Improving and predicting reproductive performance

Abstract

Reproduction in a beef cow herd is a fragile thing, easy to disrupt and difficult to re-establish. The beef cow has priorities. Her first priority is survival, her second priority is the survival of her calf, and her third priority is reproduction. This means the first two priorities must be met before the third can be accomplished. It is difficult, with today’s economy, to have good reproduction without excessive cost. The purpose of this paper is to briefly outline those ingredients necessary for good reproduction to occur in a beef cow herd, show methods that can be utilized to predict reproduction performance, and outline methods for determining the economic feasibility.