06/27/06 Updated cow-calf management guide

American Rancher June 27, 2006 Northwest cattle producers who are weighing different approaches to managing and marketing their calves and cull cows this fall will find detailed discussions and worksheets in the recently updated "Cow-Calf Management Guide and Cattle Producer`s Library." University of Idaho's Jason Ahola says in the three ring binder are major topics like reproduction, nutrition, management, genetics, drought, finance, quality assurance, health and pasture. AHOLA "It's updated every year and you actually can get and we'll send you updated versions of the fact sheets and it's also peer reviewed. So that anybody that puts an article in there it's been read by several other researchers." With an increased supply of calves expected to lower calf prices this fall, Ahola says now would be a good time for cattle producers to calculate the breakeven selling price for over wintering calves and the costs and returns of custom-feeding cattle. There are two worksheets included in the manual with fact sheets that compare the advantages and disadvantages of retained ownership. The manual is available for $95 as a printed binder that includes a CD-ROM, or buy just the CD for $35. You can get the manual through the University of Idaho website, or call 208-885-6345. cowcalf@uidaho.edu or http://www.avs.uidaho.edu/wbrc. I'm Bob Hoff.