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by Bruce Derksen
ometimes during the adventure of a cow-calf producer’s chosen
occupation, for whatever reason, a change in direction is
required. It could constitute a minor tweak such as swapping out the
brand of protein supplement used or be as major as converting bull
power to a completely different breed with the cow herd following
suit. No matter the degree of shift, it can be anxiety laden with family
finances hanging in the balance.
Jordan Thomas, Assistant Professor of Animal Science, University of
Missouri and state specialist in beef reproduction, urges producers to
consider their goals and the context in which they are trying to achieve
them. “The first question is always—why? When implementing a
plan and being willing to go through all the work, you need to know
what’s at the end of the tunnel.”
Of course, environment and weather, location, infrastructure and
resources all limit the amount of change possible. Further restrictions
such as livestock health, animal stress management, nutrition,
structure and confirmation, plus an awareness of body condition
are cornerstones that cannot be ignored or simply bypassed when
pursuing change. So, the question could be posed—what does that
leave and where should a producer begin?
Making Reproductive Strategy the First Choice
Thomas says reproduction strategies are the perfect place to start
while keeping those cornerstones in position. “Consider the forage
space you have available, when that peak availability and quality takes
place, and find a calving season that really, truly on paper makes sense.
Align your peak nutritional demand—the period of highest lactation
of those cows—with the forage research. Sometimes you’ll see it
referred to as calving in sync with nature and for most producers, it’s
going to be the most profitable opportunity because it’s the lowest
cost opportunity to run.”
He urges cattlemen attempting to change the core of their breeding
herd by adding females to be mindful of breeding timeliness. With a
desired calving season in place, ranchers should consider the logistics
of their management system. He says buying or raising animals to
calve toward the later end of the preferred calving season means their
likelihood of turning around and becoming pregnant in the next
breeding season is extremely low. “For an animal to maintain a 365-day
season of having a calf every year with a 283-day gestation, she’s got to
continued on page 70
The combination of a shortened breeding season and culling females conceiving late work together to create a more precise calving season
each year.
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• APRIL 2020