Optimizing production efficiency
It is becoming more difficult to obtain a profitable cow-calf operation. Still, there is something that producers can do to improve their production efficiency: have a set calving season.
According to a USDA, APHIS and Veterinary Services survey, more than half of beef cattle producers do not have a set calving season. This is something that many producers struggle with due to the extra hassle and time commitment that it creates, however the extra work will improve herd health, cow nutrition, reproductive performance and reduce overall expenses.
Long calving seasons are more than 90 days and create a wide age range of calves at weaning time. Today’s industry puts a lot of pressure on having uniform calves when going to market. If the calving season is 90 days long, the size of the calves when selling will be very inconsistent.
A long calving season also means lighter weaning weights. The age at which a calf is weaned greatly affects the weaning weight. If a producer weans a group of calves that were born over a 90-day calving period on the same day, their size will be very inconsistent causing some calves to weigh lighter than others. This will obviously have an impact on the end profit of the producer.
The ideal length of a calving season is 60 days. This is because if a group of calves in a 100-cow herd have a birth weight of 80 pounds and gain an average of 2 pounds per day this will translate into an extra 6,240 pounds of weaned beef.
Not only does a shorter calving season improve weaning weight, but it also provides a more cost-effective process for large and small beef operations to implement. It reduces the number of times it is necessary to gather cattle for weaning, optimizes the winter feeding program, and limits the use of facilities. The direct cost per animal unit decreases by 32 percent.
The main strategy to shorten a calving season is removing bulls and keeping them separate from the rest of the herd. This allows for all of the breeding to occur in a shortened amount of time, meaning that all of the calves will be born during the same time.
While creating shorter calving seasons requires extra work, the benefits far outweigh the hassle it causes and greatly improve a beef operation’s efficiency.
For more information about beef cattle reproduction and the effects of long calving seasons, contact your local county extension office or review these resources: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-3011.pdf and https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/animals-forages/beef-cattle/reproduction.aspx.
