Central KY | Ben - 10/9/2015 07:17
I agree on the 1 pass cause who says I can buy a more productive cow, especially if in need of more cows? wonder why the replacement only from the spring herd? Is it because you think they are more productive
Ben- Our spring calving herd is quite a bit larger than our fall calving herd. With our low cull rate in the fall herd, we can consistently get our replacements from those "1-time pass" cows out of the spring herd. The thing that worries me some about keeping heifers out of our fall herd is the chance of passing on some infertility issues from those "1-time pass" cows. I know this sounds counter-intuitive with our high preg rate in the fall cows, but it's just something that's always in the back of my mind.
I believe our fall cows are the most productive and efficient cows on the farm, and I would probably be better off going to 100% fall calving, but having the bulk of the cows calving in the spring just fits my crop farming and off-farm job schedule a lot better. One of those things I've battled in my mind for years! |
Fall herd-ers
