Heifer retention in dry times

by Zach McFarlane, Ph.D., Beef Cattle Specialist, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

The keep or cull question is of even more important this year than ever before. Drought-stricken and wildfireravaged California rangelands need a flexible approach to female beef cattle management now more than ever.

The decision to keep or cull heifers, cows, bulls or any other class of cattle comes around every year. Typically, this question is based on reproductive performance. Did bulls pass their breeding soundness exam? Is the cow bred? Decisions become more complex as ranchers face the mounting pressures in 2022 with extreme drought conditions, limited forage availability, scarce stock water and a tight hay market.

“This year we have had to make tough decisions, in a normal year we could give a cow a chance if she weaned off a lighter calf or she had a bad eye,” states David Brandenberger, Brandenberger Cattle Company, Stonyford, “but this year we have culled deep in the herd to be able to stay on the little grass we have available. The choice to keep heifers was even more difficult. Waiting an entire year before she calves is not feasible in the current drought conditions we are facing.”

When you are in the corral today, the reasons to cull expand. Drought conditions in the fall of 2022 are severe when considering 98 percent of the state is experiencing severe to exceptional drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Some of the following questions come to mind when considering your culling decisions.

Is the female structurally sound? When did she become pregnant during the breeding season? How did her calf perform? This final question may be one of the most important given the current drought conditions.

Strategic management can help make culling decisions for you. Heifers are the most fertile cattle in the herd because they do not have to cope with the nutritional stress of lactation during the breeding season. If heifers are not pregnant at the end of the breeding season, they will likely not be able to cope with rebreeding as a 2-yearold. At this age, they are required to partition nutrients towards the demands for growth and milk production which can reduce fertility. We know that heifers that calve and breed back early are retained in the herd at greater rates. A study conducted at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center using over 16,000 heifers indicated that heifers calving in the first 21 days of the calving season were retained at a greater rate in the herd. Additionally, these heifers produced heavier calves at weaning over their lifetime.

Opportunity costs are a very important consideration in sever drought conditions. Choosing to retain a heifer for breeding removes the opportunity for her to be sold for profit. This cost is not paid back until that heifer has several calves, and this may not be a viable option in these severe drought conditions. However, the word “opportunity” is important because heifers provide an “opportunity” to focus on genetic improvement in your herd. Not only are they typically highly fertile, but they are the largest source of new genetics in your herd aside from bringing in new breeding bulls. If choosing to retain heifers this year, the following considerations are helpful to reflect upon when making this decision.

The biggest heifers in the pen at weaning may not be the best option for your herd. Cow size is an important factor to consider when selecting cattle that fit your production environment. We know that selecting for increased cow size increases her nutrient requirements. In turn, this could lead to a reduction in longevity if she does not receive the appropriate level of nutrients during the breeding season. First-calf heifers have the highest nutritional demand in the herd because they are still growing, lactating for the first time, and expected to breed back in a timely fashion.

Another factor to consider is to establish a specific strategy for heifer development. Two schools of thought regarding heifer development have emerged over the past several decades among beef researchers. One strategy focuses on developing heifers to a target body weight, typically 65 percent of mature body weight, to achieve reproductive success. The other school of thought has focused on developing heifers to a lower target body weight (roughly 50 to 55 percent of mature body weight) to reduce development costs without impairing reproductive potential. Overall, developing heifers to a lighter target body weight may provide more flexibility for management decisions while reducing development costs. Even more importantly, this strategy can reduce forage needs in the drought-stricken western United States.

Other phenotypic considerations like structural soundness and feet and leg structure are also imperative for female longevity. Cows must have the physical ability to graze, carry a calf to term and wean a calf in various topographic and climactic conditions. The American Angus Association developed a foot scoring system that categorizes foot angle and claw set in a categorical distribution from 1 to 9, with a score of 5 being ideal. Research has shown this scoring system has a moderate heritability, but more data collection and research is necessary. Research at Chico State and Cal Poly suggests that body condition score and age effect hoof angle. Older and fatter cows seem to have undesirable hoof angles. Over time, cattle with poor structural correctness will break down regardless of breed. Selection for these traits is a priority for bull buyers and should absolutely be a priority for heifer selection and retention.

