At this point of the lactation cycle, most farmers have their cows scanned to determine their pregnancy status – you now have to decide what you will do with your cull cows.

There will always be a number of cows that you choose not to breed, there will also be a number of cows that will not go in-calf, so culling cows is just another part of milk production.

As cows have entered the final third of their lactation and the focus is on building grass covers, some farmers will choose to remove cull cows from the herd ahead of housing.

This will decrease the stocking rate on the milking platform, making it easier to manage.

Other farmers will choose to continue to milk the cows selected for culling, and finish them to beef.

Grass on most farms is currently plentiful, so continuing to milk these cows until housing should not be an issue.

If grass is tight on your farm, removal of these cows should be done to reduce the demand.

Cull cows

The decision on what to do with cows selected for culling all depends on the current situation on the farm.

Cull cow prices at factories are currently quite good and there is no sign of that dropping – prices being paid at marts are also quite good.

In recent years, a large number of herds have been expanded, which has meant that winter housing on some farms is at a premium.

This accommodation is better suited for housing in-calf cows and heifers, rather than cull cows.

But, if you have extra housing and adequate silage supplies, finishing cull cows could be an option.

Sell or finish?

Finishing a cull cow has an estimated cost of €400 (excluding the farmer’s margin). The question you should ask yourself is: Is the extra work worth it?

Prices being paid at marts are good, so ask yourself is it more beneficial to cash in now rather than waiting for another few months – at which time, factory prices may have dropped?

For many farmers, it will make more sense to sell cull cows now, before housing time.

Keeping cull cows on the farm over the winter only means that there are more mouths to feed and more animals to look after.