Pregnancy rate exceeds 80% in most breeding herds

The pregnancy diagnoses carried out in May by cattle producers associated with the Plan Agropecuario reflect an outstanding performance of the breeding herd. According to the RING survey for May and early June, 58% of producers reported pregnancy rates above 80%, with a general average of 81% for the month.

These figures continue the positive trend observed in previous months, with averages reaching 85% in April and 84% in March. Across the three months analyzed, pregnancy rates remain at levels classified as “very good,” and align with the favorable evolution of body condition in the herds and forage availability since last spring.

The good condition of the breeding herd at the close of autumn also stands out: 64% of the animals are in body condition score 4 or above (in a scale from 1 to 5), and reports of critical situations are marginal, reaching only 3% of farms.

This outlook allows for optimism heading into winter and sets the stage for a demanding upcoming breeding season, considering the large number of cows expected to calve in spring 2025 and summer 2026. Meanwhile, average stocking density declined to 0.79 LU/ha, with 65% of producers assessing that it is aligned with available forage.

Forage

Seventy percent of producers reported forage availability greater than 5 cm, despite a slight drop compared to the previous month. Autumn 2025 has been the second best in the past five years in terms of pasture availability—slightly below 2024 but clearly above previous autumns since 2021.

Quality, however, declined as expected with the arrival of the first frosts, with reports of good or very good quality falling from 65% to 52%.

As for sown pastures, 38% of producers reported having permanent pastures, 70% of which are in good or very good condition. Regarding winter pastures, present on 43% of farms, an improvement was also observed, with a similar share of positive evaluations. For extensive pasture improvements, which are present on 47% of farms, 60% reported good or very good condition. The survey also reveals that 30% of producers have already begun supplementation for replacement heifers.