Patsy Houghton, president and general manager of Heartland Cattle Co., McCook, Nebraska, gave advice for developing heifers in fall 2020, spring 2021 and beyond in a recent Angus University webinar. She offered seven challenges to help commercial cattlemen improve their replacement heifers:
- Place selection pressure on fertility
- Enhance your calf crop value
- Improve retention of young cows
- Improve pounds of beef weaned per acre of grass
- Control bull management and costs
- Improve your cow herd temperament
- Data management and summary
Source: Angus Beef Bulletin, July 20, 2020. Link.
. . . place high value on economically important traits for a commercial operation: fertility; longevity; immune response; fleshing ability (feed efficiency); and a quiet disposition to reduce injuries and improve carcass quality and yield.” – Patty Houghton
INSIGHTS: The American Angus Association offers the “Rev Up Your Replacements” video as part of its online Angus University at this < link >.
Consider inviting 10 or fewer Angus breeder clients for a relaxing summer evening where you can keep good physical distance, share a beverage and watch the video together. Use the garage or the machine shed to stay Covid-19 compliant while improving the value you bring to local producers.