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Previous issues of the BEEF Cattle letter

Issue # 652

September 9, 2009

Weaning Nutrition and Management - Dr. Mark A. McCann, Extension Animal Scientist, VA Tech

One time-tested method of adding value to a calf-crop is to retain the calves post-weaning at a minimum through a 45-d preconditioning program. The 45-d length is required to participate in many special sales or programs and is viewed as the "gold standard" of having cattle ready for a forage based stockering program or directly into a feedyard. Beyond post-weaning management, many other ingredients are necessary for a successful program which maximizes your potential for added value. The one which takes the greatest planning and most forethought is the genetics of the calf crop. What is the sire's EPD's, etc. Repeat customers and premiums frequently are based on the genetic base of the cattle and documented performance. The other key ingredient to reputation cattle is an effective and well documented herd health program. Health and genetics are probably the two greatest determinants of achieving added value through selling preconditioned calves or retaining ownership through the stockering or feedlot phases.

The key to management through this process is a sound approach to calf management and nutrition through the weaning process.

Calf management - The focus of management practices should be to enhance value and decrease stress throughout the weaning process. That means castration and dehorning are done young and health vaccinations administered on time and according to label recommendations. Exposure to creep feed for a few weeks before weaning can decrease the required time post-weaning that it takes for calves to start consuming dry feed. Even low levels (1lb/hd/d) of creep consumption can hasten adaptation to feed post-weaning and minimize weight loss.

Recent attention has also been given to the weaning process with the management strategies of fence-line weaning or two stage weaning (stop nursing, then separate cow and calf). Both strategies have been compared to abrupt calf weaning and removal in research trials including one conducted at the Shenandoah Valley AREC in 2005 and 2006. Calves were assigned to a fence-line group, a nose-clip group where the clip was an anti-suckling device where calves remained with dams or a control group where the cows and calves were abruptly and completely separated. Fence-line weaning provided superior gain results as compared to nose clips or control groups when measured at days 7-14 post-weaning. In a Michigan research trial, the benefits of fence-line or nose clips dissipated by d-42 post-weaning. Both alternative strategies offer some short-term benefit in reducing stress on the calf but advantages in animal gain tend to be short-lived. These alternative, lower stress management options can become more important as the age at weaning is reduced.

Calf nutrition - During the first week post-weaning, the focus should be on intake, intake and intake. Nutrient density also plays an important role but dry matter intake is generally the most important challenge. Feeds offered should be high quality and palatable. Calves are accustomed to grazing; so long stem hay for the first 3-7 days is a recommendation. This should be high quality, leafy hay. Hand feeding allows you to limit offer the forage to the point where the calves leave a small amount (generally 1-2% of body weight).

1. Hand feeding allows a better feel for true feed intake of the calves

2. Limit feeding forage lightly pressures calves to consume more dry feed

3. Many feeders find that slightly limiting intake and keeping calves somewhat aggressive allows for easier detection and pulling of sick calves

4 .Limit feeding allows a better examination of feeding behavior and perhaps allows better general management of the group

Calves can be successfully started on many different feedstuffs including corn gluten feed, soyhulls, corn silage, etc. The important thing is to allow time for the calves to develop an appetite for new feeds, and the rumen bacteria to adapt to the new feeds. The feed mix should also meet the nutritional requirements of the calves (Table 1).

* Corn gluten feed adds energy and protein without contributing starch. As with many by-products, quality and nutrient content vary with source. Phosphorous content is an issue and the general economy of this leads to potential misuse. 1% of body weight is much preferred to ad libitum intake.

* Soyhulls are a very palatable, safe feed to use. They will add fiber, but not roughage. Protein content is 12-14%. Better as a supplement to forage programs and limited to 1% of body weight.

* Whole corn can work as well (or better) as ground corn in a starting ration. If grinding, avoid too fine and dusty.

* Calves can be started on corn silage, but a 2 week adaptation is best.

There are excellent commercial pellets available and several formulated for specifically for pre-conditioning.

Table 1. Suggested Nutrient Concentrations for Stressed Calves (dry matter basis)

Other notes/ cautions -

* If the calves are not part of a retained ownership program, be cautious of gains exceeding 2 lb/d due to supplementation. Calves can be considered too fleshy and potentially discounted by buyers.

