SHARING OPTIONS:
The Duguid family moved their calving from the start of March to the start of April.
In the final instalment of lessons learned within the Farm Profit Programme, we look at matching calving dates to grass growth.
In the northeast of Scotland, the programme demonstrated that the best time for suckler cows to calve was March and April, ensuring cows were rolling out to grass just as growth rates were on the rise.
The first few weeks of lactation in suckler cows is crucial to maximise milk yield. By calving cows in sync with increasing grass growth, it means the energy demand of lactating cows matches the energy supplied by grazed grass in mid- to late spring.