The money you don't spend is the money you make, advised Twig
Marston, cow-calf production specialist at Kansas State
University. Spring is quickly upon us and many cow-calf
producers are right in the thick of calving season. And while
they may find little time to think about anything else,
producers should also be gearing up for the breeding season,
Marston says. To help producers ensure that their cows are as
efficient as possible, Marston recommends that they evaluate
their cows using the Body Condition Score system prior to the
breeding season to make sure they are at a healthy weight for
breeding. The BCS system is a way for a producer to estimate the
average body condition of cows in his or her herd. The system is
based on a range of scores from one to nine, with one being
severely thin and weak and nine being obese. "During the spring,
cow-calf producers should make sure that the body condition
scores of their cows are where they want them to be prior to
breeding," Marston says. "Cows that are too skin