What to do with Cows
that have Lost Calves
By Aaron Berger, Jay Parsons, and Mary Drewnoski,
University of Nebraska Extension
Due to the recent severe weather, many cow-
calf producers have a significant number of
first-calf heifers or cows that have lost calves
this spring. The following are things to evaluate
and think through in making decisions
regarding what to do with these cows.
Options with cows that have lost calves:
1. Keep and expose cows to rebreeding
for spring calving in 2020.
2. Put weight on and sell as cull cows
later this spring or summer.
3. Sell cows immediately and replace
immediately with a cow-calf pair or wait to
replace in the fall with a bred heifer/cow.
Factors to consider when evaluating options:
1. Age and potential productivity
of cows that have lost calves.
Evaluating the value of a cow today based on her
expected future production potential minus her
remaining production costs is referred to as net
present value. Develop a partial budget for the
estimated cost to retain a cow that has lost a calf
from now until she will next wean a calf. How many
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calves can she be expected to wean based on her
current age? Young cows (ages 2-5) have a greater
potential to have the life expectancy needed
to cover the costs of holding and rebreeding
them. Older cows with dental deterioration
have less remaining production potential and
it may be best to sell them immediately or in
the late spring or summer, prior to historical
seasonal cull cow market declines in the fall.
2. Cost and availability of summer pasture
as well as fall and winter feed.
For many cow-calf producers, summer pasture is
in short supply. All available grass or harvested
feed may be needed for cows that have calves.
If an abundance of pasture is available, will it be
fully utilized with producing cows or replacement
heifers? If pastures will not be fully stocked, then
retaining cows that lost calves for weight gain or
rebreeding may be a good use of this resource.
3. Current cattle cycle and
projected cattle prices.
Cattle numbers have been growing since 2014
and are expected to peak in 2019 or 2020 and
then hold steady or begin trending down.
This larger supply of calves will be one of the
factors that will influence calf prices for the
next few years. Will current projected calf prices