Page 7 - Oct12020

The Midwest Cattleman · October 1, 2020 · P7

Proper Cow Culling Is Important to Your Business

By Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist

start to become less produc- the rebreeding performance after cows were 10 years of
tive? through about 8 years of age. age. A steeper decline in re-
There is great variabili- A small decline was noted as productive performance was
ty in the longevity of beef cows aged from 8 to 10 years found as they became 12
cows. Data from large ranch- of age. However, the most con- years of age. In other words,
es in Florida would indicate sistent decline in reproduc- start to watch for reasons to
that cows are consistent in tive performance was noted continued on page 16

Cull cows represent ap-
proximately 20% of the gross
income of any commercial
cow operation. Cull beef cows
represent 10% of the beef that
is consumed in the United
States. Therefore, ranchers
need to make certain that cow
culling is done properly and
profitably.
Selling cull cows when
they will return the most in-
come to the rancher requires
knowledge about cull cow
health and body condition.
Proper cow culling will reduce
the chance that a cow carcass
is condemned at the packing
plant and becomes a money
drain for the entire beef in-
dustry.
Cull open cows. Why feed
a cow all winter that will not
have a calf next spring? Call
your veterinarian, schedule a
time for pregnancy checking
and find which cows have not
bred back. Cull them while
they are in good body condi-
tion after summer pasture
and before you spend $200 or
more on the winter feed bill.
Is she good for another
year? At cow culling time,
producers often face some
tough decisions. If she is not
pregnant, the decision is eas-
ier. However, what do you do
when an older cow is re-bred?
Optimum culling of the herd
seems to require a sharp crys-
tal ball that could see into the
future. Will she keep enough
body condition through the
winter to deliver a healthy
calf next spring? How old is
the cow? Is her mouth sound
so that she can harvest forage
and be nutritionally strong
enough to raise a big calf?
At what age do cows usually