Producers should evaluate the cost of raising or buying heifers
The combination of cattle prices, plentiful hay crops and lower feed costs than years past, may have producers considering raising their own replacement females.
The current market prices, for the most part, indicate it can cost a pretty penny to buy open or bred heifers. Yet, developing heifers from birth to breeding is also an expensive endeavor.
Nutritional Needs
The biggest cost for producers raising their own heifers to be replacements is feeding them. The heifers are at the pinnacle of their nutritional requirements as producers try to develop them to puberty and beyond. “I think that is one of the first things that we need to think about and that we don’t necessarily always consider when we are raising our own replacement heifers, is that they have some of the highest nutritional needs in that growing stage,” Maggie Justice, Ph.D., beef cattle extension specialist and assistant professor with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, said. “So, not only are we asking them to grow into a full-grown cow, we are asking them also to prepare their body to raise a calf as well.”
For many operations, the goal is for heifers to calve at 2 years of age. To reach that mark, a heifer first needs to grow to 65 percent of her mature body weight, then she will be able to go through puberty, start her cycle and breed at about 15 months of age. “That’s a lot and that can be hard on an animal’s body. So, we need to make sure if we are raising our own, that we are meeting those nutritional and management needs of her,” Justice advised.
The nutritional needs of heifers include quantity and quality inputs. Beef cattle extension specialists encourage producers to feed their growing females higher-quality forage and feed. The heifers need the quality nutrition to help them reach short- and long-term breeding objectives.
Additional Costs
In addition to meeting their nutritional needs, there are other financial aspects to caring for the growing heifers such as vaccinations, veterinarian visits, and other health necessities.
Though it’s difficult to place a dollar figure on it, it costs producers time to raise their own replacements. The day-to-day management plus vaccinations, breeding, and other management protocols all require an investment of time.
Management Plan
Extension specialists encourage producers to come up with a management plan at the beginning of what they consider their farm year. A management plan can help guide producers when making decisions like whether to buy replacements or raise them.
Within the plan, calculate feed costs and what it would take financially to raise a heifer to the point she is producing in the herd. It’s also important to know current market prices and the potential future market prices as well. Comparing the costs of raising one versus buying one can help producers decide what will work best for their operation.
“There are pros and cons to raising your own versus buying replacement heifers right now. This is truly one of those times where it really is an, “it depends” situation,” Justice said. “Producers really need to sit and think about their management plan and how those input costs versus the costs of buying heifers would ultimately impact those financial decisions.”
