The ICBF Herdplus calving report, which every subscriber has access too, is a very useful tool in this regard. Here we look at an example, going through the variables that it includes and outlining why the targets are in place.

Calving interval

This one is simple – every day beyond a 365-day calving interval costs a farmer €2.20/cow.

Mortality

In a 40-cow herd slaughtering all progeny (steers and heifers), reducing mortality from 6.5% to 4% equates to a gain of €21/cow.

Calves per cow per year

High mortality, big empty rates and extended calving intervals all feed into this figure. It is self-explanatory – in broad terms, one in five Irish suckler cows does not produce a calf in a given year.

Percentage of heifers calved at 22 to 26 months of age

Research findings from Teagasc’s Beef 2016 event showed how a 40ha suckler farm, producing its own replacements, carrying 53 cows and producing steer and heifer beef, gained €84/cow by calving heifers at 24 v 36 months.

Females not calved in period (%)

A suckler cow should always be working for us. Suckling is not a game where we can afford passengers.

This figure represents breeding females in the herd that did not calve in the most recent season, but are still on the system.

They will affect calving interval and the €2.20/day rule applies.

Cows culled in period

Culling in an interesting one. The best operators are in control of a large proportion of the cows they’re culling, meaning that their hands aren’t being forced by something like emptiness or lameness.

Instead, they’re making decisions based on cow performance, ie culling a cow because she’s producing a light weanling, as opposed to producing no weanling at all.

One of the secrets to being successful in suckling is to have lots of suitable heifers coming through.

It allows us be more ruthless with the mature herd from a culling point of view. We should have one suitable replacement heifer for every five mature cows in the herd, every year.

Read part two here

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