Pick Replacement Heifers Based on Environment
US - One of the opening speakers at this year’s Beef Cattle Short Course was Dr. Jason Banta, an assistant professor at the A&M research center in Overton and Extension beef specialist, who discussed buying replacement females.
22 August 2007
2 minute read
“Depending on what production environment you’re in, that will dictate what breed type you want to look at purchasing. That should be one of the first things you think about.”
Dr. Jason Banta, an assistant professor at the A&M research center in Overton and Extension beef specialist
One of the most important aspects of buying replacement heifers is that they match their working environment, said Banta. In Central, East, and South Texas this means a Brahmanic influenced female capable of tolerating the heat.
“Depending on what production environment you’re in,” said Banta, “that will dictate what breed type you want to look at purchasing. That should be one of the first things you think about.”
There are advantages and disadvantages to every type of female available. When buying an open heifer such as a Beefmaster, the producer has the option of what bull they want to breed it to and know what genetics can be expected in calving. The downside, however, is that open heifers take longer to develop before they’re ready to return a calf, if they ever do. Fine breed heifers, Banta said, offer tremendous advantages but, unfortunately, have to be calved out.
Buying pairs presents another option wherein producers don’t have to worry about calving. The price for pairs will be higher than singles, though, due to the fact that someone has already invested a large amount of work and taken the risk to calve them out, he said.
“You just have to decide what’s best for your operation,” Banta said. “Weigh all the advantages and disadvantages, then make your decision from there.”
Source: Sulphur Springs Country World News
