The tough decision for beef producers to wean at three months

Calves are being weaned at three to four months to keep beef herds intact as seasonal conditions force farmers to take action.

Some north-east Victorian producers in prime cattle country are weaning calves as young as three months as they battle to keep their herds in tact.

The Upper Murray and the Ovens Valley, east of Wangaratta, are considered some of the safest country in the state but have largely missed autumn and winter rain, and producers are being forced to take action.

Ivone Agencies director Dan Ivone from Myrtleford said the situation was “not disastrous” and producers were being proactive in coping with the tough season.

Ivone Agencies director Dan Ivone said some producers had been weaning calves as young as four months due to the dry winter.

But it took a paradigm shift to wean calves only a few months old.

“It’s been one of the worst winters I’ve seen around here and tough on cattle,” Mr Ivone said.

“There’s been no rain recently, there’s no rain on the forecast and I don’t like how hot it is so early in northern NSW and Queensland.

“I’m just advising our clients to be careful what they do.”

Some producers in the Myrtleford area had weaned calves at three to four months, which was the right decision but still difficult, he said.

“These are calves that are usually weaned at nine or 10 months so it’s quite a different feeling to have to do it so much earlier,” Mr Ivone said.

“It’s hard to do but it’s much better for the calf as it is not trying to chase its mother around for a cup full of milk.

“And the cows are light so weaning the calves will hopefully allow her to put on weight.”

Producers who had bitten the bullet and weaned were feeding the calves a mix of pellets and straw, and Mr Ivone said it was remarkable how well they were doing.

“We think it is a good idea for people whose cows are light, and it’s not like they’ve done anything wrong, they’ve just missed the rain,” he said.

“We want people to be able to be proactive and not forced into a decision they don’t want to make.

“There is no reason to panic but at the same time, producers need to be careful what they do.”