Growing Beef Newsletter
August 2026, Volume 17, Issue 2
The early bird gets the worm… even when preg checking!!
Beth Reynolds, IBC program specialist
Many in the Midwest are nearing the end of breeding season, or have already pulled bulls. It’s high time to get a pregnancy diagnosis date on the calendar with the veterinarian, and there are a few reasons why “the earlier, the better” can apply.
- Markets – Although we’ve had consistently strong cull cow prices and low inventory, there is still a seasonal impact on cull cow prices, especially locally. Most spring calving herds wean, preg check and cull around October, and we traditionally see a drop in the price as more of those cows are being marketed.
- Forage inventory – The open cows are consuming a lot of forage and putting pressure on pasture acres. If pastures are already dry and slow growing, an effective strategy to stretch grazing days is to destock. This can be pulling open cows to sell or feed for a short time before marketing. It’s worth noting that if forage availability is a concern, also consider early weaning. This remove both the forage demand of the calf, and the nutritional demand lactation puts on the cow. Early weaning is estimated to reduce daily forage consumption of the herd by 30-40%. The early weaned calves still need to be fed, but there are cost effective feedstuffs that can be utilized when pasture production is limited.
- Identifying late breds – there are advantages to managing groups of cows based on gestation length, especially when it comes to nutrition. Additionally, there might be opportunities to market the late calving group as bred cows and condensing the calving season. If wanting to distinguish between early and late breds, ultrasound detection is ideal. Blood tests will not distinguish days bred.
Pregnancy diagnosis is a simple, effective management strategy to ensure feed resources are allocated to bred animals, and open cattle are addressed in a timely manner. Marketing open heifers and cows can provide ~20% of the operation’s annual income, which is not a number to scoff at.
While getting a preg check date on the calendar, also mark Nov. 10-11. The Iowa Beef Center is hosting the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle Meeting in Des Moines, at the Holiday Inn Airport Conference Center. This meeting is geared specifically to those looking to improve the reproductive efficiency of their cowherd and will draw a crowd from across North America. The full schedule, details and registration can be found at beefrepro.org/arsbc/. We hope to see you there!
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