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Canadian Charolais Association
CANADIAN CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION
2320, 41st Avenue NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6W8 403.250.9242 F 403.291.9324 www.charolais.com @canCharolais www.facebook.com/cdncharolais PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES:
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ALBERTA President: STEPHEN CHOLAK, Lamont Secretary: Deb Cholak, Lamont SASKATCHEWAN President: JORDAN MOORE, Redvers Secretary: Saskatchewan Livestock Asso., Regina MANITOBA President: MICHAEL HUNTER, Roblin Secretary: Rae Trimble, Portage la Prairie ONTARIO President: JOSH TAYLOR, Dunsford Secretary: Doris Aitken, Mount Forest QUEBEC President: MARK FROST, Kingsey Fallss Secretary: Chantal Raymond, Sainte-Eulalie MARITIMES President: JASON RINGUETTE, Bridgetown, NS Secretary: Nancy Milton, Nine Mile Creek, PEI STAFF:
General Manager: CRAIG SCOTT Registry: LOIS CHIVILO Registry/Member Services: HAYLEA JONES French Membership: Bernard Dore 514-910-4935 • bernarddore@videotron.ca EXECUTIVE:
PRESIDENT: KASEY PHILLIPS Box 420, Waskatenau, AB T0A 3P0 780.358.2360 C 780.656.6400 kphillips@mcsnet.ca 1st VICE-PRESIDENT: SHAWN AIREY Box 639, Rivers, MB R0K 1X0 204.328.7704 C 204.724.8823 htacharolais@hotmail.com 2nd VICE-PRES: RYAN NESBITT 17100 Cedardale Rd, Nestleton, ONL0B 1L0 905.242.2046 ryan@cedardalefarms.ca PAST PRESIDENT: MIKE ELDER Box 216, Coronach, SK S0H 0Z0 306.267.5655 C 306.267.7730 mjelder@sasktel.net DIRECTORS:
DARWIN ROSSO 78 325 4th Ave SW, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 5V2 306.693.2384 rosso.c@sasktel.net ROGER MALONEY 2420 Jermyn Line RR 1, Indian River, ON K0L 2B0 705.295.6439 C 705.761.7316 malrog64@hotmail.com MATHIEU PALERME 814 Pink Rd., Gatineau, QC J9J 3N3 819.682.2723 C 819.213.3143 matpalerme@yahoo.ca JEFF CAVERS Box 237, La Riviere, MB R0G 1A0 204.242.3467 C 204-242-4448 c2charolais@inethome.ca LORNE LAKUSTA Box 37, Andrew, AB T0B 0C0 780.365.2079 C 780.719.0264 spruceviewcharolais@gmail.com ROD McLEOD 293113 Twnshp Rd 263, Rocky View County, AB T4A 0N5 403.540.7986 rodmcl@telus.net FROM THE CANADIAN CHAROLAIS ASSOCIATION Culling Strategies
This is certainly not the article I had hoped to write for this magazine, but given the situation across much of the country with drought and limited (no) feed availability, culling of the herd is a harsh reality for many cattle producers.
While difficult to deal with, there is always a silver lining to trimming the cowherd. The culling process is one of the fastest ways to make genetic progress and it usually sets a herd up for longer term success and fewer problems moving forward. On our farm, we had 3/8” total precipitation in 2002, which led to a massive and somewhat gut wrenching cull of our cowherd. The next spring we got to experience the full force of BSE, but the fact we had a very young and productive (albeit significantly smaller) cowherd definitely helped us weather that storm.
While we keep readily saleable cattle, such as backgrounding steers, we also keep a hitlist on our ranch, which is essentially a group of disposable cows. The ones that should have gone, but are having “one more calf”. These are the easiest to part with and should be first to go. It includes open, dry, lost a calf, required calving assistance, required post calving assistance or aggressive personalities. One tool we use is what I term the “Orange Tag of Death”. If we assist a cow in any way, she gets an orange tag and makes the cull list.
Second on the list is to cull the low productivity cows. Many readers will have good records to help identify those cows. If your record keeping is somewhat suspect, or your calving book went through the wash, another suggestion from Burke Teichert which we have used successfully here, is to wean your calves and then turn the dinks back out in about 24 hours. They will mother up and then you cut those cows from the herd. If you google Burke Teichert, he is a very good thinker about beef production and ranching. His articles and videos are helpful in the context of this year but also in general operation of your business.
The next level that likely starts peeling back is the productive cow herd. This is where emotions become more difficult for many of us. It is easy to part with the cow that you barely outran those 4 times, it is another to part with a cow that has a name or a history. We do need to objectify this process.
Production records are a good place to start, as well as age. Younger cows, with more productive life ahead of them, may take a large price hit in drought conditions but can recover their value quickly if conditions improve. Older, lower value cows will not generally have the same price recovery going forward. For example, a three-year old cow worth slaughter price this year, may be worth young bred cow price next year. If that cow is nine-years old, she is currently worth very little over cull price and will be worth about the same, or possibly less next year, as a ten-year old.
Body condition and type are also good criteria for culling. Cows that are in good body condition relative to the others will generally have lower feed requirements to make it through the winter. Skinny cows will need to have body condition at least maintained and hopefully improved to make it through calving and rebreed. This may be an expense you are not willing to take this year. As well it is a good time to put a lot of pressure on feet/legs and udders.
From a broader herd perspective, it is very important to have
