Meat Science Commons^™

Production From Heifers And First Calvers, G J. Sawyer

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Heifers and first calvers present the major problems of the beef breeding herd. Reproduction rates, calf growth and survival of first calvers are generally much poorer than those of adult breeders.

Early successful reproductive performance is important in beef herds because of the high overhead cost of keeping breeding beef heifers or cows, Where possible, beef producers should aim to join heifers at 14 to 15 months of age. To achieve this goal, producers should set production targets for those animals. These targets will differ from farm to farm depending on when calves are turned off and the seasonal feed …

The Autumn Feed Problem In Beef Cattle Management, D J. Barker, P. J. May

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

In south-western Australia all grazing stock face a period of 'inadequate' nutrition each autumn.

The Department of Agriculture's beef production research programme has for some years sought solutions to this problem, and the results from the programme have been used to develop strategies for achieving satisfactory production levels at least cost during autumn.

This article discusses the resulting techniques, and the research on which they are based.