Director column

IBC director's monthly column featured in Cattleman Magazine. Archives
Denise Schwab, interim IBC director	February 2025 Positioning for expansion I recently heard Dr. Derrell Peel speaking about the potential for cow herd expansion which is a topic I’ve been contemplating for some time. With the national cow herd at 60+ year lows, we know an expansion will come but the big question is when and how much, as well as who will be positioned to take advantage of it. Of course, I’d like to see Iowa cattlemen poised to take advantage of this, but it isn’t without risk. Regardless of when an expansion happens, cattlemen need to position their operations to benefit from it and protect it from the eventual market decrease that will come with increasing herd size. So, what are some of these keys to position your operation for long-term sustainability? For the cow herd, reproductive performance is probably the most important measure for sustainability. Reproductive performance is more than just getting cows bred. We need to focus on and increase the percentage of cows that conceive in the first or second heat cycle, and do so every year. Late-calving cows cost herds about 40 pounds of weaning weight for every cycle later in the year, resulting in a less uniform group of calves, and their heifer calves retained as replacements may not be cycling yet at the time of bull turnout. Some steps to improve your herd: Evaluate calving records to count and calculate the percentage of the herd that calves in each 21-day period after the start of the calving season. An initial goal is 67% of the cows exposed to bulls calving in 21 days, 82% within 42 days and 94% within 63 days. A more challenging goal might be 70%, 90%, and 100%. Review your herd health plan with your veterinarian to ensure you are optimizing the health of your herd. Conduct BSE on ALL bulls for EVERY breeding season. Review your feeding program for optimum herd performance and health, including pasture stocking rates as well as winter feeding programs. Consider an estrus synchronization program for cows beyond the first two calving periods. Synch protocols are typically considered when using AI, but can also help push up some late cows in bull breeding programs. A simple synchronization protocol to move up late cows is to turn bulls out with cows, then 5 days later inject PGF2a which will shorten the cow’s estrous cycle and cause any cows not bred by the bull in the first 5 days to come into heat within a few days. Bull power needs to be adequate (1:25 for mature bulls, 1:15 for yearling bulls) and bulls must have been breeding soundness evaluated prior to turnout. Fort Keogh Research Center (Montana) implemented this protocol for three years resulting in a pregnancy rate of 85% in a 32-day breeding season. Take advantage of the free benefits of heterosis from crossbreeding. Select replacement heifers from only those heifers born early in the calving season. Feedlot operators also can prepare for market reversals by reviewing your breakevens, increasing your experience with risk management practices, and exploring alternative marketing strategies to capitalize on the value of the cattle fed. Our Iowa Beef Center team will be delving into this in more depth at several of the ICA Forums, so plan to join us at one of them. See the list of remaining forums https://www.iacattlemen.org/events-meetings. For a list of other Iowa Beef Center programs coming up check out the calendar of events in our Growing Beef newsletter, and watch for upcoming BQA programs at www.iabeef.org/cattlemens-corner/iowa-bqa. If you aren’t already receiving Growing Beef, sign up at https://go.iastate.edu/UIQJTM or by clicking the QR code. The IBC at Iowa State University serves as the university’s extension program to cattle producers. Our center comprises a team of faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. We work together to develop and deliver the latest in research-based information to improve the profitability and vitality of Iowa’s beef industry. If you’d like to be notified of updates on progress of research projects or programs that might be coming to your area, please subscribe to our “Growing Beef” newsletter by following the link on our website, www.iowabeefcenter.org. If you have a question, use our “Ask our Experts” link. Also, feel free to call us at 515-294-BEEF or email us at beefcenter@iastate.edu. You can follow @iowabeefcenter on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

IBC director's monthly column featured in Cattleman Magazine. Archives

Denise Schwab, interim IBC director

February 2025

Positioning for expansion

I recently heard Dr. Derrell Peel speaking about the potential for cow herd expansion which is a topic I’ve been contemplating for some time. With the national cow herd at 60+ year lows, we know an expansion will come but the big question is when and how much, as well as who will be positioned to take advantage of it. Of course, I’d like to see Iowa cattlemen poised to take advantage of this, but it isn’t without risk.

Regardless of when an expansion happens, cattlemen need to position their operations to benefit from it and protect it from the eventual market decrease that will come with increasing herd size. So, what are some of these keys to position your operation for long-term sustainability?

For the cow herd, reproductive performance is probably the most important measure for sustainability. Reproductive performance is more than just getting cows bred. We need to focus on and increase the percentage of cows that conceive in the first or second heat cycle, and do so every year. Late-calving cows cost herds about 40 pounds of weaning weight for every cycle later in the year, resulting in a less uniform group of calves, and their heifer calves retained as replacements may not be cycling yet at the time of bull turnout. Some steps to improve your herd:

Evaluate calving records to count and calculate the percentage of the herd that calves in each 21-day period after the start of the calving season. An initial goal is 67% of the cows exposed to bulls calving in 21 days, 82% within 42 days and 94% within 63 days. A more challenging goal might be 70%, 90%, and 100%.
Review your herd health plan with your veterinarian to ensure you are optimizing the health of your herd.
Conduct BSE on ALL bulls for EVERY breeding season.
Review your feeding program for optimum herd performance and health, including pasture stocking rates as well as winter feeding programs.
Consider an estrus synchronization program for cows beyond the first two calving periods. Synch protocols are typically considered when using AI, but can also help push up some late cows in bull breeding programs. A simple synchronization protocol to move up late cows is to turn bulls out with cows, then 5 days later inject PGF2a which will shorten the cow’s estrous cycle and cause any cows not bred by the bull in the first 5 days to come into heat within a few days. Bull power needs to be adequate (1:25 for mature bulls, 1:15 for yearling bulls) and bulls must have been breeding soundness evaluated prior to turnout. Fort Keogh Research Center (Montana) implemented this protocol for three years resulting in a pregnancy rate of 85% in a 32-day breeding season.
Take advantage of the free benefits of heterosis from crossbreeding.
Select replacement heifers from only those heifers born early in the calving season.

Feedlot operators also can prepare for market reversals by reviewing your breakevens, increasing your experience with risk management practices, and exploring alternative marketing strategies to capitalize on the value of the cattle fed.

Our Iowa Beef Center team will be delving into this in more depth at several of the ICA Forums, so plan to join us at one of them. See the list of remaining forums https://www.iacattlemen.org/events-meetings.

Growing Beef newsletter sign up.

For a list of other Iowa Beef Center programs coming up check out the calendar of events in our Growing Beef newsletter, and watch for upcoming BQA programs at www.iabeef.org/cattlemens-corner/iowa-bqa.

If you aren’t already receiving Growing Beef, sign up at https://go.iastate.edu/UIQJTM or by clicking the QR code.

The IBC at Iowa State University serves as the university’s extension program to cattle producers. Our center comprises a team of faculty and staff from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. We work together to develop and deliver the latest in research-based information to improve the profitability and vitality of Iowa’s beef industry. If you’d like to be notified of updates on progress of research projects or programs that might be coming to your area, please subscribe to our “Growing Beef” newsletter by following the link on our website, www.iowabeefcenter.org. If you have a question, use our “Ask our Experts” link. Also, feel free to call us at 515-294-BEEF or email us at beefcenter@iastate.edu. You can follow @iowabeefcenter on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.