For spring calving herds it’s an exciting, albeit busy time. Calving is well underway on the lower country, and shortly to start up in the higher ‘grass tetany’ country.

When producers decide the best time of the year to calve, there’s lots of underlying issues that affect the decision. Animal health issues such as metabolic conditions in lactating cows, the market they mostly supply, trying to balance the high demands for energy with high pasture energy, other demands of their time on the farm, etc. There’s lots to think about.

Spring calving is really August and September calving. It’s often for only nine weeks and most of the calves hopefully are born in the first three weeks.

That means joining occurs around about November and December and weaning sometime around April.

Local producers vary the times a few weeks either side, and genetics can certainly vary calving date, but that’s generally what we see around this district.

When producers pick a certain date to start calving, they are in fact saying this is the best time of the year for my calves to be born. The closer the calves are born after this date is the best. A tight calving pattern should be the target.

Calving time is also bull planning time.

Spring is a great time to go bull shopping. From now on we will see many bulls sold, as producers get ready to start joining in late October and early November.

There are plenty of local vets that are booking up bull inspections right now.

Producers plan to inspect their bull battery to make sure every bull is going to work, and find out how many replacements they need.

A vet bull inspection consists of a structural soundness check, and a fertility check.

The fertility check may be as simple as a scrotal check, but might also include a semen test and a serving test. Generally the older bulls (over five years) are the ones to really have a good look at.

Modern bulls should be able to handle fifty cows in a nine week joining, and most local producers seem content to give each bull forty to fifty females.

A bull inspection early this season will give you time to sort out what replacements you need. Remember bulls have a nasty habit of breaking down, so have a bull back-up plan as well.

August time is also silage and hay planning time.

Astute silage producers will be cutting their paddock in six weeks or so, to get really top quality, high energy silage. This is what drives animal production.

And of course there’s sheep things and crops, as well as field days to get to.

It’s no wonder producers say August is the lull before the storm.

Spring as also a great time of year- but it always seems to be a busy one.