Remember the phrase earning your keep? Whether that was doing household chores as a child or bringing in a salary to contribute to the finances, many have a role in bringing value to the family.

In a similar way, beef cows earn their keep by raising a calf annually, say the veterinarians at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute.

Addressing the topic of how to keep the beef herd calving over a fairly short 65-75-day timeframe was the focus of a recent discussion on a Cattle Chat podcast.

"It is not uncommon for herds to calve over a period of four months," says K-State veterinarian Bob Larson.

He says that a cow will typically be pregnant for 283 days, leaving her only 82 days to return to fertile cycles and conceive again. Cows typically average 50 to 80 days of postpartum infertility making it challenging to stay on a 365-day calving cycle.  

Veterinarian Brad White gives the example of how easily a cow can slip to be a "late calver" and how that pattern perpetuates.

"If I made a mistake when she was a four-year-old and it took 400 days to have her next calf, (then) even in the subsequent years when she calves within 365 days, she'll still always be late," White says.

To keep that from occurring Larson offers these three key strategies.

"Focus on heifer development and breeding because research has shown that heifers that calve in the first 21 days of the calving season will stay in the herd longer, and she will wean enough extra weight over her lifetime as if she's produced an extra calf," White says. For example, if she stays in the herd for nine calving seasons, she's produced enough weight as if she'd had 10 calves.

Producers with a goal of shortening the calving season should expect that to occur over several years, says veterinarian Brian Lubbers.

"For most producers, shortening the calving season is a multi-year process when those late-bred females can be culled from the herd annually," Lubbers says.

Culling late-bred cows is also a strategy that Larson recommends.

"Cows that get pregnant late are better than cows that are open (not pregnant), but I would advise culling the late bred cows to keep your calving season from spreading out," Larson says. "The hard part is that you have to have the discipline to sell her."

Source: Kansas State University Research and Extension, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.