Today's date: November 20, 2009
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| Preconditioning adds value |
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October 14, 2009 |
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| Mike Boersma - County Extension Educator with the University of Minnesota Extension Service in Murray and Pipestone Counties | |
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Many beef producers will be weaning calves in the coming weeks and this process is one of the most important aspects of the cow-calf industry. Unnecessary stress at weaning can be detrimental to the success of the animal during its time in the feed yard. Generally speaking, animals that are least affected by the stresses of weaning are the animals that will go on to perform the best in the feedlot. On the other hand, animals that are stressed at weaning and suffer from health problems in the early days in the feedlot will likely never catch up to the rest of the group and will not be as profitable.
One of the best ways to minimize stress is by spreading out the various procedures that make this process stressful for calves. This is commonly referred to as "preconditioning". In a nutshell, preconditioning calves allows for a smoother transition from the pasture to the feedlot. Here are a few steps to preconditioning calves that will help spread out the stress of weaning and minimize its future impact. To read the rest of this article - pick up a copy of the Murray County News or you can read it on line - subscriptions to The Murray County News are available online. Click on the free demo and it will give you instructions on how to subscribe for the online edition. |
©Murray County News 2009