Spring-calving herds

• Breeding bulls should be removed from the cow herd after a 45- to 65-day breeding season.
• Monitor consumption of free-choice mineral products. Intake frequently declines during mid- to late summer. If consumption falls significantly below recommended level, palatable products such as cottonseed meal, dried molasses, and dried distillers’ grains can be blended with the mineral.
• Remove fly tags once effectiveness declines to minimize buildup of resistance. 

Fall-calving herds

• Weaned calves should be monitored frequently for development of lameness, respiratory disease, pinkeye and other health issues.
• Throughout the Southern Great Plains, forage protein concentration falls below the requirements for growing cattle during mid- to late summer. For this reason, 1 pound (lb.) of a high-protein supplement (such as Oklahoma Gold) can increase late-summer weight gain of weaned calves by about 0.6 lb. per day. Inclusion of a feed additive such as Bovatec® or Rumensin® is an important feature in this program. Both additives have been shown to reduce age at puberty and increase the percentage of heifers cycling by the beginning of the first breeding season.
• The protein supplement can be interval-fed. For example, if targeting an average consumption of 1 lb. per day and feed will be delivered three times per week, 2.33 lb. per head would be delivered at each feeding. When delivering a small-package supplement, interval feeding reduces variation in supplement consumption because more total supplement is fed per trip and timid animals have time to consume some of the feed.
• Select replacement heifers and determine which cows will be culled from the herd. Historically, cull-cow prices seasonally decline from July through November. Who knows what will happen this year?

General comments and recommendations

• Monitor water sources frequently to ensure adequate supply and water quality. Mature beef cows’ water consumption can vary from 8 to nearly 22 gallons per day. See AFS-3299 Estimating Water Requirements for Mature Beef Cows for more information.
• If moisture is abundant in Bermuda grass pastures and a split nitrogen (N) application strategy is being used, it may be time to apply an additional 40 to 60 lb. nitrogen per acre. 
• Harvest sudan and sudan hybrids for hay in the boot stage (normally 4-5 feet in height).  Before harvest, test the forage for nitrate concentration. More information can be found here: PSS-2903 Nitrate Toxicity in Livestock. 
• Continue fly and tick control program. Sprays, rubs and feed-through products will need to be employed or continued if fly tags were removed.
  Be prepared to test harvested forage, whether purchased or raised. A list of forage-testing laboratories certified through the National Forage Testing Association is available at www.foragetesting.org
• Several herbicide treatment options are available to minimize spread of the invasive legume sericea lespedeza. A herbicide application prior to seed production (just prior to and during the flowering stage) during late-summer can be very effective. 
• Similarly, blackberry bushes can be effectively controlled during late summer with a herbicide treatment immediately following fruit production/drop.      
• Late-season prescribed burns suppress brush and keep sericea lespedeza from going to seed.