|
East of Broken Bow | We used to cull out the late calvers religiously, until 2013. We had sold off some cows in the drought of '12, and had plenty of grass. Took the late calvers to pasture to calve. None stuck in the mud, none chilled, and when we sold them, they brought almost as much as our first cut of steers.
Fast forward to last year, had about 10% of the herd as late calvers, which I define as a cow that calves late enough that you don't wean/sell them with the main bunch.
That 10% of the herd ate less over the winter, the calves ate less after weaning, and they brought within $25 per head as our first cut. Unless you have some reason to sell other than just being a bit late, I don't see why you wouldn't keep them. We do sell ones that are open or terribly late, and don't keep heifers from late calving cows, but otherwise, they make us as much money as anything, and with less work. | |
|
What's your experience with a shorter breeding season?
