June calving made more attractive by rising feed cost
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – June calving in Nebraska’s Sandhills closely matches cows’ nutrient demands with forage nutrient peak, said a University of Nebraska–Lincoln specialist.
By making that match, producers can make important savings because they have to feed much less harvested forage, said Aaron Stalker, UNL beef nutrition specialist at the West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte.
Although June calves weigh less than March calves, even when they’re weaned at the same day of age, they only bring slightly less money because of seasonal price fluctuations, Stalker said. He said the reduction in price for the calves is far outweighed by the savings in cow maintenance cost.
UNL maintains a June calving research herd at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory. Research staff created that herd by delaying breeding of March-calving cows by about three months. Stalker said that producers could use that method or switch gradually. He said producers could use ultrasound to detect open cows then breed them again or convert the tail end of the spring cows.
“That would give some cows a chance to remain in the herd while giving the producer an opportunity to try the later calving date,” Stalker said.
Since June-calving cows’ peak lactation occurs in the heat of the summer, udder edema might be more of a concern than it is for cows that calve earlier. Stalker believes that problem is more than offset by the ease of calving in warmer weather.
June calving could work in other parts of the state as well, but other areas have additional forage sources, such as cornstalks. Producers who want to utilize those other sources of nutrients may be less enthusiastic about late calving, Stalker said. They may also need to balance the labor involved in calving with crop operations.
Producers interested in learning more can look online for Beef Reports at: http://beef.unl.edu and search for June calving.
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