example of records

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Workshop #11 Cow/Calf

Performance Efficiency

Selecting your most profitable cows

Earl H. WardArea Livestock Specialist

Production Records Are Like Road Maps

You are Here!

GOAL $$$$

Example of Records

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Example of Records

Records of importance!

Records of Importance

• Calf Birth Date – This tells us the animal’s age at weaning and where the cow calved in relation to the calving season. Earlier calving cows could be considered more fertile.

• Calf Weaning Weight – Individual weights on calves allows us to evaluate our cows on a individual basis.

Both Birth Date and Weaning Weight are need to calculate the animal’s 205 day

Adjusted Weaning Weight

Records of Importance

• Dam Weight – A cow’s weight gives us the best indication of how much she can eat. The larger the cow the higher her nutrient requirements are and the more she will have to eat to meet those requirements.

• Dam BCS – A cow’s body condition score (BCS) is the greatest tool for cow herd management and its FREE! – Scale of 1 (Skinny) to 9 (Morbidly Obese)– Optimal for Cow is 5 and Heifer is 6 at calving– Rule of Thumb: 1 BCS = @ 80 lbs

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Other Important Records

• Calving Intervals – The average time interval between successive calvings. She needs to have a calf at least every 365 days.

• Cow Age – If she is a great cow, hopefully she already has a daughter or two in the herd.

• Temperament – Anger issues are passed on to progeny!

• Confirmation – Is she fit to carry another calf?

3 Ways to Sort Cows

• Based off of Weaning Weights– Does not take into account the calf’s age

• Based off of 205 Day Adjusted WW– Gives no consideration to cow size

• Based off of Percent Calf Weaned– Most efficient way to find the most profitable cows

205 Day Adjusted WW

• Information needed –– Calf Birth Date (BD)

– Birth Weight (BW)

– Weaning Date (WD)– Weaning Weight (WW)

([(WW – BW) / (WD – BD)] x 205) + BW

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205 Day Adjusted WW

• Example –– Calf Birth Date (BD) = March 15th, 2013– Birth Weight (BW) = 90 lbs– Weaning Date (WD) = October 1st, 2013– Weaning Weight (WW) = 625 lbs

([(WW – BW) / (WD – BD)] x 205) + BW

([(625 – 90) / (Oct 1st – March 15th)] x 205) + 90

([(535) / (200 days)] x 205) + 90

([(2.675)] x 205) + 90 = 638.4 lbs

Percent Calf Weaned

• Information needed -– Calf’s 205 Day Adjusted WW– Cow’s Weight (given an adequate BCS)

Calf’s 205 Day Adj. WW ÷ Cow’s Weight = % Weaned

Percent Calf Weaned

• Example -– Calf’s 205 Day Adjusted WW = 638 lbs– Cow’s Weight = 1325 lbs

Calf’s 205 Day Adj. WW ÷ Cow’s Weight = % Weaned

638 ÷ 1325 = 0.4815 or 48.15%

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Northeast Oklahoma Producer


• Worked & Weighed Cows & Calves in October 2013

• Owner has 135 cows

• Had 2 crippled cows

• Only had 3 open cows – (97.8% Pregnancy Rate)

• Needs to get down to 100 head


• All cows are in great BCS– Average of 6.0

• All cows are 8 years old or younger

• Producer normally sorts cows based on the calf’s 205 day Adjusted Weaning Weight– Calf’s Ages range from 146 to 275 days old

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I used a “forage cost” and “potential income” to determine a “potential

profit/loss” difference between the three different sorting methods .

