February 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 15 herd every day. Regardless of feeding regimens, checking in on condition before and after weather events is key. Learn to Body Condition Score “I’ve often asked a producer what the condition is on their herd, and they’ll reply, ʻthey’re pretty good,’” chuckles Kevin Herrick, Ph.D., technical services manager at POET. “But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Phrases like ʻpretty good’ are hard to work with and make it even harder to measure change over time. Learning and using body condition scoring, and having others assess your cattle to compare notes is always a good idea.” Herrick recommends targeting a BCS of 6 for mature cows, and a bit higher for heifers, since they have more growing to do coming into calving and future breeding. “Body condition scores are the heart of it all,” emphasizes Jennifer Schutz, Ph.D., head NA technical service manager, animal and plant health and nutrition at Chr. Hansen. “You’d better have assessed body condition scores in the fall before that first giant storm comes sweeping across the plains with a 30-degree temperature swing. … You’ve got to have animals sorted in order to support herd nutrition and health in the long term.” Failing to assess BCS and then losing a cow or calf at the end of the season is an avoidable outcome in many cases. “Understanding and managing body condition scores is the most important thing you can do for your herd,” Schutz says. Producers wanting to brush up on their skills assessing BCS can contact their local Extension agent, graduate students in the industry or a representative from their nutrition company. Fresh Eyes McCarthy, Herrick and Schutz agree on the benefits of inviting a third party to assess BCS on your herd, especially in early fall. “Intellectually, based on body condition scores, it should be easy to look at every animal and sort them into their group,” Schutz says. “But over hundreds of cattle on thousands of acres? That can be much more difficult to manage.” Your local Extension agent, the technical services manager at a company you work with or a fellow producer with attention to detail can all be great resources for getting a fresh set of eyes on your herd. “If you see your animals daily or weekly, it’s harder to recognize changes or trends,” Herrick says. “Bringing someone in to take a look and share their perspective can help you spot potential problems before they arise.” Know Your Cattle, Know Your Forages Sorting and managing cow herds by nutritional needs is a simple first step after assessing BCS. Younger or thinner cows can be separated from fleshier or more mature cows to allow for more precise nutrient distribution and minimize wasted nutrients on animals that don’t need them. This approach is made even easier when a producer has a base knowledge on the quality of forages available and what supplementary sources will be needed. “When you have animals on dormant forage and winter range, it’s often advanced in maturity, so you need to look at protein and energy,” McCarthy says. “Analysis on your forages and feedstuffs can be arranged with your local Extension agent.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 Want to learn how to body condition score your cows? Scan the QR code to go to the UNL Learning Module on “Body Condition Scoring Beef Cows” or go directly to https://beef.unl.edu/learningmodules.
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