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Profitability and sustainable livestock production provides open spaces, wildlife habitat, and clean water. |
| University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service College of Agriculture |
Department of Renewable Resources |
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Profitability and sustainable livestock production provides open spaces, wildlife habitat, and clean water. |
Winter feed costs represent a significant portion of total operating costs for Wyoming ranchers. These costs can often be reduced by synchronizing the peak nutrition requirements of livestock with the peak nutrient availability in rangeland forages. Calving season for Wyoming cow/calf producers typically occurs between February and April; however, shifting calving to May or June better matches forage availability with peak nutrient requirements of cows.
University of Wyoming faculty and Extension Specialists from the Renewable Resources department, cooperated with several Wyoming ranchers to evaluate the influence of calving season on the profitability of beef cattle production. Delaying calving season by 30 to 120 days resulted in reduced winter feed costs, reduced labor costs, decreased calf losses, improved rebreeding efficiency and improved profitability. The results of this research recently culminated in practical management recommendations to improve the sustainability and profitability of Wyoming cattle ranches.