The Economics of a Controlled Calving Season
As Kentucky's beef producers continue to look for ways to enhance the profitability of their beef operations, it is worth remembering that sometimes the most basic management practices can have the greatest impact. One of the more fundamental management practices that is too often overlooked by producers is controlling the length of the calving season. The simple practice of separating bulls from the cow herd at the appropriate time can have some pretty significant economic effects.
According to a recent survey of beef producers by the University of Kentucky Beef Integrated Resource Management group, roughly one third of respondents do not have any kind of controlled calving season. A significant number who indicated that they do have a controlled calving season reported the length of that season as being greater than 90 days. Producers who work to narrow that calving window will realize some important benefits.
One of the more noticeable benefits of a controlled calving season is that it permits better management f cows prior to and during calving. Since the entire herd will be in about the same stage of gestation at the same time, nutrition and health programs can be tailored to better meet the herd's needs. In addition, a controlled calving season makes it is easier to identify and deal with calving problems, resulting in lower death losses.
A controlled calving season will also improve the management of the year's calf crop. Since calves will all be the same age, it will be more convenient to work them all together. In addition to allowing the farmer to make the most efficient use of his labor, this ensures that all calves receive essential vaccinations, de-worming, and other treatments. More importantly, all of the calves can be weaned at the same time. This can be extremely important if calves are to be preconditioned. It is simply not practical to have a preconditioning program if calves are not ready to wean at the same time. The more uniform the calves are in terms of both size and age, the easier the preconditioning program will be to manage.
Uniformity of the calves provides one of the greatest but probably least obvious benefits of a controlled calving season. Research has shown that being able to market larger numbers of uniform calves can result in significantly higher prices at auction than selling singles. Researchers in Kansas found that being able to market a 15-head lot could increase the price received for weaned steers by up to $5/cwt. These kinds of figures indicate that even producers with relatively small herds can benefit from increasing the uniformity of the calves they market. Controlling the length of the calving season is the first and most important step toward accomplishing that goal.
If you would like more information about controlling your calving season or about any other beef management topics, contact your local county extension agent.
For More Information
For additional information, please contact, Lee Meyer.