Research at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and the University of Tennessee was conducted to estimate the amount of time it would require for heifers to payback development costs. Heifers developed in pasture-based, low-cost systems became profitable after approximately four years of age when compared with a payback period of over 10 years of age for feedlot-developed heifers. Research from New Mexico State University has shown that heifers raised in a feedlot were retained in the herd at a significantly lower rate when compared to heifers developed grazing native rangeland.

Aside from the added expense of developing heifers in a feedlot, the “feed them to breed them” mentality does not allow for management flexibility and marketing scenarios. Consider developing heifers like stocker cattle. This system provides producers flexibility if a heifer is not bred at the end of the breeding season. She can become over-fed and fleshy, losing that opportunity for the alternative marketing opportunity for a heifer as a stocker.

Heifer development and management should be approached as a dynamic decision-making process. Cattle that are retained in the herd should be able to adapt to the rigors of your nutritional and managerial environment. Heifers raised grazing in the environment they will live in most of their life will stay in the herd at a greater rate. Many studies have illustrated that raising heifers in confinement and then turning them out to graze has reduced reproductive performance.

Matching cattle to their production environment is crucial to improve longevity and reproductive efficiency. Overall, a flexible management style can keep producers in business even during years of drought or financial hardship. Allowing heifers to match their production environment through this flexible management style may be the best opportunity to improve reproductive and economic efficiency of the cowherd.

This year, ranchers have many tough decisions to make. Focus on female selection and retention to support the genetic future of your herd.

On Sept. 7, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) urged the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to approve the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act.

“American cattle producers’ commitment to reducing their environmental footprint while simultaneously improving efficiency makes our farms and ranches the most sustainable in the world. Unfortunately, overregulation and excessive permitting would jeopardize the cattle industry’s progress towards greater sustainability,” said NCBA Chief Counsel Mary-Thomas Hart. “NCBA strongly supports the Livestock Regulatory Protection Act, which protects farmers and ranchers from onerous regulation. We thank Senators John Thune (R-SD), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), John Boozman (R-AR), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) for their sponsorship and we urge all senators to support this bill.”

The Livestock Regulatory Protection Act aims to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing Clean Air Act Title V permits for emissions like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, water vapor, or methane that result from livestock production.

These emissions are naturally occurring due to cattle’s biological functions and cattle producers continue to employ innovative practices to mitigate the impact of these emissions on the environment. Overall, emissions from cattle production represent only a very small portion of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. For example, methane emissions from cattle account for just 2 percent of total U.S. emissions.

“SDCA thanks Senators Thune and Sinema for working to prevent the EPA from requiring unnecessary air quality permits for livestock producers,” said Eric Jennings, president of South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA). “America’s beef producers, like consumers and regulators, are focused on continuous improvement in environmental conservation and sustainability. Creating burdensome permitting requirements that aren’t firmly backed by sound science aren’t an effective solution to improving the environment, incentivizing good environmental management is.”

Today, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works heard testimony on the legislation. The committee will now need to vote on the bill before sending it to the full Senate for consideration.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), in conjunction with the Public Lands Council (PLC), is now accepting applications for public policy internships in the NCBA Washington, D.C., office for summer 2023.

Interns will have the opportunity to engage with NCBA and PLC staff on several fronts, including policy, communications and membership, and will work closely with the D.C. lobbying and regulatory teams to advance policies important to the beef and sheep industries.

Key responsibilities for public policy interns include participating in lobbying efforts, communicating with NCBA and PLC members, reviewing Federal Register notices, participating in meetings with federal agencies, collaborating with Congressional and agency staff, and other duties as assigned.

Applicants must be a junior or senior undergraduate student, or a graduate student. A background in agriculture or the beef industry is preferred. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and be available for the duration of the internship (May 2023 – August 2023). Successful applicants will also have excellent research, writing and communications skills.

NCBA and PLC are affiliate organizations working on behalf of cattle producers and ranching families across the country. NCBA represents cattle producers and advocates for federal policy while PLC specifically represents livestock producers that hold federal grazing permits. Together, NCBA and PLC represent the cattle and sheep industries and producers who operate on both public and private lands.

Interested students should apply here or visit the careers page of ncba.org. Questions about the internship program may be directed to Justyn Tedder (jtedder@beef.org).