Liveweight and condition score in Aberdeen Angus cross and Limousin cross suckler cows either housed or outwintered on alternative forage crops from November to March

Extract

Lowering the costs of suckler cow production systems is one of the key challenges facing the beef industry as a result of recent changes in the Common Agricultural Policy which has resulted in farm based subsidies being decoupled from food production. One of the largest costs associated with production in spring calving suckler cow systems is the costs of over-wintering the non-lactating cow. The capital tied up in buildings is a major component of these costs in countries such as the UK where the relatively harsh winter environments have traditionally led to many cows being housed and fed conserved forages over the winter months to ensure excessive losses in cow liveweight (LW) and condition score (CS) do not occur. Applied studies are required to develop systems which allow non-lactating suckler cows to be out-wintered under UK conditions without excessive LW and CS loss as a means of reducing production costs. The objective of the current study was to determine LW and CS changes in non-lactating suckler cows when managed under a range of outdoor conditions from November to March.