Potential income – Forage Costs = Potential Profit/Loss


Potential Income

Calf’s 205 Day WW x Market Price

638 x ($164.91/cwt) = $1052.13


Forage Costs

Cow Wt x 2.5% x 365 = lbs of Forage per year

Calf 205 d WW x 2.0% x 205 = lbs of Forage for 205 days

Cow: 1325 x 0.025 x 365 = 12090 lbs of Forage

Calf: 638 x 0.02 x 205 = 2615 lbs of Forage

14705 lbs of Total Forage

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Forage Costs

14705 lbs of Total Forage x Cost per Pound

A 1000 pound round bale cost $60 = $0.06 per pound

14705 x $0.06 = $882.30


Potential Profit/Loss

Potential Income – Forage Costs

$1052.13 - $882.30 = $169.83


Sample of the Spreadsheet

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$96,078.26

$98,135.76

$96,931.23

$95,000.00

$95,500.00

$96,000.00

$96,500.00

$97,000.00

$97,500.00

$98,000.00

$98,500.00

WW 205 d Wt % Weaned

Potential Income


$86,143.43 $86,253.62

$83,108.09

$81,500.00

$82,000.00

$82,500.00

$83,000.00

$83,500.00

$84,000.00

$84,500.00

$85,000.00

$85,500.00

$86,000.00

$86,500.00


Potential Forage Cost


$9,934.83

$11,882.15

$13,823.14

$8,000.00

$9,000.00

$10,000.00

$11,000.00

$12,000.00

$13,000.00

$14,000.00

$15,000.00


Potential Profit/Loss

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WW 205d WW % Weaned

Cow’s Weight 1308 1305 1252

Calf’s Weaning Weight

600 594 585

Calf’s 205 Day Adj. Weaning Weight

590 595 591


y = 0.0736x + 481.7

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

750

800

900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800

205 Day Weights 129 Head

Each +100 lbs of Cow Wt =+7.36 lb of calf wt


y = -0.0281x + 81.409

25.00

30.00

35.00

40.00

45.00

50.00

55.00

60.00

65.00

900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800

% Weaned 129 Head

Each +100 lbs of Cow Wt =‐2.8% of Percent Weaned

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y = -0.4793x + 718.02

$(300.00)

$(200.00)

$(100.00)

$‐

$100.00

$200.00

$300.00

$400.00

900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800

Profit/Loss 129 Head

Each +100 lbs of Cow Wt =‐$47.93 of Potential Profit


• Profit Ranged from $320.09 to ($183.84)

• 25 cows had a loss of profit – (Total of $1194.79)

• Most Efficient Cow– 960 lb cow weaned a 574 Calf = 59.7%

• Least Efficient Cow– 1710 lb cow weaned a 543 Calf = 31.7%


What if’s!• Same Performance Data• Hay now costs $30/bale• Current Calf Prices

– as of May 9th, 2016

No Loss of Profit

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y = ‐0.2527x + 807.21R² = 0.2233

$300.00

$350.00

$400.00

$450.00

$500.00

$550.00

$600.00

$650.00

$700.00

$750.00

900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800

What if’s!Range from $329.10 to $729.61

Each +100 lbs of Cow Wt =‐$25.27 of Potential Profit

Cow #901 – Not in the top 10 Cows

Top 10 Cows in 2013

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

39 36 409 26 44 5 1441 521 8 320 2139 1473 403

2013 2014 2015

Bottom 10 Cows in 2013

Cow Weights Ranged From960 lbs to 1265 lbs

Take Homes

• Scales will pay for themselves in a short amount of time– Individual Records – Vaccinations and Deworming

Using Individual Weights

Using a 1500#Average

5 Liter of Pour On Dewormer for $275

$416.89 $483.75

SAVINGS $66.86

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Other Take Homes

• You don’t know what you have without records

• Compare Apples to Apples

• Sorting by % Weaned is a more effective way to select more profitable cows

Other Take Homes

• If keeping your own heifers, select them from dams with higher percent calf weaned

• If a cow is open…get rid of her!

• Maximize your pregnancy rate so that the amount of animals you can cull based on performance increases

Other Take Homes

Philosophy about Records

Take as much information as possible

“Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it”

- Woodrow F. Call -

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Find Time to Take

Records!!

QUESTIONS?

Earl H. WardArea Livestock Specialist

example of records

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