* Purchased, commingled calves should follow the same nutritional program, but the lack of nutritional history and additional stress increase the challenges.

* Growth promoting implants will usually increase daily gain 10% during the preconditioning period and return a profit over your investment.

* Newly weaned or received calves should have enough feed bunk space so all the calves can eat at one time (18-24"/hd).

* Non-protein nitrogen sources such as urea or chicken litter should not be introduced until the calves are settled in.

Low-Stress Weaning - Good for the Calves . . . Good for the Cows . . . Good for You - Kit Pharo, Pharo Cattle Co., Cheyenne Wells, CO

Weaning is the process of separating a calf from its mother. It typically takes place in the fall of the year. It can be a very traumatic time for both the cow and her calf. The key to success is to minimize stress. Calves that are stressed will go off feed, which causes them to be much more susceptible to sickness. Contented calves with a full belly will seldom, if ever, get sick. Cows that are stressed will lose weight and valuable body condition, which is needed to get them through the winter with minimum feed supplementation. I've also heard that ranchers who are stressed can become very difficult to live with.

Across-the-Fence weaning is a method we have successfully used for the last 16 years. Properly done, it is a very low-stress method of weaning for both the cow and her calf. Once the cows and calves have been separated, they are allowed to have some contact with one another across the fence for a few days. Most good fences will work. We use a very simple electric two-wire fence.

I have heard of several variations of across-the-fence weaning, but my favorite involves leaving both the cows and the calves out on grass or other forages. If you can keep your cows and calves out of dusty or muddy lots there will be much fewer health and other stress related problems. It's not natural for cattle to be confined in lots, eating harvested and/or processed feed. You will also discover that calves are much less likely to spook and stampede if they are not shut up. In fact, we have never had our calves spook and try to run through a fence since we quit shutting them up.

We like to move our pairs into the pasture the calves will be weaned in, a day or two prior to weaning so the calves will remain in familiar surroundings. This should be one of your better pastures. The calves will be able to locate all the water sources and perimeter fences while they are still with their mothers. For best results the primary water source for the calves should be located near the fence line. You should also avoid having corners in the dividing fence where animals on either side of the fence will tend to bunch up.

On weaning day we no longer ride out to gather pairs at daybreak. We relax after breakfast with a hot cup of coffee and allow the cows and calves to finish their early morning grazing routine. Around mid to late morning we slowly bring the pairs in to our sorting corral. Once the herd has been gathered, we go back to the house for another cup of coffee while the calves find their mothers for one last drink of milk. When we return, the herd will be quietly loafing. There won't be any bawling or signs of stress. Keep in mind, cows do not understand the concept of time. They may have some regular routines and habits, but time means nothing to them. Ranchers would do a much better job of handling their livestock if they threw away their watches. Why does anything have to be completed by a certain time?

The sorting facilities do not have to be fancy or expensive. All you really need is a big corral with two gates. One gate that lets the cows out to their pasture and another to let the calves back out to theirs. If you have allowed the herd sufficient loafing time, many of the cows will be ready to file out when you open their gate, especially if they think they are going to fresh pasture. This is no place for loud, whip swinging cowboys. If you are patient, the herd will essentially sort itself. Calves are less likely to go past you so they aren't hard to hold back. After the first jag of cows have left the corral you can let a few calves out the other gate. Before you know it, the sorting will be done and nobody will be stressed or upset.

A word of caution: If your cattle are not familiar with this type of handling, they won't handle exactly as I have described. Don't become discouraged, though. Throw away your watch, be very patient and work them as slowly and as quietly as you possibly can. The next time the herd is worked it will be much easier to handle. I've found that most cowherds are easier to train than most cowboys.

If possible, we like to leave two or three older animals with the calves to provide some reassurance and leadership. On their own, a herd of freshly weaned calves has absolutely no sense of leadership or direction. Since the calves are returning to the same pasture they came from, they usually won't be the least bit bothered by the day's activities. It will usually take at least two or three hours before they realize something is amiss. After a couple of hours of grazing in their new pasture, some of the cows will realize their calves are not close by, and will go in search of them.

