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<blockquote data-quote="farmerjan" data-source="post: 1802482" data-attributes="member: 25884"><p>I have to agree with selling some less than top notch cows to cut numbers... BUT.... weaning early will take that grazing pressure off the pastures that those calves will be eating as they transition from all milk to grazing and eating... On top of the fact that the cows will require LESS if they are not producing milk with a calf pulling on them... ADD to that; here there is normally not as big an incentive to put a greater amount of weight on the calves past the desireable "sweet spot".... here it is in the 450-550 lbs on normal years. If you wean calves off in the 6-700 range you will not realize more dollars for the calf than if you weaned it off at 550. So you are in essence throwing money away. Wasting grass on the calves as well as the cows still making more milk. And you cannot tell me that I am wrong after seeing this happen year after year after year here in Va.... [USER=8993]@kenny thomas[/USER] can tell you that I am not full of SH!T..... right now this year most any weight is making money... but the 6-8 wt range STILL is bringing less money per pound so therefore you are not realizing the benefit of that added weight against pasture that is in drought conditions. Part of it is also that we have to truck our cattle out of the area and so the buyers want certain sizes to make up the truckloads they have orders for.</p><p></p><p>We are not seeing drought conditions here......although some areas of Va have been drier than normal... but we also get alot more rain than some areas of the country that have cattle and grazing lands. But when we get a little dry it shows up since we have grasses here that have definitely been acclimated to more water requirements, than grasses that have evolved over the years to drier conditions. </p><p></p><p>If the market is there to sell the early weaned calves and give the land a bit of a break by the cows not needing as much and the calves are not eating the grass also... getting a decent price for the calves is definitely a better way to go. I have to agree with both the OP and with [USER=6291]@Brute 23[/USER] about the cost to get that additional 200# of weight on a calf... If the grass is not good, they will not gain that much anyway.... and it will put too much stress on the cow and damage the grass. Being able to move the cows to "lesser quality" pasture and letting them just feed their own body and hopefully a developing fetus is better than everyone getting just enough for surviving and not gaining like a calf should. Also, if the drought continues in that area, holding the calves will then have them available to sell when others are cutting back and the prices could continue to drop some, as a glut hits the market in that area. Then the little added weight gain could actually cost him more in the long run.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="farmerjan, post: 1802482, member: 25884"] I have to agree with selling some less than top notch cows to cut numbers... BUT.... weaning early will take that grazing pressure off the pastures that those calves will be eating as they transition from all milk to grazing and eating... On top of the fact that the cows will require LESS if they are not producing milk with a calf pulling on them... ADD to that; here there is normally not as big an incentive to put a greater amount of weight on the calves past the desireable "sweet spot".... here it is in the 450-550 lbs on normal years. If you wean calves off in the 6-700 range you will not realize more dollars for the calf than if you weaned it off at 550. So you are in essence throwing money away. Wasting grass on the calves as well as the cows still making more milk. And you cannot tell me that I am wrong after seeing this happen year after year after year here in Va.... [USER=8993]@kenny thomas[/USER] can tell you that I am not full of SH!T..... right now this year most any weight is making money... but the 6-8 wt range STILL is bringing less money per pound so therefore you are not realizing the benefit of that added weight against pasture that is in drought conditions. Part of it is also that we have to truck our cattle out of the area and so the buyers want certain sizes to make up the truckloads they have orders for. We are not seeing drought conditions here......although some areas of Va have been drier than normal... but we also get alot more rain than some areas of the country that have cattle and grazing lands. But when we get a little dry it shows up since we have grasses here that have definitely been acclimated to more water requirements, than grasses that have evolved over the years to drier conditions. If the market is there to sell the early weaned calves and give the land a bit of a break by the cows not needing as much and the calves are not eating the grass also... getting a decent price for the calves is definitely a better way to go. I have to agree with both the OP and with [USER=6291]@Brute 23[/USER] about the cost to get that additional 200# of weight on a calf... If the grass is not good, they will not gain that much anyway.... and it will put too much stress on the cow and damage the grass. Being able to move the cows to "lesser quality" pasture and letting them just feed their own body and hopefully a developing fetus is better than everyone getting just enough for surviving and not gaining like a calf should. Also, if the drought continues in that area, holding the calves will then have them available to sell when others are cutting back and the prices could continue to drop some, as a glut hits the market in that area. Then the little added weight gain could actually cost him more in the long run. [/QUOTE]
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