Managing beef replacement heifers

Fertility is one of the key drivers of profitability in the suckler herd and it is at least twice as important as growth and carcase characteristics. Therefore, every effort must be made to ensure heifers are developed effectively so that fertility is optimised and profits are generated.

Numerous research papers suggest that calving heifers for the first time at two years of age is an effective method of reducing cost of production and increasing cow lifetime reproductive performance.

Successful heifer development is underpinned by nutrition, genetics and effective selection.

Nutrition has a significant impact on age at puberty and rebreeding rates; if this isn’t optimal, calving heifers at two years of age will be a challenge. The age at which a heifer reaches puberty, along with other maternal attributes, is also influenced by genetics.

Selection is key. We shouldn’t fight to keep unsuitable heifers within the herd.

Creating weight targets, implementing tight breeding patterns and applying rigorous visual and genetic selection criteria ensure that only the most productive heifers enter the herd.

This in turn results in the creation of a functional suckler cow that calves unassisted every 365 days, has low maintenance costs and remains productive for a sufficient period to cover her development or purchase costs.