Most people will say, "You can't wean a calf across the fence from its mother. It will never work. They will tear down the fence. It will create even more stress for the calf and the cow." Over the years I have spent considerable time watching individual cows and calves. Both will leave the fence to eat, but after a while the cow will return to check on her calf. When summoned by his mother the calf will come back to the fence. As soon as they get across the fence from one another most of their anxiety will disappear. Often, you'll see a cow and her calf lying down on opposite sides of the fence, both contentedly chewing their cud. The next time you notice them they will probably be out grazing.

What if a couple of calves slip through the fence? Relax, it's not the end of the world. Whenever it is convenient just walk the pairs back to your sorting corral and separate them again. In twelve years, we have had only one calf and one cow that refused to stay where they belonged. After the second escape, we shut the calf up until the cows were moved. The fence-jumping cow was loaded up and hauled to the sale barn.

After three days, fewer and fewer cows will come back to the fence. They know where their calves are, but they are becoming less and less concerned about them. Likewise, the calves are beginning to realize they don't really need their mothers any more. It's as though you have allowed them the opportunity to gradually break the bond that has held them together for the last six months.

We always wait at least four days before we move the cows away from the calves. By this time they are usually so excited about going to fresh pasture that all we have to do is open the gates ahead of them. Very few, if any, will consider turning back for their calves.

In just four or five days, weaning is over. The cows are happy and storing up fat for the winter. The calves are healthy and adjusting well to life without mom. There is no shrink or weight loss. Some friends and customers of Pharo Cattle Company, Don and John Palmer, weighed their steer calves one year at weaning and again ten days later. Those steer calves gained a remarkable 1.5 pounds per day while being weaned on native grass across the fence from their mothers. This is something most of the so-called experts with degrees in animal health and nutrition will never be able to achieve.

Don Palmer suggests that you avoid riding or driving through the calves for the first few days of weaning. Whenever the cows see you out there they will all come running to the fence. Don says, "Go back to the house and drink a cup of coffee while you observe the weaning process through a pair of binoculars." What are you going to do out there anyway? The calves don't need fed, don't need doctored and don't need you.

Weaning doesn't have to be as difficult or as stressful as we have been led to believe. The only thing that would be less stressful than across-the-fence weaning would be to not wean at all. Some of our customers are doing just that.

Editor's Note: This article was reprinted with permission from Kit Pharo, a seedstock producer in eastern Colorado. Ohio cattlemen are invited to hear Pharo in person at a free Workshop and Farm Tour on Saturday, October 3rd in Cadiz, Ohio. Contact James Coffelt (ph: 330-328-4470 or JamesCoffelt@hotmail.com) for details.

Monthly Market Profile: Lots of Heavy Lifting Ahead - Nevil Speer, Professor, Animal Science, Western Kentucky University

Certain success is hard to come by in this operating environment. While August finished on a favorable note, follow-through stumbled prior to Labor Day. Cattle feeders managed to pocket $84-5 during the last week of August - the first $84+ sales since May. That boost came on the heels of a $1-2 jump in the preceding two weeks. As such, fed trade enjoyed three consecutive weeks in positive territory. September, however, opened on a more hesitant note; buyers and sellers largely adopted a wait-and-see mode with Labor Day being around the corner. Sales went mostly untested during the week but possessed a bias to the downside with the northern tier setting the pace - steady-to-$2 softer. Light volume also stems from broader concerns about the direction of the general economy; the coming weeks being important about the overall direction for the remainder of the year (more later).

At this juncture, a longer perspective in terms of year-over-year comparison proves especially useful. Many of the current struggles within the beef complex - especially painful for cattle feeders (and also more on that below) - began in earnest approximately a year ago. Recall that last year fed cattle were trading at $98 while the Choice cutout was hovering around $160 (see graph below). Much of that strength was the direct boost from stimulus checks. However, the party was quickly unwinding; the market found itself at the front-end of an extended reality check over at the CME. The December contract had begun to sell-off in mid-July and receded from $113 to $106 through the end of August. That was only the beginning. Ultimately, the contract slipped all the way back to $84 by the end of the year. Since then, during 2009, the fed steer four-week moving average has bounced between $81 and $87.

