The goal is to have the cows grazing green, growing forage by the time the calf hits the ground and early lactation begins. The first option might be to extend the spring grazing season. Early-season grazing of rye or fescue may still allow a March calving season. Therefore, it is not always moving to a May calving period for everyone. Kentucky researchers observed that cattle that grazed fescue with high levels of endophyte in June can have reduced pregnancy rates (Burris, et al., 1994).
Optimizing Spring Grazing The best time to begin spring grazing cool-season pastures is when the plants are three- to Four-inches tall and the soil is dry enough to support the animals without damaging the plant or the soil (Hendershot, 1998). You can not wait until the plants reach six- to eight-inches tall to start a rotation. Subsequent sites in the grazing rotation will become too mature by not initiating grazing at three to Four inches. During a wet spring, waiting until the plants are about six-inches tall is suggested.
Graze the best-drained, accessible areas first. Start grazing in a different pasture every year, so as to aid in stand persistence and weed control. Grazing cool-season grasses in the spring that are less than three- to Four-inches tall may reduce yields the rest of the grazing season.
Calving Later Calving later will alter traditional marketing strategies. Putting a calf directly into the feedyard in February gives you a finished market animal in late summer, which can be a time of lower market cattle prices. But if the cow has a June calf, the producer can sell a 500-pound calf on March 1. This may well be one of the better calf-marketing periods. Another option is placing these calves on spring pasture and then selling them in the fall as yearlings.