Bull-Pulling Time In The Ozarks
— A beef cow-calf management practice advocated by University of Missouri Extension livestock specialists is to bunch the calf crop. Bunching allows the scheduling of procedures like artificial insemination, vaccination, parasite control, pregnancy testing, and marketing.
“Marketing is especially helpful with bunching because you’ll have a more uniform group of calves with the advantage of more calves to sell together. Larger groups in the sale ring usually means more active bidding” said Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with MU Extension.
Bunching is achieved easily with a bull or artificial intelligent (AI) management according to Cole. First, establish when the optimum calving season is for the labor, forage, and marketing.
“Southwest Missouri with the abundance of fescue has two popular calving seasons. They’re broadly called the spring and fall seasons. The spring season may run from January to May. The fall season runs from mid-August to late November,” said Cole.
The length of the breeding season typically is around 90 to 120 days. Well-managed herds are now narrowing it to 75 or even down to 45 days. To achieve this narrow window requires strict attention to details.
“The first couple of years may see a higher culling rate than you’re used to. As you cull the late calvers that fail to breed on schedule you’ll start to realize the overall benefits,” said Cole.
According to Cole, farmers who calve in the February-April time frame should be pulling bulls now and putting them in their off-season pasture or pen. Several bulls can run together in a pasture if there is ample space and an electric fencing to add support to the original fence.
“Leaving bulls out not only strings out the calving season, but it also results in more pregnant heifer calves. Bred heifer calves create lots of problems to the next owners,” said Cole. “A frequent comment from producers who leave bulls out year-round is that it’s to protect against the neighbor’s sorry bull from jumping the fence and breeding some females.”
According to Cole, bull pulling is just good management and makes economic sense.
For more information, contact any of the MU Extension livestock specialists in southwest Missouri: Eldon Cole in Lawrence County, 417-4663102; Andy McCorkill in Dallas County at 417-3457551; Dr. Randy Wiedmeier, in Howell County at 417-256-2391; or Dr. Patrick Davis in Cedar County at 417-276-3313.