Making the tough decisions

01-05-2010 | Not Specified

The three basics of beef cow performance that must always be in mind when reviewing the place of a beef herd in your system are:

• Rearing a good even line of weaners by calf sale day (eg 450kg Angus cow rearing a 230kg weaner in 200 days)

• Have a tight calving spread (95% of m/a cows in-calf after three cycles /63 days).

• Eat summer-autumn roughage and convert to back fat and milk for the calf. This improves pasture for sheep and fat stores can be burned off over winter without effecting production.

If the beef herd is not achieving these basics the system needs to change. You cannot hope for better results next year without action. A light, late-calving cow now is at best the same next year, or more likely an empty cow. There seem to be beef herds out there in a low body condition, late calving, high empty rate rut. In a year like this, opening the gates to skinned-out blocks and leaving light cows to it for the winter is a sleepwalk to a financial and welfare crisis.

The critical issue right now in the dry conditions is that many pregnant beef cows have not been able to put on condition over the summer in order to "work" over the winter. If the reserve tank is empty right now with a 120-day winter ahead, spring is looking grim for calf and milk production.

In dry conditions you have to make a plan, and take action early. Prioritising is important.

• Remove empty cows ASAP.

• Identify and draft out light condition cows, a body condition score(BCS) less than 4.5, pre-winter. Often they are second calvers. These pregnant cows cannot afford to lose further condition over the winter and will benefit from supplementary feeding. Cows that calve in light condition (<1500kg DM/ha) are at a much greater risk of getting milk fever (calcium deficiency), grass staggers (magnesium deficiency) and ketosis (energy deficiency).

Other effects from this are poor milk production (and calf growth)and greater time taken to resume cycling activity - that is, more likely to end up a late calver or empty.

• Remove skinny cows -

• Identify late-calving cows and graze separately, or these can be the next lot of cows to go if conditions demand it. This forced action can have benefits for subsequent beef herd productivity by lifting the system out of the late-calving rut and allow for more consistent weaner calf production.

Fat, well fleshed cows (>5.5BSC) can afford to "work" over the winter. This is the beauty of the beef cow. Losing one BCS - that is, 50kg - from these cows over winter will not affect subsequent milk and calf production provided the feed can be put in front of them during peak milk production, between two and four months after calving. Calving in "forward store condition" (4.5-5 BCS) is optimal.

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