Spring Cattle Turnout

The weather is getting warmer and snow is disappearing from the hills fairly quickly.

That means cattle producers are preparing pastures or cover crops for spring turnout.

Cow/Calf Specialist Taylor Grussing says step one is to make sure all cattle have some form of identification.

While working cows at turnout, be sure to vaccinate calves as well because maternal antibodies make way for a vaccine response by the time calves reach two months of age. It's not uncommon to hear of vaccination for clostridia diseases such as blackleg in late spring, but the idea of protecting against pneumonia is less common. Respiratory vaccines at turnout prime the immune system to better respond at weaning, but perhaps more importantly, begin to offer protection before weaning. This is where best management practices for endpoint quality can pay off at the ranch.

She also suggests to body condition score cows before spring turnout. Scores range from one to nine, with ideal cow condition being a five.

If your target is high-quality beef, spring is the time to implement several key "best management practices"

Those who will soon breed spring-calving females are laying the groundwork for their reality four years down the road. As quality grade continues to improve, make sire choices to position your herd well above today's quality grade average of 75% Choice and better. Consider aiming high enough to earn premiums for hitting the Certified Angus Beef brand or other value-added programs that already make up one-third of the fed cattle supply while earning steady to higher premiums on each animal.