January can be a great time to reflect on the previous year and look ahead to improve in the new year. No calves hitting the ground. No processing days. No dust, flies or heat stress. January is a time you can fix problems before they cost you real money.

By the time calving starts, you are in “work mode” vs. “planning mode.”

Herd health happens in advance

Most health problems you deal with in spring weren’t caused in spring.

- Weak calves? Often, a late-gestation nutrition issue

- Calves with scours last year? Usually, environment + colostrum + density factors involved

- Less than a 95 percent pregnancy rate in a 65-day breeding season? Look back at cow body condition score (BCS), bull power, or skipping a bull breeding soundness exam (BBSE)

January is when you still have time to change outcomes instead of reacting and treating symptoms.

A simple January herd health review

Every herd – large or small – should answer a few questions right now, while memories are still fresh. I hope you grab a pen and paper and write down your thoughts.

1. What went wrong last year?

Not only what you treated, but what actually cost you money.

 - How many calves got sick?

- How many calves were lost?

- How many cows were open or late calvers?

- Did calves meet weight and quality expectations at weaning?

If you have 50 cows and lose four calves versus two, those two calves likely would have been worth $2,000 the day of weaning. How would an extra $4,000 impact your beef business?

2. When did the problem actually start?

This is where most conversations get uncomfortable, but productive.

I worked with a Midwest producer last year who blamed scours on “a bad bug.”

The real issue? A combination of thin cows at calving, feeding poor-quality hay, and the most important factor of too many cows calving in one area. We made a plan to get hay cut earlier, test hay, balance a winter ration and try the Sandhill’s Calving System (SCC - please look it up). I have implemented the SCC in many other herds, and scours rates frequently go to zero.

3. What did you assume was “good enough”?

January is a good time to challenge assumptions.

- “The hay looks fine”

- “We’ve always fed this way”

- “We vaccinate, so we’re covered”

- “Our mineral program hasn’t changed in years”

Those statements don’t mean they’re wrong, but they’re worth revisiting.

Winter nutrition: a big driver of herd health

Late gestation nutrition is one of the most common – and fixable – herd health weak points I see. Cows don’t need to be fat, (BCS 5.5-6.0 is ideal for cows with 6.5-7.0 being ideal for heifers), but they must not be losing condition in the last 60-90 days before calving.

Common January problems:

- Hay that is too low in energy (TDN or total digestible nutrients) to meet the cows’ needs. This is especially true with cold winter weather

- Hay that tests 8-9 percent protein when cows need more

- Poor quality mineral (trace mineral salt is NOT enough) or inconsistent consumption of minerals

- Lack of adequate Vitamins, especially Vitamin A, which is a common cause of stillborn and weak calves in our area

A small to moderate amount of targeted supplementation in January often pays for itself multiple times in stronger calves with more vigor at birth, higher quality colostrum, fewer assisted births and improved rebreeding.

Bulls matter more than we might think

January is also bull season – whether we think about it or not.

Frozen ground and cold weather are when foot and leg problems show up, body condition either recovers, or doesn’t, and old injuries become obvious.

If a bull can’t move comfortably in January, he won’t perform in May. Don’t wait until turnout to find problems that may be festering now.

Pick one thing to fix, not 10

The biggest mistake we make in January is trying to overhaul everything. Don’t.

Pick one herd health change for 2026:

- Test hay and adjust late-gestation supplementation

- Reduce calving density – learn about the Sandhills Calving System

- Separate heifers from cows precalving

- Have a consult with your herd health veterinarian about updating your herd health plan

One good change, done well, beats five changes done halfway.

Looking ahead: a year of practical herd health

This January column kicks off a 2026 series focused on practical, day-to-day herd health and economic decisions – not theory, not perfection, and not things that only work on paper.

Over the coming months, we’ll tackle:

- Nutrition-driven health problems

- Scours prevention that works

- Bull management beyond breeding soundness exams

- Biosecurity mistakes that cost producers money

- Small management changes with big financial returns

Herd health isn’t something you do during emergencies. It’s something you build intentionally, and often in months like January.

Look at the ideas above and ask yourself, “Who is the expert in this area?” For health issues, contact your herd health veterinarian. For nutrition-related issues, your nutritionist can be a valuable asset. When I do herd consults, I find that many beef producers think they are too small to have a nutritionist. I disagree. Nearly every feed company has a nutritionist on staff. They are there to help you, and they want to help you.

Another idea is to contact the most successful beef producer in your area and ask them for one suggestion to help you reach your goal to be a top-tier beef producer (or maybe you are that person).

While not a “health” issue directly, having a grazing plan for the year is very important. On our farm when I was a boy, having our county extension educator help us to improve our pastures was hugely important to the success of our beef business. The improvements allowed us to increase cow numbers on the same acres of land while improving our soil, and feeding hay for a shorter time because we grazed longer. These changes greatly improved our bottom line. The biggest impact was when we learned how to frost seed red clover onto our grass pastures in late January-early February. Call your extension office to learn how to improve your pastures.

If you use winter to plan for 2026, spring gets a whole lot easier.