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Culling Decisions for Beef Cows

Every cow in your herd is spending your feed and pasture. Culling is the way you make sure each one earns her place, and it works best when you decide by rule, not by mood.

Why culling matters

A herd improves partly through the bulls and heifers you bring in, and partly through the cows you let go. Keeping a cow that does not produce a calf each year costs you resources that a better cow could use.

The cow-calf year is built around one calf per cow per year. A cow that misses that mark deserves a careful look.

A herd that culls steadily and with purpose tends to stay younger, more fertile and easier to manage than one that waits for a drought or a wreck to force the issue.

Common reasons to cull

Most culling falls into a few categories. Open cows, meaning cows not pregnant at preg check, are the most obvious. Others include cows that calved late, had calving trouble, raised poor calves, have bad udders, lost soundness in feet or legs, have bad teeth, or are dangerous to handle.

Age is a factor, but age alone is not a reason. A sound, productive older cow can still be valuable. A young cow with a poor record may not be.

• Open or late-bred at pregnancy check
• Repeated calving difficulty
• Poor milk, weak calves or poor weaning weights
• Udder or teat problems
• Lameness, bad feet or structural decline
• Poor teeth or body condition that will not hold
• Aggressive temperament

Set your rules before preg check

Decide your criteria in advance and write them down. When you are standing at the chute with a cow in front of you, emotions can cloud judgment. A written policy makes it easier to be consistent.

Talk with your vet about how pregnancy diagnosis fits into your plan, and what other conditions to look for at that visit. Do not guess at health problems you cannot see.

It also helps to have a second set of eyes. A neighbor, your vet or an extension agent can often see what you have grown used to, such as a cow that has slowly gotten thin or an udder that is no longer sound.

Look at the whole herd picture

Culling decisions interact with herd size, forage, markets and cash flow. If pasture is short or drought has set in, you may need to cull deeper than usual. If prices or demand change, your plan may shift.

Concepts like cull cow marketing, cash flow and tax effects are worth discussing with your lender, accountant or attorney, and with USDA Farm Service Agency or Agricultural Marketing Service resources for market information. Program terms change, so check current details. This is not financial advice.

Health and food safety

A cow headed to market must meet all withdrawal times for any treatment she has received. Follow label directions and your vet's instructions exactly. Residue avoidance protects the beef supply and your reputation.

Cows that are sick, injured or weak may not be fit to travel. Talk with your vet about humane handling and transport. Follow Beef Quality Assurance guidance on loading and moving cattle.

Timing and logistics of culling

When you cull matters almost as much as who you cull. Many ranchers sort cows at weaning or at pregnancy diagnosis, since the cattle are already in the pens and the information is fresh. Others make additional cuts when feed gets tight or at the start of the next breeding season.

Plan the trucking and the marketing before the day arrives. Ask your buyer or the sale barn what they want in terms of condition, records and timing, and check your state department of agriculture about any paperwork required where you live. Rules differ by state, so do not assume what worked for a neighbor across the line applies to you.

• Sort cows while they are already in the working pens
• Confirm withdrawal times are met before shipping
• Arrange transport and paperwork ahead of time
• Keep a list of which cows left and why

Records and common mistakes

Keep a cow file or a line in your record system with calving dates, assistance, calf weights, health events and breeding results. After a few years, the best and worst cows stand out.

Common mistakes include keeping a cow because she is gentle despite poor production, culling only for open status, holding too many old cows too long and waiting for a crisis to cut. Ask your vet to help you decide on borderline cases, and ask your buyer or market what condition and records they expect.

More in Breeding, Genetics & Reproduction

• Breeding Records and Herd Software
• Annual Reproduction Calendar
• Improving Herd Fertility Over Five Years
• Beef Cattle Breeding Season Planning
• Estrus Detection in Beef Cattle
• Heat Detection Tools for Ranches