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Super-sized cows require appropriate managementOklahoma It is a truth hiding in plain sight: Mature weight and milk production of many commercial beef cows are both greater than they were 30 to 40 years ago, and that means management considerations must change as well. Most commercial ranchers underestimate the mature size of their cows simply because they have not weighed the adult cows to know what average mature weight to expect, said Glenn Selk, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service livestock reproduction specialist. "These are not your grandfather's cows," he said. "To expect large, heavy milking cows to be in moderate body condition at calving and maintain condition through breeding, they must receive more feed than smaller lighter-milking cows." According to the 1996 National Research Council's guidelines for beef cows calving in February and March and weaning in October, heavier milking cows weighing about 1,250 pounds require 34 percent more energy on average for an entire year, compared to 1,100-pound moderately milking cows. Consequently, an operation that was carrying 100 head of the smaller cows need carry only 66 head of the larger cows to use the same quantity of forage available on a specific farm or ranch. The larger cows also will require 34 percent more winter hay and supplement to maintain body condition. "Expensive feed and fertilizer prices mean it is time to consider reducing herd size to better fit required stocking rates," Selk said. "Reduced stocking rates will definitely be necessary on improved pastures if lower amounts of fertilizer are applied." A larger mature cow size also affects the principle of percent of body weight needed for heifers to reach puberty. "Many ranchers underestimate the target weight for replacement heifers," Selk said. For a cow that eventually will weigh 1,000 pounds, the target weight for the heifer would be 650 pounds. For a cow that eventually will weigh 1,250 pounds, the target weight would be 812 pounds going into the heifer's first breeding season, if the producer is to promote a high cycling and pregnancy rate. Additional cow-calf management tips are available through Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at http://cowcalfcorner.okstate.edu/ on the Internet. 5/5/08 Date: 5/1/08
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