Beef producers urged to keep eye on heifers

Beef producers aiming to calf their heifers at two years were this week advised by SAC senior beef specialist Gavin Hill to judge whether the animals had size as well as weight before proceeding, writes Andrew Arbuckle.

“While a heifer’s weight might be 65 per cent of her projected mature weight, it’s important you still use your eye to assess her size and scale to satisfy yourself whether or not she really does look capable,” he said.

Hill was speaking at the latest meeting at the monitor farm, Hundleshope, Peebles, belonging to Ed and Kate Rowell where they run 70 breeding females on the 1,800 acre unit.

Hill also recommended aiming to calve heifers a month or two earlier than the main herd as this would give them extra time to recover, and would improve their chances of going back in calf, to calve with the main herd in later years.