51 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | September 2024 feed should be the goal of all weaning programs, there are other factors that play a role in the strategy that best suits a farm. Marketing influences weaning protocols Each farm has different facility capacities and production goals. While some farms may choose to retain their weaned calves, some weaning protocols may work better for producers that aim to sell theirs. Stookey lists a few factors that farmers should consider when creating a weaning protocol. “Look at the market. Are they keeping or selling calves? How soon do they need to sell? Do they have a facility to keep them at home? Those are big factors,” says Stookey, noting that retention can carry more financial risk, even if the experience of the calf may be improved. “If you retain ownership, can you put on gain at a cheaper rate than what you would get at market? If you sell your calves, there is no death loss and no risk. If you retain a calf and it gets sick, it can result in treatment, which costs more, and if some die, that’s a significant loss. “There’s a lot going on there.” Many of the decisions related to weaning require consideration of marketing plans. Mitchell explains that while preparation for a smooth weaning benefits the calves and the farmer who purchases them, the cow-calf producer doesn’t necessarily receive the benefit. “Farmers aren’t often really rewarded for waiting to ship calves until after they’ve come through the weaning process. They get paid the same and there’s not a lot of incentive and many farmers don’t have the infrastructure or pasture to do it,” he says. Calf club and pre-sort sales are one opportunity that benefits both the producer selling the calves, and the next farmer who will receive them. In Ontario, these calf clubs will allow a number of producers within a region to raise their calves on the same health protocol and bring them together to create groups of consistent calves. This also helps buyers put together full loads of cattle. “A lot of guys in these sales have 30 to 50 calves, which doesn’t fill a truck, and the weight range might be variable,” says Mitchell, who is involved in the coordination of these calf club sales and protocols after Kotzeff’s initiation of the program 15 years prior. “We are getting as close to western large-herd style sales as we can by bringing calves in from the same environment with the same health and weaning protocols, and we sort them into groups of the same size to offer feedlot buyers a uniform package.” In this case, cow-calf producers see the payoff of implementing a strong weaning program that prepares the calf for its next steps. “The calves would be double vaccinated prior to weaning – once in the spring and once in the fall – and they are dewormed during fall processing, so they should be clean from parasites. They have maximum immunity and are also given selenium, so they aren’t coming in deficient,” says Mitchell. “They are prepared, and they are ready to go to their next destination. We are giving them a backpack full of supplies and preparing them as best we can.” During Mitchell’s involvement in the pre-sort sales, he has consistently seen the reputation of these calves bring in attractive prices. “For years running it’s been the most expensive sale in North America to buy calves at because of the long-standing tradition,” he explains. “One of the most common reasons we hear to not join the calf clubs is that they have to run calves through the chute in the spring and in the fall. “It maybe costs $10 a head to run them through and depending on the sale, they made anywhere from $200 to $500 more per calf last year.” For a smooth weaning process, farmers should consider which strategies work best for their facilities and marketing plans, as well as how they might reduce stress within those strategies. This can help both buyers and sellers get the most out of calves as they transition from living on their dams to feed. BF Livestock
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