Page 17 - MWC 4-20-2023s

Breeding Soundness The Midwest Cattleman · April 20, 2023 · P17

of Bulls

By Brooks Warner, OSU Extension Agriculture &
Natural Resources Extension Educator
Breeding season for most weight the following year for
beef herds is upon us or rap- the calf she finally conceives.
idly approaching here in the Not only does a bull need
Midwest, and whether you to fit the physical criteria
plan to use your old bull or and the inherent drive to
purchase a new one, it is breed cows, but he needs
important to know that the to be of the right age. Most
bull you have is fertile. The continued on page 18
best way to know if your bull
is fertile is by sending him
through a Breeding Sound-
ness Exam (BSE).
It is important to under- Missouri Beef Days
stand what a fertile and pro-
ductive bull looks like before
you open your billfold to pur-
chase a bull. Aside from the
initial cost of purchasing a
sub-fertile bull, the econom-
ic loss due to sub-fertile bulls
is far greater in the long run. may 6-13, 2023 • bolivar, mo
For every 21-day period of
the breeding season that a
cow remains open, there is
a loss of ~55lbs of weaning

CAN I START

continued from page 16
grass tetany, contact your
local extension service or
large animal veterinarian.
Lastly, I am already seeing
a fair amount of poison hem- AMANDA RADKE
lock in some fields and es- RAY ARCHULETA TEMPLE GRANDIN
pecially along roadsides and SUN, MAY 7, 2023 MON, MAY 8, 2023 TUE, MAY 9, 2023
low areas. Poison hemlock
looks a lot like cow or wild Saturday • Missouri Beef Days Block Party - Tuesday • Temple Grandin
parsnips but has purplish MAY 6 Cornhole Tournament, Beef Cook-O , MAY 9 SBU Mabee Chapel
colored streaks and spots on Food Trucks, Games for Kids
the smooth stem. This plant Wednesday • NextGen Economics Team
is poison to both livestock • Junior Livestock Show MAY 10 SBU Mabee Chapel
and humans. It is a true bi- • Boots & Bling - dinner, auction, and
ennial so it will set seed the Polk County Cattleman of the Year Thursday • Missouri Beef Days Rodeo - DAY 1
second year — so kill it the MAY 11 • Rodeo Market
first year! It is a prolific seed Sunday • Cowboy Church with Amanda Radke
producer. Do not handle it MAY 7 • Beef Feed by Polk County Cattlemen Friday • Missouri Beef Days Rodeo - DAY 2
with bare hands. MAY 12 • Rodeo Market
Poisoned animals show Monday • Ray Archuleta
signs within two hours of Saturday • Missouri Beef Days Parade
eating the plant, and tend to MAY 8 SBU Mabee Chapel MAY 13 • Ag Expo • Concert
become nervous, tremble and
become uncoordinated. After
the excitement phase, the Wine & Beef Pairing
animal becomes depressed. Beef Demo Tue., May 9
Contact your local extension & Sampling Take the For event TIMES,
office for more information 3-6pm Whiskey & Beef Pairing western art LOCATIONS, and
TICKETS, visit
walk all
on this plant or control meth- Fri., May 5 & Wed., May 10 around town! MissouriBeefDays.com
ods. Mon., May 8 4-6pm each day or scan the QR code.
Remember, it’s not about Woods Supermarket Silo Ridge Country Club
maximizing a grazing event,
but maximizing a grazing
season! Keep on grazing!