Dry summer management - culling cows (1-33 B)

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Farmfacts: Dry summer management -
culling cows (1-33 B)

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Last updated: October 2010

Summary: The aim of dry summer management is to:

To protect next season's production and reproduction by getting all MA cows to body condition score (BCS) 5.0 by calving and first and second calvers to BCS 5.5.
To maximise profitable milksolids production for the rest of the current season.
For summer dry farms as soon as feed demand exceeds pasture growth, the next season is in jeopardy as cow condition will be lost, especially the first calving cows in the herd.

Often the option to increase feed supply is implemented before reducing cow demand.

However, the cheapest form of supplement is to dispose of known culls. Milking young and thin cows OAD or 16 hour milking or drying-off these cows should also be considered before starting to feed supplement.