NDSU Extension develops interactive cow-calf record book

In a cow-calf operation, recordkeeping can be time- and labor-intensive; however, it is the only way for producers to have historical information to reference when contemplating making a change or investigating how a change impacted production or profitability.

North Dakota State University Extension has developed the NDSU Cow-Calf Record Book resource to easily visualize trends and changes within a herd through an entire production season — from conception to weaning — and to compare herd performance with North Dakota and nationwide averages.

“Not every operation has the same goals, which means not every type of record will hold the same priority from herd to herd,” says Lacey Quail, NDSU Extension livestock management specialist. “Some may want to focus on docility and structure, while others are working to improve calving distribution.”

The NDSU Cow-Calf Record Book was built to be interactive, whether minimal or extensive records are entered. If baseline identification and breeding/calving/weaning dates are entered, the record book automatically returns an average breeding season length, calving and weaning rates, and a full breakdown of calving distribution.

“The number of calves born and weaned per female exposed to breeding is an indication of herd fertility and overall calf survival, both directly impacting profitability,” says Quail. “On the other hand, the proportion of females calving in the first 21 days of the calving season points to reproductive efficiency of the herd.”

Females that calve later in the calving season often wean lighter calves and are less likely to become pregnant in the following breeding season.

As additional records, such as age, location, weights, calving ease, parentage and pregnancy diagnosis are entered, additional summaries are provided:

• Average bull-to-female ratio for yearling and mature sires
• Automatic, printable lists of nonpregnant females and females set to calve, grouped by month of the calving season
• Average herd pregnancy rate, with breakdowns of pregnancy rate by dam age and Body Condition Score, sire and location
• Average birth weight, with breakdowns by calf sex, calving ease score, sire and dam age
• Pounds weaned per female exposed
• Top 10% of females in the herd, based on calf growth performance and percentage of body weight weaned
• Average calf weaning weight, average daily gain and adjusted 205-day weaning weights, with breakdowns by dam and sire characteristics
• Comprehensive herd summary page comparing herd averages to North Dakota or nationwide averages for the same metrics

The NDSU Cow-Calf Record Book can be downloaded as a Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets file at ndsu.ag/cow-calf-book-26.

A workshop event to help producers use the NDSU Cow-Calf Record Book will be held Oct. 1 at NDSU’s Hettinger Research Extension Center. More information is available at ndsu.ag/cowcalfbookevent.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Sept. 15, 2026

Source: Lacey Quail, 701-857-7677, lacey.quail@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu