Mike and Myna Cryderman used to lose a lot of sleep during calving season.
When they began farming 11 years ago, calving started in January and continued into February.
The Crydermans kept a vigil around the clock, checking expectant cows every two hours. In the coldest weather, one of them would sleep in a heated room in the barn to make sure they didn’t miss new deliveries.
But the Crydermans, who farm near Boissevain, Man., gradually changed the timing of their calving season. This will be the third year their calving starts around May 20.
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“I just couldn’t be happier,” said Mike, while listing the benefits of spring calving.
The Crydermans found the health of the calves born in May and June to be generally better than calves born in the winter.
Feed costs are lower because the cows are already on pasture when their nutritional needs peak.
And without winter calving, the Crydermans have almost no need to keep their 100 cows in loose housing and corrals. Their farm has ample brush to shelter the cattle during winter. Their annual bill for manure removal and spreading has dropped from $2,000 a year to about $100.
An added benefit is that they usually only have to check the cows three times a day during calving season – first thing in the morning, mid-day and in the evening.
“Now, it’s get up in the morning, have a cup of coffee, jump in the pickup, enjoy the beautiful spring sunrise and count your calves,” Cryderman said.
John Popp, a Manitoba Agriculture livestock specialist, has taken a close look at the pros and cons of moving from March to May calving.
Popp, who is also a cattle producer at Erickson, Man., does not tell producers they should switch to May calving, but he has gathered information that lends merit to that option.
He looked at the information from the perspective of a cattle producer targeting his calves for the fall market.
He found that the profit from calves born in May versus those born in March may not be as different as one might expect.
Popp considered the cost of feeding cows during winter.
A cow that calves in March is still on winter rations during the third trimester of pregnancy and post calving, which is when its nutritional needs are greatest.
It is more expensive to feed it than a cow that spends most of the winter in the second and third trimester and then calves on grass, Popp said.
The extra cost to feed a cow calving in March was roughly $35. Popp made that calculation based on hay priced at $35 per tonne, straw at $17 a tonne and barley at $2 per bushel. The rations were balanced according to National Research Council recommendations.
Popp then tackled the question of what the calves would weigh and what price they would fetch when sold in the fall.
There was no disputing that calves born in March would typically weigh more. However, Popp said research done at the University of South Dakota showed that May calves grow more quickly than those born in March.
One of the reasons is that a cow calving May 1 is feeding on pasture better suited to its nutritional needs. This means the volume of her milk is also more likely to be at its peak.
As well, sending calves to market at a lower weight is not entirely a disadvantage.
Popp looked at the average prices for calves sold in Manitoba from 1995 to 1999.
He found an obvious trend. As the calves increased in weight, the average price paid per pound declined.
So, although the May calves went to market at a lighter weight than March calves, they were able to make up part of the difference by fetching a higher price per pound.
The weaning weights of calves born in March averaged 593 lb. Calves born in May averaged 526 lb., a 67 lb. difference.
On average, based on Popp’s calculations, March calves sold for $48 to $50 more than those born in May, so the difference is significant.
But Popp then subtracted $35 per head from the selling price of the March calves, which is the extra cost he had attached to winter feed rations for a cow that calves in March versus one that calves in May.
He asks whether the $15 per animal is enough to cover things like additional labor, facilities, manure cleanup and health management involved with March versus May calving.
For him, the answer is no. Fighting winter weather during calving season did not lend itself to having an off-farm job.
Popp knows May calving will not work for everyone. It could especially be a challenge on mixed farms, when spring planting coincides with calving season.
He also cautioned that May calving does not eliminate the need for shelter.
It is wise to have some shelter available in case of spring storms, even if it is only round bales of straw, portable windbreaks or an area with bush or brush cover.
As well, Popp said producers with May calving should prepare to feed at least 30 to 40 percent of the calf crop, since some calves will be too small to sell in the fall.
On average, the number of May calves that have to be kept into winter is about 15 percent higher than the number of March calves held over.
Popp did not pinpoint the extra cost of keeping these calves.
For Cryderman, going back to winter calving has never crossed his mind.
His calves last year averaged 450 lb. by sale time in the fall. They sold for an average of $700 each.
Because cattle prices are high, he sold all his heifers and steers.
“We didn’t get the $800 to $850 the neighbors got,” he said, comparing prices with what others got for calves born in winter and early spring.
“But it costs us a lot less to feed our cows.”
Cryderman said there are some good marketing options for calves born in May. He can either sell them at around 450 lb. in the fall or hold them and sell in March when people are looking for grassers.
A third option, he said, is to keep the calves for a little more than a year and sell them in summer as short keeps.
