Article Written by:
Keith Lusby, Extension Beef Cattle Specialist
And Provided by
Oklahoma State University
On a short-term basis, many cattlemen find themselves with cows or heifers that are too thin at breeding time to project adequate rebreeding rates. Droughts, range fires, or other natural disasters often leave cattlemen with emergency shortages of forage. Management solutions, even drastic ones that can salvage high pregnancy rates (and therefore, next year’s income) are important.
On a longer-term basis, the cattle industry faces severe price competition from poultry and pork. It is unlikely that beef cattle will ever be able to compete on a price per pound of product basis with either, especially poultry. Of all the costs of producing beef, the largest single cost is that of investment cost in land for the cow herd, followed by costs for purchased feed and harvested forage. Therefore, management practices that reduce nutrient requirements of the cow herd and offer the potential for more efficient utilization of pasture resources need to be evaluated by cattle producers.
Early weaning has been shown to be a possible solution for the short-term forage and reproduction situations that arise from emergencies. This practice may also offer some help in the longer-term economic problem if management of the early-weaned calf can be handled.
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