smartin0022
Well-known member
I doubt very highly you have a better than avg 85% calf crop. Free choice loose breeders elite mineral all year long and summer grazing on fair to good pasture. I cull em when they are outside the 90 day window. I consider that one or 10 a year cow cull as a loss of calf especially if winter education. The cows have everything they need the bulls are always BSE'd the AI cows are 60% bred. In 22 years I've had one year of 100% calving. Usually 85%. I don't know how you are getting such a high calf rate but maybe you are better than I am at farming. $180 profit is an avg over 22 years some years are better some are worse. When we ran 160 mommas the cull rate was usually around 15 a year on cows and 30% on replacement heifers. This is commercial herds (the majority) sold at the yards or by private treaty. I only take them to the slaughter house for myself or family. $180 per head in my area is a pretty avg # from the hundred or so farmers I know and talk with that's all expense included plus the farm taxes. When i say my area the slop line or syrup line at our distillery has about 4 tankers a day from west Virginia to TN and anywhere in between picking up 5000-7000 gallons of syrup a day. Plus the small operations like mine getting 1000 gallons here and there. Are you doing the real math or excluding some things? I want the actual # from my operation not the pretty looking # for a farm loan or projection.If I take 1 cow that gives me a steer, I sure as heck make more money than $180 - even with a yearly expense per cow of $750 (which I doubt very many of you have that much yearly expense per cow) - my steers have averaged over $1000/hd. Granted, I don't have 1/2 my calf crop being sold as "cheaper" heifers (lower price/lb).
But, how does anyone stay in business with "75% calving year vs an 85% year". If I lost 15% calf crop, I definitely would be losing