General
Quality of bermudagrass and bahia declines rapidly from now to frost. Growers need to watch body condition of their cattle because supplemental feed may be needed.
Stockpiling forages
Stockpiling bermudagrass
• Finish planting winter grazing in prepared seed beds and begin over seeding winter annuals into pastures.
Time to Start Thinking About Overseeding Your Pastures
Tips on Overseeding Pastures and Hayfields
• Cattle producers need watch feed conditions closely when grazing cotton stalks and other crop residue. Cows will eat the best of the crop residues quickly. If you would like to see more information on grazing cotton stalks and residue then go to the link below.
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/c5314b7406ec484e5681477af/files/9961b491-7cde-44f1-a6c4-1c9a17a6bd9a/Grazing_Cotton_Stalk_Residue.pdf
• Remove cattle from sorghum crops after a light frost due to the danger of prussic acid poisoning.
• Continue to monitor supplemental feed prices. Corn and by-product feeds like cottonseed are usually cheaper in the fall.
Spring Calving (Based off January to March calving Dates)
Finish weaning late calves.
• Heifers need to weigh about ⅔ of their mature weight at breeding time in March. They usually need to gain about 1.5 lbs per day after weaning.
• Watch the body condition of bred heifers. Separate them from the cows and provide supplemental feed as quality of fall grazing declines.
Body condition scoring cattle
• Identify thin cows and supplement them at a rate where they will reach moderate body condition at calving.
Fall Calving ((Based off October to December calving Dates)
Cows due to calve should be put into clean pastures and checked frequently.
• Tag calves at birth. Record birth date, tag number and cow ID.
• Castrate, dehorn and implant bull calves at birth.
• Bulls will be turned in with heifers in December and cows in January. It is time to evaluate bulls, trim feet, line up a breeding soundness exam or decide on buying a new bull.
Herd Bull Management: Pre Breeding
• Check with your veterinarian about suggested pre-calving and pre-breeding vaccinations for cows.
Vaccinations for the Beef Herd
Source: UGA Beef Management Calendar