Factors affecting the readiness and preparation of replacement heifers in tropical breeding environments

Abstract

The future of beef cattle production in tropical regions is uncertain because of land tenure concerns, threatening the survival of extensive management programmes in these areas of the world. The need to intensify production systems will inevitably lead to changes in the management of replacement animals in existing herds. The present review underlines the main constraints, which in the past could be resolved by the sheer numbers of animals present in beef cattle operations, with replacements reliant only on finding enough heifers to substitute the adult females destined for culling. This scenario is rapidly changing as beef cattle units in tropical regions subdivide to share out the land between as many farmers as possible. Consequently, issues such as the efforts needed to manage the pregnant cow, particularly her nutritional status and its effect on the new-born calf, the future replacement heifer growing in the presence of the dam, weaning management and procedures required before a heifer can be introduced into a breeding programme, need to be adequately and efficiently addressed by farmers in tropical regions.