For 4-H Leaders

The Beef Cattle Research Council is pleased to offer resources and tools for the next generation of beef cattle producers. The following resources are a sample of those available for 4-H leaders and club members.  

Stay current with seasonal information, production tips and beef research news by subscribing to the monthly newsletter The Wire.  

Infographics

The following infographics, printable PDFs and images were created to summarize and share key information on production practices important to beef producers. 

Biosecurity

Before the Exhibition
biosecurity before a 4-H beef show
Click for printable PDF.

During the Exhibition
biosecurity during a 4-H beef show
Click for printable PDF.
After the Exhibition
biosecurity after a 4-H beef show
Click for printable PDF.
staying safe at exhibitions
Click to download PDFs.
stop germs. wash your hands.
Learn more about biosecurity.
quarantine pen best practices for beef cattle
Click to expand.
do you think you have a closed herd?
Click for interactive closed herd graphic.

Calf 911

Calf 911 - calf vigor scoring
Learn more about calf vigor.
Calf 911 respiratory acidosis in newborn calves
Learn more about respiratory acidosis.
calf 911 calving decision tree
Learn more about calving.
BCRC calving presentations, normal and malpresentations
Learn more about calving.
colostrum management poster
Learn more about colostrum management.
tube feeding poster
Learn more about tube feeding.
calf recovery poster
Learn more about calf resuscitation.
calf dehydration poster
Learn more about calf dehydration.

Herd Health

vaccination best practices
Learn more about vaccination of the beef herd.
primary and secondary immune response
Click to expand.
injection techniques best practices for beef cattle producers
Click for PDF.
protocol for remote drug delivery for cattle
Click for PDF.
vaccine backgrounder for beef cow-calf producers
Click for two-page PDF.
cattle vaccine handling tips
Click for PDF.

Click for more vaccination guidelines.

Grazing Management

Standard growth curve of forages
Click to expand.
grazing rest period for recovering forages
Click to expand.
developing a grazing plan
Click to expand.
management tips for grazing alfalfa
Click to expand.
example paddock design
Click to expand.
example paddock design for grazing cattle
Click to expand.
example paddock design for beef cattle
Click to expand.
calculating forage requirements for animal unit equivalents
Click to expand.
calculating stocking rate
stocking rate by cow size
Click to expand.

Genetics

terminal cross breeding graphic
Click to expand.
two-way breed rotation for beef cattle
Click to expand.
three-way crossbreeding of beef cattle
Click to expand.

Nutrition and Feed Testing 

sampling methods for baled forage
Click to expand.
sampling best practices for fresh silage
Click to expand.
grain, pellet or alternative feed sampling
Click to expand.
stored silage sampling best practices
Click to expand.
sampling best practices for standing crops and swaths
Click to expand.
forage sampling best practices
Click for PDF.
energy flow through a ruminant
Click to expand.
flow of digesta through a ruminant stomach
Click to expand.
regional differences of trace minerals in Canada
Click to expand.
common mineral deficiencies in beef cattle
Click to expand.
beef cow production cycle
Click to expand.
Videos

The following informational videos highlight key production practices and procedures essential for the health, welfare and productivity of beef cattle. These include the popular Calf 911 series of videos, calving distribution, calculating carrying capacity and body condition scoring.  

Calf 911

Learn more about how to assess newborn calf vigor.
Learn more about how to spot respiratory acidosis.
Learn more about how to handle colostrum.
Learn more about how to tube feed a newborn calf.
Learn more about how to spot dehydration in calves.
Learn more about newborn calf resuscitation.
Learn more about how to help with a difficult calving.

Reproduction 

Learn more about bull valuation.
Learn more about calving distribution.

Biosecurity 

Learn more about Foot and Mouth Disease.

Herd Health 

Learn more about injection best practices for cattle.
Learn more about pain mitigation for beef cattle.

Nutrition and Feed Testing 

Learn more about body condition scoring for beef cows.
  • Water Quality video — COMING SOON!
  • CowBytes video — COMING SOON!

Grazing Management

Learn more about calculating carrying capacity.
Learn more about “take half, leave half” grazing.
Interactive Tools

The following interactive tools were developed to help beef producers make production decisions that suit a specific operation or goal. For an optimum user experience, tools are best viewed on a tablet or personal computer.  

impact of body condition score on cow productivity and profitability
BCRC carrying capacity calculator
BCRC tool for evaluating feed test results
bovine viral diarrhea vaccination cost-benefit calculator
Cow-Calf Record-Keeping Courses

Designed for beef producers working to strengthen their farm record-keeping and analysis skills for profitable decisions, these free courses deliver valuable information to your inbox in digestible bites every few days. 

cow-calf record-keeping course animal health & performance

Animal Health & Performance Records

Start today!

  • Evaluate your record-keeping systems while exploring the GOLD Standards of animal health records, body condition scoring, calving distribution, cow-to-bull ratio and more. 
Cow-Calf Record-Keeping Course for Forage & Grasslands

Forage & Grasslands Records

Start today!

  • Get started developing a grazing plan as you assess rangeland health, forage crop production records, feed inventory and feed testing, and calculate livestock forage demand and carrying capacity.  

Records for Tracking Genetic Improvements

Start Today!

  • Explore records that help with herd decisions such as selecting replacement heifers and bulls and making culling decisions.

Farm Financial Records

Coming Soon!

youth washing show calf