adequate nutrients in a timely fashion. Temperature and moisture swings also happen during this time.  

“We need to be prepared to care for our animals in these extreme conditions,” she said. “That doesn’t mean you have to build a barn for all animals, but providing windbreaks, having winter storm feedstuffs and bedding where they can be accessed in bad weather are the types of things to consider.” 

Weaning calves is often done in the fall, and Johnson said the data is clear that pre-conditioning calves provides a better health outcome for them.  

“Producers should look for opportunities to add value to calves by pre-conditioning,” Johnson said. “Feed costs, feed resources and facilities often drive decisions to pre-condition calves. Know your costs of production and look for marketing opportunities to develop the best plan.” 

Pregnancy checks can happen before the calves are weaned, and for Johnson, it’s one more detail that provides information to make informed management decisions.  

“In general, the earlier you can preg check, the more information you can gain,” she said. “Staging pregnancies is best done when the earliest cows to calve are 120 days or less of pregnancy.” 

However, there is no one best time to check pregnancy.  

Waiting to use calving as a pregnancy check is the most common method, surveys indicate, but it is expensive in terms of feed costs and may delay the identification of a fertility problem, she said.  

Another management decision producers face is forages. Do they move herds to different pastures if there is enough grazing available or move them to stalks? Or do they hold the animals in a dry lot? It all depends on the environment and forages available.  

Many producers are waiting to get grain harvested so they can get cows on crop residues for fall grazing, she said. If dry conditions have resulted in less forage produced than planned, it is more efficient from a feed use standpoint to wean the calf and feed the calf directly rather than hauling hay or other feed to the cow and calf. 

That’s not ideal for all management settings, but Johnson said consideration should be given to moving cows to sacrifice a pasture area to feed hay or baled forages, rather than over-grazing the pasture. 

Cow-calf producers need to inventory their feedstuffs early and have a forage analysis done on each lot of feed to help plan for winter rations. They should secure grazing of stalks early if that’s in the plan. 

“Seek help using this information to create the most economical ration with your given resources,” she said. “Assuming it is the same quality each year can be a costly error.” 

Kylene Scott can be reached at 620-227-1804 or [email protected].