If scanning has yet to be carried out for spring calving cows, then put it on your “to do” list over the coming days.

With grazing now finished for the majority of the country, having cows housed makes it more convenient to handle animals and carry out scanning.

Once scanned, there is little point holding empty cows given the current economics in suckler production.

The options for selling barren cows will depend on their body condition, so do your sums on what it would cost to sell live or fatten.

Once scanned, there is little point holding empty cows given the current economics in suckler production.

Once cows are scanned, sort them into groups so the cows due in the first three weeks of calving are batched together.

The same applies to mid and late calving animals. This helps ease management and keeps you focussed on having cows in the right body condition over winter.

Also, having cows settled in groups based on approximate calving dates makes it easier to monitor animals as they come closer to calving.

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