Management
Efficiency and Cow-Calf Production
By Derrell Peel , Oklahoma State University Extension
Cow-calf producers use a variety of efficiency measures to help manage production systems . Many of these are technical efficiencies that capture physical measures of output and input use and range from very specific measures to more broad-based values that incorporate a range of production components . For example , pregnancy percentage focuses on breeding efficiency and highlights management of cow body condition and can indicate reproductive failures in cows and bulls . Calving percentage incorporates pre-natal calf mortality in additional to pregnancy percentage while weaning percentage adds calf mortality to calving percentage .
Weaning weights are a basic measure of productivity while pounds of calf weaned per exposed female is a much more robust measure of reproductive and nutritional efficiency . Better yet , pounds of weaned calf per acre also adds in forage management and stocking rate . Technical efficiency measures are very useful to monitor and manage particular components of production systems . However , excessive focus on technical measures , especially very narrow ones , can misdirect management attention .
Technical efficiency measures tend to emphasize maximums ( such as weaning weights ) or minimums ( such as death loss ). Often times , maximums and minimums are not optimal in terms of economic outcome . Data certainly shows , for example , that the most profitable cow-calf operations often do not have the highest weaning weights .
Economic efficiency measures go beyond technical efficiencies to include values of inputs and outputs as well . Economic efficiencies demonstrate that efficiency can change due to changes in output and / or input values even when physical
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