jscunn":p86xq5v2 said:
3Way,
Matt more pounds do equal more money, if you keep the management program the same.
More weaning weight while keeping the management program the same more often then not places more demands on the cows which translates into more late breds and more opens over time, which ultimately costs more. So it is quite often the case that more pounds equals more costs over time. There are no free lunches, more WW doesn't come without a cost. It may not come knocking immediately, but in time it will show up. Short term more lbs may equal more income but longterm it may prove less profitable.
There may be producers who need genetic improvement in pre wean growth and whose cows still have room to work harder with out any negative side effects, but those kind of cow herds are few and far between in Western Canada. Most producers as far as WW goes are past the point of diminishing returns years ago. For cow calf enterprises up here the shift to lowering input costs as the main focus of improving economic return happened about 10 years ago. More WW is simply redundant.
Moderating cow size, reducing wintering feed costs, management intensive grazing, reducing rust, rot and depreciation are topics recieving more attention then increased WW.