That said, those who continue to focus on smaller feedyard inventories have repeatedly found themselves disappointed by the market's action in recent months. That's due to several factors. First, the packer has been effective in taking out capacity and subsequently been able to procure supply more judiciously. Second, head count continues to get muted by heavier weights (see carcass weight graph below). Lastly, and most importantly, focus on the supply side is only part of the story - the bigger issue is demand.

Where does that leave us for the coming months of 2009? Primarily, there's some heavy lifting ahead. The market continues to be burdened by the broader economy. Consumer psychology is tenuous at best. As I explained last month the wholesale market has seemingly established support at $135 for the Choice cutout. Simultaneously, though, cutout values continue to find resistance in the $140-145 range (see graph below). Range-bound wholesale values will ultimately hamper upside potential for live prices; boxed beef prices need to break out to higher levels to facilitate any major moves in the fed market.

In the end, that's ultimately a function of consumer behavior and attitudes. Unfortunately, unemployment worries, consumer confidence and higher savings rates will likely cap spending in the months to come. Moreover, those qualms will likely prove to be enduring. Mohamed El-Arian, PIMCO CEO and co-CIO, in a recent CNBC Squawk Box interview (August 14) outlined the current economic scenario like this:

The [stock] market is looking at the economy being on a rocket. This rocket is meant to take the economy to a higher level of growth and employment. The first booster came in the form of enormous monetary and fiscal stimulus. The second booster that we're going through now is the inventory cycle and that's going to help the GDP number over the next quarter. But then what? The 'then what' needs final demand, needs the consumer, needs spending, needs income. [Employment and retail sales] suggests that is still sluggish. So we're yet to see a durable and sustainable recovery.

Indeed, the beef complex needs spending, not only domestically but also globally. Resilient recovery is essential to getting beef moving - more volume, higher prices.

In the meantime, beef promotion efforts have never been more important. Beef's competitors can (and will) use this economic downturn to gain new market share. While somewhat counterintuitive, beef must anchor its demand position while swirling in a recession.

Immediate benefits may be difficult to realize. But investment in maintaining and growing beef demand will reap important benefits going forward. Once recovery begins, such efforts help to ensure that beef spending grows proportionally with the economy.

On a separate note, the financial crisis also plays out in a different manner upon the fed market. The past year has been especially challenging for cattle feeders. Earlier in the year (February) I noted that cattle feeders were being impacted by financing constraints. The discussion included an illustration representing weekly differences between the actual fed market and calculation of market value at which packers generate $145/head gross profit - a rough, industry-wide operating breakeven. Updated, the graph is included below. Data points above the zero-line indicate a fed market that favors cattle feeders; data points below zero favor processors.

Note within the graph several distinct phases of sharp declines. Those periods represent periods in which sellers have otherwise relented and given away large swaths of leverage. That was especially prominent last November; the market receded $6 in just one week. There've been other similar, albeit less turbulent, periods along the way including January, late-April / early-May and, most recently, late-July / early-August. As noted in February, making sense of individual decision making is challenging - that's especially true given the complex and fragmented nature of the feeding sector. However, the trend partially results from the financial crisis. Lenders are increasingly vigilant about operating capital - especially given the overwhelming losses of late within the feeding sector. Profitability woes continue to dog cattle feeders: pressure to maintain cash flow and/or meet capital requirements have likely forced sales along the way at levels that may have not otherwise occurred.

Price Summary

EDITOR's NOTE: Be sure to read Speer's thoughts on the Commodities Futures Trading Commission's moves to reign in index funds and the impact it may have on commodity markets in his September Agsight column entitled "CFTC vs. ETFs: Agriculture Takes The First Hit."

For more information, contact: Sandy Kuhn (ph:614-246-8288 or skuhn@ofbf.org), Dr. Stephen Boyles (ph:614-292-7669 or boyles.4@osu.edu), or Jon Rausch (ph:614-292-4504 or rausch.7@osu.edu).

Visit the OSU Beef Team calendar of meetings and upcoming events

BEEF Cattle is a weekly publication of Ohio State University Extension in Fairfield County and the OSU Beef Team. Contributors include members of the Beef Team and other beef cattle specialists and economists from across the U.S.

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