During the past few decades, preconditioning has changed the face of marketing calves. The more information a producer can give buyers, the better the calves sell. For instance, when video auctions started 35 years ago, before the internet, buyers merely received a printed sale book containing information about the calves offered. Now all the information is readily accessed online; the benefits of your preconditioning program are available to a lot more buyers.

Robert Wells, professor at the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, says preconditioning is important because it strengthens a calf’s immune system.

“Most of the calves that are going to feedyards right now are just calves; whereas, 30 years ago it was mainly yearlings, and calf feeding was a rarity. Now we’ve done such a good job with weaning weight and yearling weight EPDs (expected progeny differences), and pushing for growth, that the calves are bigger at a younger age,” he says.

Now we have many calves that are hitting the feedyard at less than a year of age, because they’re weighing 600 to 800 pounds (lb.) already. But even though they’re physically big enough, they haven’t had enough time to optimally develop their immune system.

“The preconditioning phase is really important. Not only are we going to feed them and set them up right nutritionally, but we also give them the vaccines and dewormers to make sure we’re setting them up for health on down the road,” he says. “Just as important as any of the vaccinations or additional nutrition is acclimating them to water and feeding systems, as well as getting them used to humans.”

On some big ranches there may not be any water troughs out on the range. The calves have been drinking from ponds or streams.