Short on Feed? Should you … Move the Feed to the Livestock, or the Livestock to the Feed?

With drought severely curtailing pasture and hay production over much of South Dakota, many ranchers are faced with either buying feed or moving their livestock to feed if they want to retain ownership of their animals. Which alternative to choose depends on the economics of the alternatives. This Extension Extra provides a worksheet for you to evaluate your particular situation. The first step is to determine the cost of putting purchased feed in the feedbunk. This is the sum of the (1) purchase cost of the feed, (2) shipping costs, (3) opportunity cost of labor in feeding and caring for the animals, and (4) shrink and waste