COMMERCIAL BEEF HERD REPLACEMENT STRATEGIES

Annualized cow ownership costs represent a large component of the total costs in a cow-calf enterprise, and therefore impact profitability. Annualized cow costs are determined in large part by the price or cost of that cow when it entered the herd. We find that ownership costs, and in turn cow-herd profitability, can be significantly impacted by heifer replacement strategies. Timing (within the cattle cycle) and method (raise vs. purchase) are both important considerations