Commentary
If you grew up or live in cow country you may have heard this before, “Now that the calves are weaned let’s get the cows moved . . . “ Cows, as in all cows that had calves. Bill Halfman reminds us to treat 2-year-old cows differently from the older mature cows.
If the young cows are left in with the rest of the herd, they will likely be pushed away and not have sufficient access to feed . . . The mature boss cows will eat all they want, becoming fatter, and the young cows will remain thin or may even lose weight.”
Source: Wisconsin Agriculturist, October 30, 2023. Link. Separating 2-year-old and some 3-year-old cows from the mature cows allows the most economical use of better forages and supplemental grain to get them in good condition for the next calving season, while not overfeeding the mature cows. Economically, this avoids a losing situation for the farmer.
INSIGHTS: Articles like this can help animal health pros have stewardship improvement discussions with producers and falls in line with addressing some of the public’s concerns about cattle management practices.