Opinion
It has taken 30 or more years for calf preconditioning to become a household phrase. For any producer, preconditioning may have a different meaning than his neighbors’. Veterinarians and representatives working with producers must continue to discuss, educate and fine tune preconditioning programs for individual operations. Preconditioning’s value has been proven time and again.
NOW is the time to get the vaccinations administered to get the most out of calves from spring calving, says Mark Z. Johnson, PhD. He shares the benefits of preconditioning programs.
Source: BEEF, June 7, 2022. Link.
Act now to add value at weaning and beyond . . . for spring calving herds. Now is the time to castrate, dehorn, implant and get the first-round vaccinations into calves when they are two to four months of age. The second round of vaccinations can be given at, or prior to, weaning.
INSIGHTS: Conservatively, preconditioning may capture $50 to $75 per head of additional value from weaning through packing compared to a production system where weaning, vaccination, and other management practices associated with preconditioning occur after shipment from the ranch of origin <Link>