How much is a heifer calf?

In the fourth quarter of 2020, steers in this weight range were selling for prices in the upper $130's and heifers in the low $120's, on a state average basis. Therefore, a steer / heifer average price of $1.30 per lb is used for the analysis, which is actually the same price that was used last year.

How much does it cost for a calf?

A beef calf will usually cost around $700, while an older calf is often priced based on weight and use. Dairy calves tend to be cheaper than beef calves. Look at this adorable Holstein calf! Calves usually hit the market weighing around 500 – 600 pounds.

How much is a 500 pound calf worth?

The long-term average is roughly 55 cents per pound of gain. For example, if the price of a 500-pound calf is $1.40 per pound and the price of a 600-pound calf is $1.26, the value of those 100 pounds of gain is $56 or 56 cents per pound.

How much is a calf at birth?

General Facts. Calves weight approximately 60 to 100 pounds at birth. Within an hour of birth, they stand, walk and nurse. The first milk produced by the cow is called colostrum.

How old is a 500 pound calf?

During this time their primary source of food is milk from their dam, and the grass or roughage (hay) that is available. At 6-9 months of age the calves are weaned off their dams and placed in a field or pen with other calves of a similar age and weight. Most calves will weigh 500-700 lbs at weaning.

What is a Cow Worth?

What are bred heifers selling for?

The national average price for a bred heifer may be under $2,000, but there are still cattlemen willing to pay more than $3,000 for the right replacement. Increasingly, the bred heifer market is about return, with many convinced higher quality is an investment that pays off.

What is the best age to sell a calf?

Separating cows and calves at between 6-8 months old is common. However, Banta recommends calves should be weaned earlier if the cow is below a body condition score of four. The weaning program should last 45 days before calves are moved and sold, Banta said.

What is the best age to sell cattle?

Age at slaughter “typically” can be from 12 to 22 months of age for the high quality grade market. The reason for the range in age is that some calves are weaned and go directly to a feeding facility and are finished for slaughter.

How much is a cow worth 2021?

-- Bred cows: Herd liquidation and calf values will continue to move up prices for bred cows. Coming in at an average of $1,625 per head in 2021, those prices are expected to increase an average of $125 per head in 2022 to $1,750 per head. Trade could range from $1,600 to $1,900 per head.

How much does it cost to raise a heifer?

Custom heifer raising

The typical cost to raise a calf from birth to weaning is $5 to $6 per day, or $336 over 56 days. Subtract this, along with ownership cost and initial value of the heifer, and the cost to raise from weaning to calving is $1,620 over 674 days, or $2.40 per day for the average-weight heifer.

How much profit does a calf make?

Weaning rate was estimated at 85%, meaning that it is expected that a calf will be weaned and sold from 85% of the cows that were exposed to the bull. Based on these assumptions and adjusted for the weaning rate, average calf revenue is $655 per cow.

Do you slaughter heifers?

One of the best barometers of the general state of the cowherd in the U.S. is the number of heifers in the fed cattle slaughter mix. So far in 2017, heifer slaughter is up 10.5%, says Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension livestock marketing specialist.

How long does it take to raise a calf for slaughter?

Forage-finished calves often will be slaughtered near 1,000 pounds live weight. It will take over a year (367 days) to grow a 500-pound calf to 1,000 pounds if its average daily weight gain is 1.5 pounds per day.

What is the most profitable livestock to raise?

Beef cattle are generally the most profitable and easiest livestock to raise for profit. Beef cattle simply require good pasture, supplemental hay during the winter, fresh water, vaccinations and plenty of room to roam.

What breed of cattle brings the most money?

What breed of cattle is most profitable? Angus: This is the most popular breed of beef cattle. Their meat quality is excellent and they provide 50 percent of their weight in the meat.

Does it pay to wean calves?

The bottom line is weaned calves are typically worth $20 to $40 more per head than otherwise equal non-weaned calves, before accounting for weight gain during the weaning period. These results, combined with vaccination protocols, can help producers send more profitable calves to the marketplace.

What is an open heifer worth?

According to Ritten's figures and market averages, if bred heifers developed through these scenarios are worth $2,500 per head, and 90% are bred, the average return per heifer exposed is around $2,441, when taking into account the open heifers.

How much does a Red Angus heifer cost?

The average price of the Red Angus calves was $166.16 per hundredweight (cwt) – $7.38 per cwt more than Brahman-influenced calves; $3.61 per cwt more than English-Continental crosses; $3.30 per cwt more than other English and English–cross calves; and $1.92 per cwt more than Black Angus–sired calves.

At what age are heifers usually bred?

Most heifers will reach puberty and be bred by 12 to 14 months of age and will be between 55% and 65% of their mature weight when they first begin to exhibit estrous cycles.

What is a 1200 pound steer worth?

Based on the 2019 budget, slaughter cows (1,200 pounds) are expected to average $50 per hundredweight, while 550 pounds steers and 520 heifers are expected to average $145 and $130 per hundredweight respectively.

How big is a live cattle contract?

Feeder Cattle consist of calves weighing 600-800 pounds while Live Cattle are cattle fed to the point of harvest weight. A contract size is 40,000 lbs. for Live Cattle or 50,000 lbs. for Feeder Cattle, and they are priced in cents per pound.

How much is a 800 pound steer worth?

Tonsor projects 2020 steer calf prices to average $173 to $181. He sees 700- to 800-pound steers averaging $149 to $155 per cwt. Fed steers are forecast to average $117 to $121 in 2020. Those prices are similar to 2018, when 3% more pounds of beef were marketed than in 2017.

What's better meat heifer or steer?

Studies identified that heifer beef has super characteristics in eating quality and a better healthy composition in fatty acids than steer, cow and bull. Diet influences the variation of fatty acid profile; particularly the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) interacts with breed and sex.