There are several benefits to a short calving season including simplifying cow management, gaining efficiency of labor management, increasing weaning weight and improving uniformity/marketability of the calf crop. Collectively all these advantages lead to one positive potential impact: improved profitability.
CattleFax survey data of cow-calf operations sorts participants into three groups: high, average and low profitability. The high profitability group had a shorter calving season with a higher percentage of cows calving in the first 45 days. The shorter calving season creates opportunities to gain efficiency in several areas of management and these operations were able to sell more pounds of while keeping expenses down.
Obviously, more calves born earlier in the calving season equates to more pounds at weaning. What is the value of a single cow calving one heat cycle earlier? If calves gain about 2 lb. a day from birth to weaning, in the current market with a pound of weaning weight valued in excess of $3, the added 40 lb. of weaning weight is worth at least $120 per cow.
The added benefit of uniformity also improves marketability of your calf crop. Calf buyers prefer to buy load lots of uniform calves so they can be managed similarly. Calf crops with substantial weight variation will be discounted in the market place.
Address the following questions to achieve a shorter breeding season in 2025 and a shorter calving window next spring:
- Do you have ample bull to female ratios in each breeding pasture?
- What is the age of your bulls and the number of females they should be expected to cover?
- Are you managing your 2-year old pairs separate from your mature cows to insure proper development, body condition and potential to breed back quickly?
- Have all your bulls passed a breeding soundness exam prior to turn out?
- Is your cow herd in adequate body condition? Is supplemental feed needed?
- Have you considered an estrous synchronization protocol to tighten your breeding season?
Your Next Read: Unlocking Success with Cow Herd Health Metrics: A Scorecard Approach
