Hair Shedding the Secret to Higher Weaning Weights and Conception Rates

Today, Shaye Wanner interviews Jamie Courter, a University of Missouri assistant professor and genetics extension specialist, about research and producer use of cattle hair shedding scores. Corder explains hair shedding’s link to heat stress—especially in the Southeast with endophyte-infected fescue—and summarizes findings that earlier-shedding cows wean heavier calves, including Simmental data showing hair shed score 1 cows weaned calves 45 pounds heavier than score 5 cows.

She describes the 1–5 scoring system, typical shedding pattern, and recommends scoring the whole herd on the same day when variation is greatest, noting bulls shed earlier and younger cows score higher than mature cows within a year. She discusses recent genomic work suggesting shedding relates more to changing daylight than temperature, notes variation exists within all breeds, and points listeners to University of Missouri Extension publications for scoring guidance and research details.

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Learn more about hair shedding research at https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g2049

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00:51 Jamie’s background 01:37 Why hair shedding matters 03:39 Research results and economics 05:02 Daylight vs temperature genetics 08:37 Scoring timing and method 11:39 Bulls calves and age effects 16:47 Consistent scoring observers 17:48 Across breeds and selection 21:49 Culling signals and resources