Page 3 - January Newsletter

Livestock By: Sandy Johnson, Extension Beef SpecialistResolve to get a Personal Assistant for your Cow/Calf Operation in 2019Most of our farming and ranching enterprises would welcome a little more help from time to time. That additional help can be hard to find or find with the skills desired. In other cases, hiring help may put too much strain on the budget. One-way cow/calf producers can make the time they do have go a bit further is by using an electronic per- sonal assistant called the Management Minder. It keeps track of key dates and activities as they relate to manag- ing the herd and shows them to you on an electronic calendar. Reminders would automatically pop-up on your phone based on your inputs. There is some investment of time initially to set it up, but from that point on, it’s on the job working for you. You can find the Management Minder at www.KSUBeef.org/managementminder.The Management Minder is specific for your particular calving and breeding schedule. If you start calving March 1, it will remind you to start nighttime feeding to promote daytime calving on Feb. 15. If you are going to use an in- sect growth regulator as part of your fly control program, feeding should start by the first week in April in NW KS to be most effective. The Management Minder provides a reminder in case you are not thinking about fly control when you are making mineral purchases in March. The Minder will also prompt you to take body condition scores at key times of the year. Measuring body condition score is critical to managing feed costs and performance. Based on the weaning date you set, it will allow you to plan a vaccination schedule and provide reminders to have all sup- plies ordered well in advance of the planned vaccination.For some things, the exact day the item is addressed (i.e. assess cow body condition at weaning) may not be criti- cal. Rather it is more important that it is done and not overlooked. Some of us are experts at putting things off and at some point there can be a significant cost to doing so. The prime example is the weight cows need to put on during the third trimester to account for fetal growth. It is easier and cheaper to feed a cow to gain 150 pounds in 90 days, rather than 30 days. Each day delayed requires a slightly higher rate of gain. This is a prime example of a date that can slip by us with tremendous negative consequences.So how do you find and use the Management Minder? Go to www.KSUBeef.org/managementminder. Register for an account so you can roll it over to the next year or share with your veterinarian or other team members. Select the items you want to include in your calendar, email program output to yourself and import into Outlook, Google or Yahoo calendars. You can print the calen-dar and or use it on your computer and smart phone. The program’s opening page contains a user guide and list of items you can include in your calendar.So for 2019, resolve to develop a yearlong production calendar specific for your cow/ calf operation to help with planning and timely management. The Management Minder can’t feed cows for you, but it can remind you to take steps that will save you time and money. For more information or help with the Management Minder contact Sandy Johnson, sandyj@ksu.edu.K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.