Dexteri

Mature weight and milk production of many commercial beef cows are both greater than they were 30-40 years ago, says Glen Selk, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cow specialist. "Many ranchers haven’t recently weighed the adult cows in their herd to know what average mature weight to expect. Therefore, most commercial ranchers would underestimate the mature size of their cows. To expect large, heavy-milking cows to be in moderate body condition at calving and maintain condition through breeding, they must receive more feed than smaller, lighter-milking cows."

A larger, heavier-milking cow requires about 34% more energy on the average for an entire year, he says. Consequently, an operation that was carrying 100 of the smaller cows must carry only 66 of the larger cows in order to utilize the same quantity of forage from that farm or ranch. She also will need 34% more winter hay and supplement to maintain body condition.

"Because we have very high feed and fertilizer prices, this is a time to reconsider herd size to better fit the stocking rates required. Reduced stocking rates will be necessary on improved pastures if lower amounts of fertilizer are applied. The larger mature cow size also impacts the principle of percent body weight needed for heifers to reach puberty. Many ranchers underestimate the target weight for replacement heifers. If the cow eventually will be 1,000 lbs., the target for heifers is 650 lbs.; if she’s going to be the 1,250-lb. cow, then she needs to weigh 812 lbs. going into her first breeding season to expect a high cycling and pregnancy rate," Selk says.

Tässä vähän ameriikan tilanteesta....

sopisi vielä paremmin, kun se on säänkestävämpi?
Eikös sinulla peräti ole niitä? Ainakin olet kirjoitellut niin. Dexteri kaipaa pihaton talveksi.