The weather conditions over the last few weeks are now really impacting on farms and it may be time to move cull cows on.
The wet weather over the last number of weeks has made grazing a challenge for many, with most forced to house cows for at least a few days.
With silage now in the diet on many farms, in order to preserve supplies and reduce costs, it is now a good idea to move cull cows on for the year.
Cull cows
In years when milk price is good there can be a temptation to milk cows on for as long as possible, but that is not the case this year.
Milk price is on the border line for cost of production on many farms and you would have to question the reasoning for keeping these cows within the herd.
Milk production in spring-calving cows is naturally falling; between now and the end of the year milk sales are going to be quite low compared to earlier in the year.
It has been a challenging year for farmers, especially when it comes to harvesting silage crops, which has meant that some farms have lower quantities of silage in the pit than they would like and could be potentially tight for fodder this year.
So if silage is now in the diet it is advisable to reduce stock numbers to the level that you will be keeping over the winter months.
Keeping cows that are going to leave the herd in the coming weeks, is low-margin milk and could actually be costing more than it is making.
Mart or factory?
Usually cull cow price shouldn’t have an impact on how cull cows are dealt with, but with milk prices being low this year it may be something to consider.
Farmers should have a look at local mart sales and get quotes from the factories to determine which is the best option for you.
Unless farmers are in a position where they have more than enough silage, keeping cull cows and feeding them on is not advised.
Even if farmers are able to feed them on, they should ask dies it pay to do that? Silage costs money to make – so would the extra weight pay for the silage needed to feed them?