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Cattle Boards
Breeding / Calving Issues
Cow size vs. efficiency
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<blockquote data-quote="Stocker Steve" data-source="post: 1388699" data-attributes="member: 1715"><p>Our commodity cow/calf cattle cycle history is that the industry is not able to noticeably reduce costs when gross margin disappears. Obvious approaches to increase gross margin are to improve marketing, increase turns, and/or improve efficiencies. I think a medium term bottom up approach for non marketers would be to look at what forage your ground should/would grow and then back into a stocking plan that fits it.</p><p>A common start up issue is that much of the ground available for sale or lease has been mined for minerals and OM. Running higher stocking densities with purchased hay and cover crops is the cheapest way I know to improve fertility and the mineral cycle. In this situation your most efficient cow is probably a big pooper. Since this is a short term situation, and there is not a BM EPD yet, you probably don't want to try to select for this ;-) </p><p>Once you regenerated fertility and done some inter seeding - - you should have legume/grass mixes at 2X to 3X your previous forage production. This kind of feed is much better than a mature cow needs, so your most efficient cow is now probably a 800# yearling. :idea: If you are not a sell/buy kind of guy, and you are not grazing a desert, this means you need to overwinter at least some of your calves.</p><p>So now we are looking for a medium milking cow that can nurse a respectable calf through the winter and maintain decent body condition. We are looking for calves that can convert forage. Culling will be pretty obvious. You will see things that are masked by weaning at 6 to 7 months. Calves will grow apart. Some cows will fall out due to teeth or milk production issues. A side benefit of a mixed stocking plan like this is you have a drought response that protects the cow herd initially.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Stocker Steve, post: 1388699, member: 1715"] Our commodity cow/calf cattle cycle history is that the industry is not able to noticeably reduce costs when gross margin disappears. Obvious approaches to increase gross margin are to improve marketing, increase turns, and/or improve efficiencies. I think a medium term bottom up approach for non marketers would be to look at what forage your ground should/would grow and then back into a stocking plan that fits it. A common start up issue is that much of the ground available for sale or lease has been mined for minerals and OM. Running higher stocking densities with purchased hay and cover crops is the cheapest way I know to improve fertility and the mineral cycle. In this situation your most efficient cow is probably a big pooper. Since this is a short term situation, and there is not a BM EPD yet, you probably don't want to try to select for this ;-) Once you regenerated fertility and done some inter seeding - - you should have legume/grass mixes at 2X to 3X your previous forage production. This kind of feed is much better than a mature cow needs, so your most efficient cow is now probably a 800# yearling. :idea: If you are not a sell/buy kind of guy, and you are not grazing a desert, this means you need to overwinter at least some of your calves. So now we are looking for a medium milking cow that can nurse a respectable calf through the winter and maintain decent body condition. We are looking for calves that can convert forage. Culling will be pretty obvious. You will see things that are masked by weaning at 6 to 7 months. Calves will grow apart. Some cows will fall out due to teeth or milk production issues. A side benefit of a mixed stocking plan like this is you have a drought response that protects the cow herd initially. [/QUOTE]
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