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Can You Afford Not To PD?

20 December 2017
  • QMS costings show an average cost per cow, less direct calf costs, of £800 per year.
  • Fixed costs are included as all cows, incur them eg shed space, share of tractor costs, etc but barren cows provide no income to cover them.
  • Wintering costs are probably twice as high compared with summer grazing ie would account for two thirds of total annual cost. Ie £500 per cow.
  • For a 6 month winter the this is around £2.50 per day – similar to PD costs per cow.

Identifying one barren cow (and culling her) will pay for PDing nearly 200 cows (excluding the farm labour costs involved).

Basil Lowman, SAC Consulting Beef Specialist

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