Corning, SK

Riomax® Customer Since 2014

• 5% increase in conception rates
• 80-85% bred in the first cycle
• Tightened calving season by 30 days
• Reduced/nearly eliminated retained placentas

Historically we’d have a pretty good calving season; minimal sickness and only a handful of retained placentas, we averaged 5 retained placentas every year. As for breed up, we’d expect 90% conception rates and 70-75% of them in the first cycle. We used to run a 90 day calving window., which seemed to be normal for our area and for what we could expect from the mama cows. When it was time to wean, we’d wean steers at 630-650 lbs. Usually we’d keep the smaller ones back to get some weight on them before we’d sell. As for heifers, we retain and sell as replacements or bred heifers so we didn't weigh and track them. Overall, we felt pretty good with these numbers, they seemed to hang tight and we never really had terrible train wrecks. So we got comfortable with what we were doing.

Then, we found Riomax®. Since finding Riomax®, we’ve been able to impact all of those areas.

Calving season still goes great, next to no sickness and we had one girl that took a bit to drop her placenta otherwise everyone else cleaned very well which I knew would be a great set up for going into breeding season! I was proved correct too. We increased to 95% conception rates, bumped another 10% into the first cycle, AND dropped from a 90 day window to a 60 day window.

We figure for every cow that’s bumped up a cycle, we’ll gain an extra 21 days with that calf at 2lbs gain a day, that equals 42 lbs gain per calf. So with 12 additional cows getting bred into the first cycle, that’s an extra 504 lbs going to the sale. Last fall the price was $1.90/lb. $1.90 x 504 = $957.6 extra! 5% increase in conception was an extra 6 calves that we nor-mally wouldn't get. 1.90/lb x 700lb calves x 6 calves = $7,980 extra! Plus the extra pounds from shortening the window.

We’re making extra money on that uniform calf crop and having bigger calves at the sale. We have now been weaning 680-720 lb steers. This past year, we didn't hold any steers back at all since they fit in the same weight class. Every single steer sold in one group!! Not to mention the labor saved during calving from not needing to help with placentas and the labor saved from not needing to check the cows for a 90 day calving period (a whole 30 days of free time… well, not exactly haha)