Starting Points

By Becky Mills
Progressive Farmer Contributing Editor

Culling should ultimately be an economic decision. If it costs more to keep a cow than she will make the operation, culling is the surest path to long-term profitability.

Every operation is different, but a checklist of common culling criteria offers a good starting place to develop a ranch "cull policy." Stan Bevers, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension economist, said the goal should be to minimize the number of low-producing and/or high-risk females in a herd.

1. Age. Depending on breed or composite, some cows tend to be productive longer than others. But around the age of 10, females in general start to conceive less, wean smaller calves and are more likely to develop health issues.

2. Pregnancy Status. A fertile heifer is going to be a fertile cow. Heifers that can calve and rebreed in a 30- to 60-day season are more likely to be strong members of the herd for years to come. Open cows given another opportunity will conceive just two-thirds of the time. On average, a cow that doesn't breed on time will lose 15% to 20% of her lifetime production potential. It will take the net return from two to three productive cows to pay for the maintenance of the open cow. Keep in mind, however, that if body conditions are low (below a 5), or if the bull is subfertile or infertile, it may not be the female's fault. So cull only after looking at the whole picture.

3. Physical Abnormality. Bad legs, bad eyes, bad udders, bad teeth, a history of respiratory troubles, poor temperament or just subpar overall soundness are all good reasons to cull.

4. Weaning Weights. Is the cow weaning a calf that's 55% of her body weight? If not, she could be a low performer; and when every pound counts, culling low performers is money in the bank. Low weaning weights can be tied to several cullable factors, including too little milk production, mastitis, poor udders/teats and temperament.

(VM/CZ)

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