Workshop #11 Cow/Calf Performance Efficiency Selecting your most profitable cows Earl H. Ward Area Livestock Specialist Production Records Are Like Road Maps GOAL $$$$ You are Here! Example of Records 1
Example of Records Records of importance! Records of Importance Calf Birth Date This tells us the animal s age at weaning and where the cow calved in relation to the calving season. Earlier calving cows could be considered more fertile. Calf Weaning Weight Individual weights on calves allows us to evaluate our cows on a individual basis. Both Birth Date and Weaning Weight are need to calculate the animal s 205 day Adjusted Weaning Weight Records of Importance Dam Weight A cow s weight gives us the best indication of how much she can eat. The larger the cow the higher her nutrient requirements are and the more she will have to eat to meet those requirements. Dam BCS A cow s body condition score (BCS) is the greatest tool for cow herd management and its FREE! Scale of 1 (Skinny) to 9 (Morbidly Obese) Optimal for Cow is 5 and Heifer is 6 at calving Rule of Thumb: 1 BCS = @ 80 lbs 2
Other Important Records Calving Intervals The average time interval between successive calvings. She needs to have a calf at least every 365 days. Cow Age If she is a great cow, hopefully she already has a daughter or two in the herd. Temperament Anger issues are passed on to progeny! Confirmation Is she fit to carry another calf? 3 Ways to Sort Cows Based off of Weaning Weights Does not take into account the calf s age Based off of 205 Day Adjusted WW Gives no consideration to cow size Based off of Percent Calf Weaned Most efficient way to find the most profitable cows 205 Day Adjusted WW Information needed Calf Birth Date (BD) Birth Weight (BW) Weaning Date (WD) Weaning Weight (WW) ([(WW BW) / (WD BD)] x 205) + BW 3
205 Day Adjusted WW Example Calf Birth Date (BD) = March 15 th, 2013 Birth Weight (BW) = 90 lbs Weaning Date (WD) = October 1 st, 2013 Weaning Weight (WW) = 625 lbs ([(WW BW) / (WD BD)] x 205) + BW ([(625 90) / (Oct 1 st March 15 th )] x 205) + 90 ([(535) / (200 days)] x 205) + 90 ([(2.675)] x 205) + 90 = 638.4 lbs Percent Calf Weaned Information needed - Calf s 205 Day Adjusted WW Cow s Weight (given an adequate BCS) Calf s 205 Day Adj. WW Cow s Weight = % Weaned Percent Calf Weaned Example - Calf s 205 Day Adjusted WW = 638 lbs Cow s Weight = 1325 lbs Calf s 205 Day Adj. WW Cow s Weight = % Weaned 638 1325 = 0.4815 or 48.15% 4
Worked & Weighed Cows & Calves in October 2013 Owner has 135 cows Had 2 crippled cows Only had 3 open cows (97.8% Pregnancy Rate) Needs to get down to 100 head All cows are in great BCS Average of 6.0 All cows are 8 years old or younger Producer normally sorts cows based on the calf s 205 day Adjusted Weaning Weight Calf s Ages range from 146 to 275 days old 5
I used a forage cost and potential income to determine a potential profit/loss difference between the three different sorting methods. Potential income Forage Costs = Potential Profit/Loss Potential Income Calf s 205 Day WW x Market Price 638 x ($164.91/cwt) = $1052.13 Forage Costs Cow Wt x 2.5% x 365 = lbs of Forage per year Calf 205 d WW x 2.0% x 205 = lbs of Forage for 205 days Cow: 1325 x 0.025 x 365 = 12090 lbs of Forage Calf: 638 x 0.02 x 205 = 2615 lbs of Forage 14705 lbs of Total Forage 6
Forage Costs 14705 lbs of Total Forage x Cost per Pound A 1000 pound round bale cost $60 = $0.06 per pound 14705 x $0.06 = $882.30 Potential Profit/Loss Potential Income Forage Costs $1052.13 - $882.30 = $169.83 Sample of the Spreadsheet 7
$98,500.00 Potential Income $98,000.00 $98,135.76 $97,500.00 $97,000.00 $96,500.00 $96,931.23 $96,000.00 $96,078.26 $95,500.00 $95,000.00 WW 205 d Wt % Weaned $86,500.00 $86,000.00 $85,500.00 Potential Forage Cost $86,143.43 $86,253.62 $85,000.00 $84,500.00 $84,000.00 $83,500.00 $83,000.00 $82,500.00 $83,108.09 $82,000.00 $81,500.00 WW 205 d Wt % Weaned $15,000.00 Potential Profit/Loss $14,000.00 $13,000.00 $13,823.14 $12,000.00 $11,882.15 $11,000.00 $10,000.00 $9,934.83 $9,000.00 $8,000.00 WW 205 d Wt % Weaned 8
WW 205d WW % Weaned Cow s Weight 1308 1305 1252 Calf s Weaning Weight Calf s 205 Day Adj. Weaning Weight 600 594 585 590 595 591 800 750 205 Day Weights 129 Head y = 0.0736x + 481.7 700 650 600 550 500 450 400 Each +100 lbs of Cow Wt = +7.36 lb of calf wt 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 65.00 60.00 % Weaned 129 Head y = -0.0281x + 81.409 55.00 50.00 45.00 40.00 35.00 30.00 25.00 Each +100 lbs of Cow Wt = 2.8% of Percent Weaned 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 9
Profit/Loss 129 Head $400.00 $300.00 y = -0.4793x + 718.02 $200.00 $100.00 $ $(100.00) $(200.00) $(300.00) Each +100 lbs of Cow Wt = $47.93 of Potential Profit 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 Profit Ranged from $320.09 to ($183.84) 25 cows had a loss of profit (Total of $1194.79) Most Efficient Cow 960 lb cow weaned a 574 Calf = 59.7% Least Efficient Cow 1710 lb cow weaned a 543 Calf = 31.7% What if s! Same Performance Data Hay now costs $30/bale Current Calf Prices as of May 9th, 2016 No Loss of Profit 10
What if s! Range from $329.10 to $729.61 $750.00 $700.00 $650.00 $600.00 y = 0.2527x + 807.21 R² = 0.2233 Each +100 lbs of Cow Wt = $25.27 of Potential Profit $550.00 $500.00 $450.00 $400.00 $350.00 Cow #901 Not in the top 10 Cows $300.00 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 Top 10 Cows in 2013 Bottom 10 Cows in 2013 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% 39 36 409 26 44 5 1441 521 8 320 2139 1473 403 Cow Weights Ranged From 960 lbs to 1265 lbs 2013 2014 2015 Take Homes Scales will pay for themselves in a short amount of time Individual Records Vaccinations and Deworming 5Liter of Pour On Dewormer for $275 Using Individual Weights Using a 1500# Average $416.89 $483.75 SAVINGS $66.86 11
Other Take Homes You don t know what you have without records Compare Apples to Apples Sorting by % Weaned is a more effective way to select more profitable cows Other Take Homes If keeping your own heifers, select them from dams with higher percent calf weaned If a cow is open get rid of her! Maximize your pregnancy rate so that the amount of animals you can cull based on performance increases Other Take Homes Philosophy about Records Take as much information as possible Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it - Woodrow F. Call - 12
Find Time to Take Records!! QUESTIONS? Earl H. Ward Area Livestock Specialist 13