IMPACT OF MILK PRODUCTION ON COW-CALF PRODUCTIVITY, GRAZING BEHAVIOR, AND PROFITABILITY

Our vision and long-term goal is to increase production efficiency in grazing lactating beef cows by selecting for the optimal cow type (i.e., milk potential). Our central hypothesis is that milk production level decreases production efficiency by decreasing reproduction and minimal impact on calf growth. The overall objective in this application is to determine the impact of milk production level on cow performance, progeny pre- and post-weaning growth. The rationale for this project is that balancing the environment (forage quality and quantity) and cow requirements is the foundation for production efficiency and will improve the production efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness of the U.S. beef industry.Our three specific objectives are to:1) Determine the impact of milk production level on cow/calf performance, economic efficiency, and subsequent steer feedlot performance.2) Identify behavioral and grazing factors influencing calf growth in offspring of high and low milk producing dams.3) Develop and implement a comprehensive outreach program focusing on improving cow-calf efficiency through optimizing genetic selection for milk potential.