What are the downsides to fall calving?

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I do not supplement my wet cows in the winter. They get the same baleage as the dry cows. Just fed separately so the calves don't have to deal with all the herd.

 

[cowgirl8]

So, is it a given that prices in the spring are ALWAYS higher than in the fall?
If one has the hay where is the extra expense as it doesn't last forever?

It usually is, but this year here it isn't.
If you have the hay, you paid for it whether you baled it yourself or bought it. Feed more hay, you now have more $ in your calf crop, thus, you'll need a higher price to even out...

 

[Brute 23]

Higher price... thats a pretty broad term. Remember in the cattle world thats still not much, especially if you arent selling 100+ calves a year. I guarantee you... you keep those 15 or 20 calves thru the winter waiting for that big, spring pay check and you will be highly disappointed you wasted that many hours of your life feeding hay chasing peanuts.

 

[True Grit Farms]

If you have a fall and spring calving season would that help in diversification?
Meaning maybe the prices are better in the spring vs fall or vice-a-versa.
We produce enough hay to feed our cattle over the winter and don't supplement much so the input costs should be relatively the same.

But I am relatively new to this so just looking for thoughts on above scenario as it might be the same for OP.

You'll feed more hay to wet cows and will have to supplement them, so you'll have to get a higher price when you sell a fall calf in the spring. I think it evens out, but there are people who get starry eyed at the higher prices in the spring and think kind of like you, I have the hay so where is my extra expense...

So, is it a given that prices in the spring are ALWAYS higher than in the fall?
If one has the hay where is the extra expense as it doesn't last forever?

The prices aren't always higher in the spring. It's just worked out that way here lately. It's proven no one can predict the cattle market, I think the weather men have better odds of being right.

 

[snoopdog]

A lot of good points , but selling fall calves in the spring isn't mandatory . If the weather cooperates and you have an abundance of forage , you can easily spread your margin out and pack the pounds on them post weaning. Be flexible, you don't have to give the stockers a profit .

 

[cowgirl8]

Anyone who wants to see for themselves in past years pertaining to what calves sale for at peek times, fall and spring, the internet has made it easy to compare.. Most sale barns post years of tickets. You can see for yourself if fall vs spring sales are higher or lower, or visa versa...

 

[Waterway65]

I have had a fall calving herd for about ten years in western SD. We calve mid August through September. A friend once told me it wasn't a sin to check cows in a air conditioned cab. We have little calving trouble having only pulled two calves in the last ten years on a 100 cow herd.
Are land is nearly all hay and crop so I want the dry cows out on someone else's pasture as early as possible in the spring so I can concentrate on the land. We usually bring them home about August 1st and go on sorghum. They will stay on sorghum and crop residue hopefully until some time in December. This is a critical time for cow management because I want top milk production and I want them bred back quickly.
About the first of the year the cows will be on silage and haulage for three months. The calves will be given a portable feeder panel a a large corral. They will have their own silage, my best hay, and a coupl pounds of oats. They learn to like having their own space where they don't have th compete with the cow herd.
We wean at the end of February which mostly amounts to taking out the creep panel and shutting a gate on them. Calves are given second shots and back grounded for about a month before being sold. From weaning to pasture my cows are fed poorer roughage that I have.
Spring prices are usually higher for my calves but not always. I have had at least one year this didn't happen. My brothers spring calves sold for about $35 a hundred less than mine but part of this is is where we happen to be in the cattle cycle.
One problem that has given me trouble has been pneumonia in 200-300 lb. calves in early Nov. on previously unstressed calves.
I have plenty of time in the winter to spend with my cows and I enjoy it.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

WW65 - that sounds like a great system for you. Like I try to tell everyone that visits me, even if you live in the same area, every farm is different. You have to do things that FIT your timing & farm land and resources.

 

[Nesikep]

Waterway, you found what works for you, and that's great...

For me, my main deterrent (that has been mentioned already) is the increased feed requirement of the cows through the winter.. hay is more expensive than grass when they need to eat to produce. My second big concern would be if *I* had them calf out mid august or around there they'd die of heat exposure around here when it's over 100F in the shade.. if I'd delay it much more than that breeding season would start to fall in a time when the grass has quit growing and I'd be feeding hay way earlier than I feel like.

As it stands, I'm trying to fine tune exactly when the right time to start calving is... previously we were starting around Mar 10th, meaning May 25th turnout for the bulls.. problem is that the spring grass has made a big push by then, and they aren't keeping up eating it, so it turns stale and doesn't regrow that great.. This year I turned out a week earlier, which pushes the limits on how early I want the first calf to drop since we have very little sun in Feb, and there's nothing like sun for them little guys!

 

[Waterway65]

Nesikep your weather is a little colder but very similar to ours. And what I do isn't necessarily workable for my own neighbors. I had a dairy for many years and still have machinery and equipment that most people don't have access to. Also I am trying to market hay and crops through the cows. One of my goals is providing more grazing rather than machine harvesting. If you have pasture available in this area, guys will line up to deal for it at $65/AUM. I think I could dry lot for that price.