Due to low quality forages being harvested last fall cattle herds came through the winter in extremely thin Body Condition.  In order for cattle to maintain a yearly production cycle, they must breed back within 80-85 days after calving.  Body Condition Scoring is an effective management tool to estimate the energy reserves of a cow.  Many factors influence the postpartum interval but body condition score of the cow at the time of calving has the greatest impact on subsequent rebreeding performance.  A cow with a Body Condition Score of 1 is emaciated, and a cow with a Body Condition Score of 9 is extremely obese.  It is generally estimated that for each change in body condition  score, the cow must gain between 70 and 100 pounds of body weight.  

Traditional recommendations suggest cows need to be nutritionally managed at a Body Condition Score 5 or greater at breeding for optimal reproductive performance.  Many cows came through the winter in Body Condition Score 4 or lower.  The effects of poor body condition  (4 or less) can be overcome by improved nutrition.  The goal is to shorten the period of weight loss by increased nutrient supply so that positive gain can be initiated and the cows can return to estrus sooner and start cycling.  

A feed trial was conducted on a 250 cow beef herd feeding distillers syrup which is a by-product from one of the local distilleries.  The syrup was placed in a lick tank with the cows having access to 5-7 pounds of syrup dry matter per day or approximately 2.2 gallon per cow per day.  Results of the trial showed that in 30 days we were able to put one full Body Condition Score on the cows and bring their Body Condition Score back to 5 or higher before time to turn in the bull for breeding season.  This is a cheap economical local feed source  to provide supplemental nutrition to cows prior to breeding the cow herd.