Working Ranch Magazine March/April 2025

Plan to Conceive Ranchers should consider the long term profitability of each female. “You can spend a lot of money for feed to get a heifer to a certain weight and then calve,” Waechter-Mead explains. “Many heifers have a healthy calf while they’re at a lower body weight. It comes down to economics. How much are you spending for feedstuffs to get that heifer to the weight [or BCS] you’re comfortable with? What is your long-term profitability goal for her? Research shows cows must be in the herd for six years before showing a profit. We don’t want to work on developing a heifer for her to be open the next breeding season. Determine the right plane of nutrition to reach the best weight before she’s bred.” Many producers utilize Artificial Insemination (AI) and Embryo Transfer (ET). Testing for estrus

Waechter-Mead explains. “If he was injured last weekend and I take a sam ple today, the damage won’t appear for two months. It’s important to know. This information gives the rancher four to six weeks to find another bull.” A BSE is a moment in time, giving the producer a good idea the bull is producing healthy, well-shaped, and active sperm. The BSE also checks the animal’s eyesight and mobility so the producer knows the bull is ready and able to do his job. If a bull fails the BSE the first time, or if there is a question about sperm quality, the veterinarian may check again in two to four weeks. Failing the BSE could be caused by a treatable reproductive tract infection. “Understand your herd’s plane of nutrition,” Waechter-Mead con cludes. “Know your animals’ BSE, so you can determine where they need to be and set goals. Understand the nutritional requirements bulls, cows, and heifers need at each production stage. Think about this year-round because breeding time is too late. You can create a solid breeding plan to get those girls pregnant.”

synchronization usually requires a trip through the chute for injec tions or breeding. If females are too hot due to warm weather or stressed from being handled, conception rates decrease. It is also important to allow 30 days between vaccinations and breeding, as some vaccines may inter fere with conception rates. There is a brief four-day window if a producer wants to move females from the working facility to grass. “Once you get past day four, you interfere with the fetus implantation rate,” Waechter Mead warns. “Don’t transport or move them by foot from day five to day 40. Even with a bull turnout, you’ll have about a 10% decrease in conception moving cows out to pasture.” Producers often forget about the bulls until breeding season. They require the same year-round min eral the females receive. Bulls need a Bull Soundness Exam (BSE) about four to six weeks before turnout. Sperm production takes 61 days. “If I took a sample on a bull today and he had an injury two months ago, it will show that he’s sperm deficient,”

ADOBE/CARRIE

34 I MARCH 2025 WORKING RANCH audited readers run 21 million head of beef cattle.