About 20% of the cowherd in Nebraska calves in the fall. A fall-calving herd provides a different time of the year to market calves and needs less labor at calving compared to spring-calving herds.
Fall-calving cows in Nebraska will begin calving in August, late summer, to as late as October. Fall-calving cows usually calve in good body condition, but the challenge is keeping them in good body condition through the breeding season.
After calving, high-quality grazed feed resources are limited. Both cool and warm-season grasses are decreasing in quality and quantity after calving and during lactation.