Ok folks, I am seeking your advice, and bear with me because this might get kind of long. I have always been in the habit of retaining my own heifers to put back in the herd. Have done so ever since I started raising cattle. I like having the option of picking the "top" heifers and selecting for the most desirable traits and characteristics.
My situation is this. I do not own any of the pasture ground my cattle are on. It is all rented. My risk of losing any of this rented ground is basically zero, except for one of my summer pastures where approximately half of my herd goes to during the grazing season, April-October. With that said, this pasture is the lesser of all of my pastures. It is almost entirely fescue, complete with endophyte, and no clover or other legumes in the mix. It does have 1/4 of the pasture in smooth bromegrass. I like fescue for early spring and fall grazing, but it is not good from about mid June-early September. This was a wet year for us, and the grass stayed pretty green all summer, but the fescue doesn't do much in the summer because of the heat. Every year, the calves off of the mainly fescue pasture weigh less than my other calves off of different pastures. I have not done any improvements to this pasture other than maintenance and clearing scattered hedge trees. Have not attempted to plant any legumes. Part of this pasture lays real nice and could easily be planted to a summer annual for grazing in the summer slump. But, I hesitate to make many improvements if I might not have the pasture next year.
I have not made as much of an improvement in my weaning weights the last 5 years as I would like, and I have been selecting for improved weaning weights for several years. Part of the lack of improvement, I believe, is because of the one pasture. I believe if some improvements were made, I might see an increase. However, I think part of it may be my own doing, and this is where I need your opinions. By retaining heifers that potentially have thier own birth to weaning growth supressed by the fescue from decreased milk production in their mothers, will their ability to raise calves that will be above my target also be supressed?? In other words, if I retain heifers that are below my target for weaning weight, will they have the ability to raise a calf that will meet or exceed my target? I can proudly say, (I think) that over half of my herd are animals I have retained, but maybe that is not the best thing. Maybe it would be better to sell my own heifers and buy some whose individual performance meets or exceeds my expectations and desires.
Thoughts?
My situation is this. I do not own any of the pasture ground my cattle are on. It is all rented. My risk of losing any of this rented ground is basically zero, except for one of my summer pastures where approximately half of my herd goes to during the grazing season, April-October. With that said, this pasture is the lesser of all of my pastures. It is almost entirely fescue, complete with endophyte, and no clover or other legumes in the mix. It does have 1/4 of the pasture in smooth bromegrass. I like fescue for early spring and fall grazing, but it is not good from about mid June-early September. This was a wet year for us, and the grass stayed pretty green all summer, but the fescue doesn't do much in the summer because of the heat. Every year, the calves off of the mainly fescue pasture weigh less than my other calves off of different pastures. I have not done any improvements to this pasture other than maintenance and clearing scattered hedge trees. Have not attempted to plant any legumes. Part of this pasture lays real nice and could easily be planted to a summer annual for grazing in the summer slump. But, I hesitate to make many improvements if I might not have the pasture next year.
I have not made as much of an improvement in my weaning weights the last 5 years as I would like, and I have been selecting for improved weaning weights for several years. Part of the lack of improvement, I believe, is because of the one pasture. I believe if some improvements were made, I might see an increase. However, I think part of it may be my own doing, and this is where I need your opinions. By retaining heifers that potentially have thier own birth to weaning growth supressed by the fescue from decreased milk production in their mothers, will their ability to raise calves that will be above my target also be supressed?? In other words, if I retain heifers that are below my target for weaning weight, will they have the ability to raise a calf that will meet or exceed my target? I can proudly say, (I think) that over half of my herd are animals I have retained, but maybe that is not the best thing. Maybe it would be better to sell my own heifers and buy some whose individual performance meets or exceeds my expectations and desires.
Thoughts?
