Genetics & Performance

The price at an auction market is the market's estimate of what a calf is worth that day, based on the information buyers can see and trust. There is very little indication of the calf's future potential for growth, feed efficiency, or carcass value. Calves sired by proven sires may have ...

Many producers have considered starting to wean their calves early this year due to drought and declining forage quality. Early weaning is an effective drought-management tool to reduce the nutrient requirements of the cowherd, preserve cow body condition and reduce forage demand. Weaning is a stressful event in a calf’s ...

Setting replacement heifers up for cowherd longevity is more than achieving a first pregnancy.  It requires building females that remain productive within the constraints of their production environment (forage resources, climate, and management).   Research across a range of development systems demonstrates that similar pregnancy rates can often be achieved ...

The beef industry is currently experiencing a tug-of-war between biological efficiency and market signals that reward heavier carcass weights. Recent Rancher’s Thursday webinar sessions (https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/beef-extension/ranchers-thursday-lunchtime-series/tug-of-war-in-the-cattle-industry) highlighted the growing tension in the beef industry between the market driven feeding for heavier carcass weights, selection for increased growth and efficiency and the ...

Much has been written about rising harvest weights in the beef sector, which have helped sustain production despite tight cattle supplies. Less attention, however, has been paid to the parallel trend of improving carcass quality grades. The percentage of cattle grading USDA Prime averaged 9.2% in 2023, increased to 11.8% ...

Our expectations of first-calf heifers are high. We ask a 2-year-old cow to calve for the first time, rebreed on time to maintain a 365-day calving interval and continue growing all at the same time. On top of that, there is significant financial pressure on this animal. She has not ...

Over the past 60 years, mature cow body weight has increased at an annual average of 7.7 pounds per year, but it has not increased at a constant rate. The following chart shows the average annual estimated cow live weight estimated from USDA reports for monthly cow carcass weights. When ...

Selection of cattle is the process by which we determine which animals become parents, how many offspring they will produce and how long they will remain in our breeding herd. When we select replacement heifers or herd bulls we are practicing selection. When we cull old, open cows or ornery ...

With the onset of The Cattlemen’s Congress currently taking place in Oklahoma City, the spring 2026 bull buying season has officially started. The full schedule of sales during the Cattlemen’s Congress can be found at https://cattlemenscongress.com/sales/. Bull buying season will continue into the spring months, in Oklahoma and across the nation ...

Calf supplies are expected to be tight this fall. The U.S. beef cow herd is the smallest since the early 1960s, and calf crops continue to shrink. Stocker operators will need to look for alternative sources of grazing cattle.  One option is beef-on-dairy crosses. Each year, U.S. dairies produce more ...