This article draws on lessons learnt and observations made over many years of breeding beef cattle on sour veld.
By Christopher D.H. Sparks
Farming is a continuous learning process, and new lessons emerge every day. It is important to keep records of these lessons to avoid repeating mistakes.
In some circles, people say young farmers need to “pay school fees”, in other words, make their own mistakes and bear the consequences. In principle, this is not a bad thing, as lessons learnt through personal experience are seldom forgotten. Mistakes, however, cost money and should be avoided where possible. This does not mean risks should be avoided altogether, but rather that they should be calculated and manageable should failure occur.
Researching a subject and seeking sound advice can help prevent unnecessary losses. If good advice is asked for and then ignored, paying school fees may be a fair consequence. Here are some observations applicable to both stud and commercial farming practice. All cattle farmers should first be grass farmers who use livestock to manage available renewable resources.
Also read: The cattle farmer’s manual | Plenty of grass, thin cows: What’s going wrong?
Cost of a cow per year
This simple calculation is based on a cow’s physical consumables, excluding special medical attention:
- Grazing cost, calculated according to the number of hectares per cow (prescribed for your area) multiplied by the rental cost per hectare per year. Even if your farm is fully paid off, this cost should still be included, as the grazing land could otherwise generate income if rented out.
- Annual inoculations and dipping.
- Winter lick for seven months.
- Summer lick for five months.
- Cost of an average bull at R60 000, shared between 30 cows over three years.
- Cost of two fertility and trichomoniasis tests, shared among 30 cows annually.
- Veterinary costs for annual pregnancy testing per cow.
- An additional 15% of the total cost to cover fuel and labour. (This is a somewhat rough estimate, as the cost of visiting a herd of 50 cows is not very different from visiting a herd of 100 cows.)
Also read: The cattle farmer’s manual | Why winter feeding is critical for pregnant cows
Profit drivers
The most important profit drivers are percentage calves weaned, and adaptability of the cow herd to its immediate environment.
A cow can only pay for her annual board and lodging by weaning a calf that can either be sold or retained as capital. When a cow does not wean a calf, her annual costs need to be shared between the other contributing cows in the herd. It is sometimes better to sell such a cow and recoup her annual cost.
A cow herd that is well adapted to its environment should maintain better condition, have lower lick intake, conceive easily and have little problem in raising a good calf.
Longevity of a cow
The “golden oldies” in the herd are my favourite cows, because they have made me the most money. To understand why, consider the following: A 7-month-old weaned heifer calf is retained as breeding stock and needs to be carried for a further 17 months before being exposed to the bull at 24 months of age (sour veld practice). The heifer is then carried for a further 9 months before she calves. The calf is then suckled until weaning 7 months later, before being sold to bring in the first income.
The heifer has thus incurred costs over a period of 33 months before bringing in any income, or 49 months if you include the months her dam was in-calf and the 7 months it took to wean her without cash income if retained.
Each year that a cow calves reduces her initial input costs.
Also read: The cattle farmer’s manual | Why protein is the key to winter grazing success
Frame score in bulls
Much has been written about the money-making attributes of medium- to small-frame cows. If you decide to use a large-frame bull on your well-adapted herd of smaller-frame cows, he will be working during the best three summer months of the year before being taken out, tested and fed, until the next mating season.
The bull’s own adaptability is therefore of little concern. The problem arises with his daughters, as some may be early-maturing like their dams and others may be late-maturing like their sire. When pregnancy tests are later conducted on these heifers, you may well find that most of the early-maturing heifers are in calf, while most of the later-maturing, large-frame heifers are not.
If conception is used as a selection tool you will find that far fewer of your heifers qualify for retention when using a large-frame bull than had you initially used a more suitable smaller-framed bull.
Also read: Ask the vet | Dehorning – what cattle farmers should know
Veld bull testing
The concept of veld bull testing, developed by Veldbul SA under the guidance of Dr Hannes Dreyer, has proved a useful tool in identifying the better environmentally adapted bulls in a contemporary group. (A contemporary group is a group of animals of a similar age raised under the same conditions, making performance comparisons easier.)
Bulls are evaluated under natural grazing conditions rather than intensive feeding systems. The principle is that bulls that perform well on the veld are more likely to produce daughters that are equally well adapted, contributing to a productive and profitable cow herd.
Christopher D.H. Sparks is the honorary life chairman of the Livestock Registering Federation of South Africa. In Part 2, he explores the importance of low-stress cattle handling, fixed mating seasons, contemporary groups, animal condition and balancing genetic traits for long-term profitability.
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