“A bale ≠ a bale ≠ a bale” summarized a post from last week <Link>. The importance of building a nutritional program for a cow-calf system is emphasized by Travis Mulliniks, PhD, in this article. Leading with BCS, his considerations are a foundation for herd health and vitality discussions with producers.
He says understanding nutritional requirements, knowing the stress periods that can happen, having built-in nutritional contingency plans, and understanding both the quality and quantity of forage resources are important when building a winter nutritional program.
Source: Angus Beef Bulletin, November 3, 2025. Link. Typically, a cow must gain 75 – 100 pounds of body weight to increase one full condition score, but during late gestation that number increases to account for fetal growth and placental weight.
Decisions made now will directly influence subsequent cow body condition scores, reproductive success, calf health and overall herd profitability in the coming year.” – Travis Mulliniks, PhD
Also see: 5 factors for transitioning beef cattle from fall to winter, Bovine Practitioner, October 28, 2025. Link. Veterinary oversight as winter arrives is key to preventing disease, feed inefficiency and reproductive setbacks.
Image: Link.