We got a lot of comments on our last article about cow size and profit. Here, Kit Pharo weighs in.
According to the USDA Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, the average Angus, Red Angus and Hereford cow weighs over 1,400 pounds. Mainstream seedstock producers have successfully out-Simmentalled the Simmentals. Unfortunately, in their attempt to wean bigger and bigger calves, their pounds and profit per acre have been decreasing. It doesn’t matter how big your cattle are if they’re not profitable.
Cow size has increased dramatically over the last 40 years. Since big cows eat substantially more than small cows, this has forced ranches to destock and increase supplemental feeding. With the cost of land and feed as high as they are, it is quickly becoming less and less profitable to own those big, high- maintenance cows.
Since smaller cows are able to wean a higher percentage of their own weight, they will always produce more total pounds and more total profit than big cows – on the same acres. To add insult to injury, there is evidence that smaller cows will actually wean bigger calves than big cows in a real-world, unpampered environment.
Your ranch can only support so much growth, milk and size. Once you go beyond that level, you will have to provide expensive supplementation to meet the needs of your big, high-maintenance cows. Without supplementation, your weaning weights and conception rates will suffer.
It shouldn’t surprise you that most of the bulls being sold today were produced by high-maintenance, 5 to 7-frame cows that weigh 1400 to 1800 pounds. These cows must be pampered to stay in production. What size and type of cows will these bulls produce? Like begets like! If you are concerned about profit, then thick, easy-fleshing, low-maintenance, 3 to 4-frame cows that weigh 1100 to 1250 pounds are plenty big enough.
In a previous blog post, I made it perfectly clear that I believe Jersey cows are the best breed for a micro dairy. However, that is my opinion. Other breeds will work as well, even Holsteins, if you must. What is more important than the breed you choose is the health, temperament and history of the individual cow you select. In a micro or a small herd dairy the cows should
So as we wind down our week of celebrating one of our favorite large farm animals, we bring you 9 vintage photographs of cows — brown cows, black cows, spotted cows, and everything in between (courtesy of The Library of Congress Archives). Enjoy! Head of a cow, ca. 1890. Bringing in mother cows, ca. 1979. Cow about to be mated, ca. 1935. A cow and her calves, ca. 1980. Alice Calhoun with a cow, ca. 1900. Cows in C
In the last four articles we talked about how to properly drive cattle. (Here are the last four articles in case you missed them: Approaching the Herd, Starting Herd Movement, Driving Your Herd, Turning Your Herd.) Driving pairs deserves special attention because this could well be the #1 livestock handling problem on ranches; that is, everyone has trouble, at least sometimes. The Problem The primary problem when driving pairs is cows and calves getting separated, which often leads to runback
Composting is an excellent way to provide your plants with the nutrients they need to thrive. Making compost is becoming more and more popular for home gardeners, so the market has taken off in the past few years. With so many options out there, composting can be a confusing process in the beginning. Figuring out the typical size of compost bins is one of the first composting questions many gardeners have. We have researched this very topic to provide you with the answers you need to find the p