PROFITABILITY from a beef breeding operation comes from maximising the number of live calves and kilograms of beef produced per breeding cow per year.
Achieving this is a complex and multifaceted challenge and more detailed information can be sourced from Meat & Livestock Australia's excellent 'More Beef from Pastures Online Manual' at www.mla.com.au/mbfp/Home
Getting heifers to grow to target mating weights, getting them all in calf, getting live calves on the ground and then getting the first-calf heifers back in calf all requires good management.
Nutrition is the key that drives efficient reproduction.
Adequate nutrition (principally energy) over and above maintenance and growth influences the time of onset of puberty in heifers, and the ability to exhibit oestrus and get in calf quickly.
The key indicators of reproductive performance are liveweight for heifers and body condition score for cows.
The target weight-for-age for all British-breed heifers at Mating Start Date (MSD) is 300kg.
Note this is not the average, but the minimum weight for every heifer.
The oldest heifers will be 15 months of age at MSD but some will be much younger especially if the calving period was extended.
Note also that to achieve these target weights the heifers will need to put on at least 600 grams per day from birth.
Compensatory growth does not occur.
To optimise profitability read your QA manuals and ensure your management meets these specifications and community expectations.
