Common Management Practices on a Beef Operation in September

Spring-Calvers
The time is approaching or has arrived to wean spring-born calves. September is a good time to process animals pre-weaning. Stresses associated with weaning can be minimized by spreading out other activities such as vaccinations, deworming, castration and dehorning. PowerCalf and Health Track guidelines are available at http://www.mfa-inc.com/powercalf.aspx

Be sure to consult with your veterinarian for advice on animal health products and procedures for pre-wean processing. To help with culling decisions, preg-check cows by palpation, blood test, or ultrasound and test for other diseases/conditions that are currently or could be detrimental to the overall health of the animal. Each time they are put through the chute, the cattle can be evaluated for several traits.

Creep feeding prior to weaning will result in heavier, more valuable calves and prepares them for weaning since they become accustomed to eating dry feed. This will especially benefit calves you are going to keep for a post-weaning period such as the Health Track program. Mike John, director of Health Track operations, advises that additional pounds of body weight continue to be valuable.

Fall-Calvers
Fall calving should start this month. Cows should be moved to a clean, accessible pasture and watched closely. Tag calves soon after they are born and record dam ID and calf birthdate. Remember that Health Track eartags are free. Castration is less stressful when performed on young animals (less than 2 months old is recommended). Terminal calves can be implanted. After calving, move cows to best-quality fall pasture.  Evaluate forage quality and supplement to ensure your lactating cow nutrient needs are covered. Now is the time to plan for the next breeding season and order necessary supplies if using AI. 

Stockers
Calves to be backgrounded through the winter will be acquired soon. By purchasing Health Track calves, you know that they have been properly managed, appropriately vaccinated, dehorned and they know how to eat.  

Evaluate your receiving program. Trailer-weaned calves undergo a great deal of stress associated with weaning, hauling, marketing and wide fluctuations in environmental temperature this time of year. Establish a program that avoids stale cattle. Ensure that such calves consume water and Cattle Charge with Shield. 

Other:
By early September, fertilize pastures that are needed for stockpiling. Let the pastures grow and accumulate until November or until other sources of grazing have been depleted. Strip-grazing such pastures will give better usage and has been associated with reduced incidence of acute bovine pulmonary emphysema and edema (ABPEE). 

Now’s the time to lock in your winter feeding program. Take forage samples of the conserved forages that you will feed this winter. Get lab results that, at a minimum, include protein and fiber (ADF, NDF). These allow for estimates of the hay’s feeding value. With this information and the quantity of forage available, the amount of supplemental feed needed can be established. This prevents under or over-feeding the animals, which is particularly important in operations that use conserved forages. 

ABPEE:
Cattle are particularly prone to respiratory and pulmonary problems. One such issue in adult cattle this time of year is ABPEE (acute bovine pulmonary emphysema and edema), sometimes called “fog fever.” It can occur about a week after moving from dry summer pastures to lush fall forage. It is characterized by sudden onset with minimal coughing. After a few days, cattle may either dramatically improve or die.

The reported cause is a higher concentration of tryptophan in young, fast-growing plants. In the rumen, this amino acid is converted to 3-methylindole by lactobaccilus. When the 3-methylindole is metabolized, it damages the lung tissue.

Animals will adapt to this situation. If there are no signs in the first three weeks, they will be OK. However, mild cases of ABPEE may go completely unnoticed. Seriously affected cattle will show extensive respiratory distress with open mouth breathing, drooling and loud grunts. If you listen with a stethoscope, their breathing will sound very soft. Stress makes the labored breathing even more labored. 
Prevention is the best way to avoid ABPEE:    

• Feed hay before turn-out on pasture and limit exposure time on suspect pastures.
• Provide a feed with an ionophore, such as Rumensin. This stops the lactobacillus that makes 3-methylindole out of tryptophan.
• Limit grazing time, gradually increasing exposure to the pasture over a month.
• Use pastures either before they become lush or wait until after a hard frost.
• Graze the least sensitive stock such as sheep or stockers.
• Strip graze.