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Alternative Calving Considerations
Structuring a calving
program that best suites farm and ranch operations can be challenging. Of
primary concern are: weather, labor, market timing, and animal health
considerations, with weather possibly being the most volatile factor, as it
ranges from challenging to catastrophic in some years. Evaluating alternatives
that can improve calving conditions and quality of life, while also reducing
financial and health risks is an important step in assessing a ranch or farm
through a holistic framework. Each agricultural operation is unique and thus no
one resource can provide all the necessary information. However, when
evaluating calving programs, five core topics emerge for careful consideration.
These are:
1. When and where to calve.
2. Managing the cow.
3. Farm and ranch resource
allocation.
4. Marketing.
5. People/human resources.
The questions below provide
a framework for considering options in these five core topics and are gleaned
from a multitude of resources, both academic and experiential from producers
who have carefully assessed their calving programs against whole ranch, family,
and financial objectives.
Some Important Considerations When Evaluating
Changes to Calving Dates
- Assessing your own need for
change: Do you have a problem? Some indicators that a problem exist could
be stress, fatigue, or minimal profits. If you find yourself wondering
‘how do they do it’ when looking at a neighbor, it may be time to evaluate
your own need for change. Perhaps the best way to assess the need for
change is to engage a trusted friend and ask them to give you an honest
opinion about your operational structure.
- Evaluate the ‘drivers’ of your
current system: Why do you do what you do? For instance, are you calving
in March and April snow and mud so you can plant crops in May? Is this
approach still necessary, or can calving later reduce calving labor needs?
- Financial resources: Is your
operation unduly influenced by your lender? If so, it may be time to
consider restructuring your annual financial plan.
- Existing calving conditions
(environmental): Taking a step back, are you happy with the conditions you
normally calve in when considering animal health/cleanliness, ground
conditions, input expenses, or pasture condition?
- Existing calving conditions
(financial inputs): What is your calving program costing you? Barn
maintenance, electricity, bedding, vet bills, or other overhead like
machinery repairs are real expenses. Can these be avoided if you change
your calving season?
- Existing resource limitations:
Are there structural, access, human, machinery, or land resources that
significantly impact your current calving program? Are you expending
financial or other resources to overcome these limitations? Would a change
in calving dates potentially reduce or eliminate some or all of these
limitations?
- Breeding and marketing program:
Are there marketing options/opportunities to consider that better fit your
resource concerns? Would a change in breeding/calving dates allow you to
capitalize on a different market or size of calf?
- Calving pastures: Do you have
reasonable access to existing pastures under your current calving model?
Would an alternative calving date create improved opportunity for animal
health and nutrition or improved long-term pasture management? Are you
forced to consider a ‘sacrifice pasture’ in your grazing or calving plan?
Does your fall pasture management limit your spring calving options? Can
you adjust your operation to ensure dry, healthy, nutrient rich calving
pastures?
- Creating calving pastures
(native and non-native): Can you adjust your land resources to create
improved access to healthy calving pastures, whether native grasslands or
by planting cropland to resilient, non-invasive, permanent cover?
- Cow health, exercise,
nutrition, calving ease: Would there be a benefit to calving ease in your
herd with improved exercise and nutrition?
- Human resources/labor: Can
calving at a different time reduce your labor commitments and family
well-being?
- Human health/stress/family: Is
calving stressful on your personal or family health?
- Plan (business plan, drought
plan, or other whole-systems plan): Have you evaluated your entire
operation in the context of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats? Have you considered alternative livestock systems that may better
fit your available resources?
- Consider natural patterns:
Mother Nature generally has things figured out. Assess when most of the
native animals in your area have their young and consider the pros and
cons of moving your system closer to those dates.
Source:
Pete Bauman, SDSU Extension Range Field Specialist