Cow Performance in Conventional Versus Early Weaning Herds in North Patagonia, Argentina

Abstract

This paper demonstrates that early weaning should be included as an important management guide- line in raising cattle in north Patagonia, Argentina. At most ranches, breeding takes place all year long. This makes it diffi cult to establish the weaning per-centage (number of calves obtained per hundred bred cows). However, the calf–cow relationship, obtained from agrarian censuses and vaccination campaigns against aphthous, shows weaning values close to 60%, with variations between 55% and 72%, depending on zone and year.