What is PregCard?
Nebraska Extension PregCard was launched in 2024 to gather real-time reproductive performance data from Nebraska beef herds at the time of pregnancy check. Through collaboration with veterinary clinics and cow-calf producers, PregCard aims to establish statewide benchmarks and evaluate how routine management practices may influence pregnancy outcomes.
Reproductive efficiency is a key driver of profitability in cow-calf operations. Yet, consistent, standardized data on pregnancy rates and management practices across herds is limited. PregCard fills this gap by gathering practical, on-the-ground data that producers and veterinarians can use to make informed decisions.
2024 Pilot Year Highlights
The objective of PregCard is to 1) collect standardized reproductive data from beef herds, 2) benchmark pregnancy rates across varying herd sizes and management styles, and 3) evaluate relationships between management practices and pregnancy rates.
- Counties Represented: 13
- Total Females Evaluated: 17,091
- Average Pregnancy Rate: 89.1%
- Reporting Partners: 5 veterinary clinics and 1 producer
Participating herds were grouped by size (less than 50, 50–99, 100–199, or 200+ females). We recorded pregnancy rate, breeding season length, and bull-to-cow ratio to evaluate management practices. This information helps identify trends and management strategies that contribute to reproductive success.
Looking Ahead: Join the 2025 PregCard Program
We’re expanding the program this year and inviting more producers and veterinary clinics to participate.
Whether you’re a producer or veterinary clinic, your participation helps build a stronger dataset for benchmarking and supports data-driven decision-making across Nebraska beef systems that include diverse regions and herd sizes. Whether you manage 50 cows or 500, your data matters.
This year, we’ve made slight modifications to the PregCard to support the collection of calf and weaning data, helping us better understand how reproductive decisions impact downstream performance.
👉 Submit Data Here: https://go.unl.edu/pregcard_2025
If you're interested in participating or want to learn more, please contact Kacie McCarthy (kacie.mccarthy@unl.edu) or your local Nebraska Extension Livestock Systems Educator. Let’s work together to understand reproductive performance in our beef cattle herds across Nebraska.
