SPECIAL ADVERTSING SECTION — The Cattleman — March 2013
Tips for an Easy Calving Season From BBU Members
Paul Hill, Thunder Valley Ranch, Commerce, Ga. We have both a spring and fall calving season. To
make our calving go more easily, we breed low birth weight bulls and run cattle that are bred the same to- gether, except for heifers.
Melvin Scherer Jr., Anderson Cattle Company, Meyersville In our operation, we have
both spring and fall calving sea- sons. This allows us to utilize our best bull genetics in both seasons. The fall calving season in-
volves our first-calf heifers. They are bred in late Decem- ber and early January using both an A.I. (artifi cial insemi- nation) and a natural breeding program. This means calving occurs in October when the weather is cooler and more time is available to monitor them with September shipping complete. This also provides the fi rst-calf heifers extra time to recover before introducing them to the mature cow herd. The spring calving season involves the mature cow
herd. Our goal is for our mature cows to calve in the early spring. It is more economical to maintain a bred cow through the winter months than to maintain the cow-calf pair. Due to the success of the screwworm program, calv-
ing in warmer months is no longer a problem. To make calving season successful, our cow herd
is divided into 3 groups: Group 1 — open replacement heifers Group 2 — bred heifers Group 3 — mature cows. Not only does this help during calving season, but
also in designing the appropriate nutrition for each group. The spring-born replacement heifers are bred using
50 The Cattleman March 2013
We asked members of Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) 2 questions about their calving programs. We wanted to know if they have a spring or fall calving season, or both. And, what do they do to make calving season successful?
Here are a few of their answers.
either A.I. or natural service at approximately 18 months of age (late December or early January). This means heifers are calving at 28 to 30 months of age rather than 24 months. They are a little older than some suggest, but the extra maturity helps them in the calving process and in the rebreeding cycle. It is the norm for the calves
weaned from these heifers to weigh in solidly at more than 500 pounds. These first-calf pairs are maintained as a group until the calves are weaned. Af- ter palpation, they are added to the mature cow herd and will then become part of the spring calving season. Since there are no fi rst-time
calving females in our mature cow herd, less observation and maintenance are required. In normal precipitation years, winter weeds are available and
spring grasses are growing which help with the body condition of the mature cow.
Davin Vaughn, Vaughn Family Farms, Mount Vernon, Mo. We have a 100 percent spring calving herd. Making our calving season successful starts early
the previous summer with a healthy, fertile cow herd complete with current vaccinations and free of disease, followed by careful sire selection and balanced ration and mineral throughout breeding season and pregnancy. We also use this time to prepare our pastures for
our spring-bred calves by fertilizing and overseeding where necessary. When calving season arrives we check cows mul-
tiple times throughout the day for potential calving diffi culties. Last but not least, we pray.
Mike Collier, Collier Farms Beefmasters, Brenham Collier Farms has spring calving for 75 percent of