Here is a blog post written by Jason D. Duggin, UGA Extension Beef Specialist concerning your upcoming calf crop.<\/p>\n
First, on the revenue side, we have discussed the importance of pre-conditioning and health protocols numerous times.\u00a0 Although there are many vaccine protocols and weaning management strategies that exist, it is prudent to look at those successful marketing options in your area and ask for their pre-sale protocol well in advance of weaning day.\u00a0 These protocols may include particular tags, having a premise ID, knowing the age of the first born, sire information, vaccines used, weaning period (45 or 60 days), particular rations, BQA Certification, implant strategies, pregnancy management in heifers, etc.\u00a0 Along with the weaning and health protocol, calves sold in groups, loads or partial loads need to be fairly uniform.\u00a0 Take note of those calves that look like they\u2019ve been knocked in the head with the cream can\/ the runt. Those and any particularly light or heavy calves will need to be marketed elsewhere or become part of your freezer beef revenue.<\/p>\n
Now, on the \u201cfood\u201d side of the equation. Let\u2019s focus on how these guidelines should be carried out.\u00a0 A weaned calf or calf crop is FOOD.\u00a0 Those 70 calves that weigh 38,000 lbs. now, could weigh 95,000 lbs. coming out of the feedlot.\u00a0 At 63% dress you have 60,000 lbs. of carcass that will be fabricated into retail cuts or go on into further processing.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not forgot all the offal items such as tongues, oxtail, liver and tripe to name a few. When calves leave the farm, they are going to feed people in our local communities and around the world.<\/p>\n
It is often assumed that pre-conditioning protocols are followed a particular way.\u00a0 For example, when administering vaccines, they should be given according to the label and BQA standards.\u00a0 Most likely everyone knows that most vaccines are intended to be given in the triangular mass of the neck, but it never hurts to repeat it.\u00a0 Does the label stipulate subcutaneously or intramuscular? These are important details we often glaze over anymore.\u00a0 When we don\u2019t follow these guidelines there is risk of abscessed muscle tissue.\u00a0 Of course, this won\u2019t be food and will be thrown out as inedible.\u00a0 Not only does this cost the industry, but also producers through reduced gains of an improper injection or ineffective vaccines.\u00a0Marketing calves means both revenue and food.\u00a0 They can\u2019t be separated.<\/p>\n
This post will can also be found on the UGA Beef Team Blog and in the February Southeast Update of Progressive Cattlemen Magazine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Here is a blog post written by Jason D. Duggin, UGA Extension Beef Specialist concerning your upcoming calf crop. First, on the revenue side, we have discussed the importance of pre-conditioning and health protocols numerous times.\u00a0 Although there are many vaccine protocols and weaning management strategies that exist, it is prudent to look at those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economics","category-livestock"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions\/143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/laurens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}