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Wyoming Livestock Roundup • Volume 34 No. 12 • July 16, 2022
EXTENSION EDUCATION By Chance Marshall, UW Extension Educator
Cull Cow Considerations Like many things in the world right now, the annual costs of maintaining a beef cow is much higher than normal. Sources indicate it takes at least $750 per year for most cow/calf operations to “keep a cow.”
This number may seem ridiculously high; however, once the many expenses required to maintain her such as feed, equipment, labor, vet expenses, etc. is considered, costs can add up quickly. Producers should consider the ele-
vated impacts of decisionmaking for culling cows this year. While the market for feeder cattle may be out of producers’ control, the decisions made within cowherds are controllable. Impactful decisions Most cow/calf producers (including myself) are probably guilty of keeping one of their favorite cows for “one more year” after she comes up open. Most times, these decisions are made because of sentimental reasons. Many of these operations also have cows 13 plus years old and even though they are still pro-
Austin Snook • 307-290-2161 Taylor Snook • 307-290-2273 Craig Deveraux • 307-746-5690
ductive, they are starting to show signs of aging. These decisions can be impactful when studied from a business perspective. Receipts from cull cows make up about 15 to 20 percent of gross income for cow/ calf operations; however, the costs of maintaining a nonproductive cow can be the real difference maker. Culling decisions directly affect the quantity and quality of calf production and, ultimately, influence profitability. The truth is, putting cows on the truck with sentimental attachments and/ or have been some of our most productive herd members in the past is hard. But knowing when it’s time to make these tough decisions can be very impactful to genetic progress and producers’ bottom line. How do producers know when? With profitability in mind, here are a few key things to consider when developing a systematic process for culling cows all members of the herd should be exposed to. Pregnancy status Pregnancy status is probably the most obvious factor when determining whether to keep a cow or
Dan Catlin • 406-671-7715 Clint Snook • 307-290-4000 Cheyenne Seymour • 605-641-0638
"From the ring, to the video, and in the country, we market your livestock the competitive way."
Market Report • July 13, 2022 Lighter test on all classes, with weigh up cow and bull markets steady to slightly softer after the holiday. All species and sheep special with regular cattle sale next week. HEIFERETTES FRONTIER CATTLE CO, KAYCEE 5 BLKHFRTTE 1005 104.00 JASON GEARHART , GILLETTE WY 4 HEREHFRTE 928 118.00 1 HEREHFRTE 945 128.00 REINKE PROPERTIES, SHERIDAN 1 BLKHFRTTE 1005 100.00 POWDER RIVER RANCH INC , ARVADA 2 BLKHFRTTE 1118 106.00 PERRY RANCH INC. , SHERIDAN WY 6 BLKHFRTTE 1157 106.00 1 BLKHFRTTE 1225 94.00 COW TERRANCE, CINDY PERSSON, GILLETTE 15 BLK-COW 1368 89.50 6 BLK-COW 1228 88.00 7 BLK-COW 1421 86.50 3 BLK-COW 1305 86.50 2 BLK-COW 1520 84.00 1 MXD-COW 1265 84.50 IBERLIN RANCH , BUFFALO WY 11 BLK-COW 1419 87.50 KINCHEN LAND & LIVESTOCK , KAYCEE 1 RED-COW 1420 84.50 2 RED-COW 1405 85.00 FRONTIER CATTLE CO LLC , KAYCEE 4 BLK-COW 1495 86.50 2 BLK-COW 1360 84.50 TYE CURUCHET , KAYCEE WY 1 BLK-COW 1265 87.50 KAREN K. KITHAS , KAYCEE WY 2 BLK-COW 1553 87.00 DEAD HORSE CREEK, BUFFALO WY 1 BLK-COW 1225 87.00 4 BLK-COW 1406 87.00 1 BLK-COW 1130 83.00 JARED SCHAEFER , SHERIDAN WY 2 MXD-COW 1465 81.00 REINKE PROPERTIES LLC, SHERIDAN 1 BLK-COW 1570 83.50 1 BLK-COW 1255 94.00 ZACH SCOFIELD , SHERIDAN WY 1 BLK-COW 1575 83.00 POWDER RIVER LIVESTOCK, ARVADA 2 BLK-COW 1475 86.50 CODY SHAW , BUFFALO WY 1 BLK-COW 1255 87.00 POWDER RIVER RANCH, ARVADA 4 BLK-COW 1315 86.00 5 BLK-COW 1477 86.00 1 BLK-COW 1335 75.50 LITTLE RANCH CO INC , LEITER WY 11 WHT-COW 1435 88.00 2 WHT-COW 1438 84.00 1 WHT-COW 1490 86.00 1 WHT-COW 1280 86.00 RODERIC A ROSS , WYARNO WY 3 BLK-COW 1458 86.00
WT
1,045.20
WT WT
1,094.45 1,209.60
WT
1,005.00
WT
1,184.55
WT WT
1,226.06 1,151.50
WT WT WT WT WT WT
1,224.36 1,080.20 1,228.91 1,128.82 1,276.80 1,068.92
WT
1,241.70
WT WT
1,199.90 1,194.25
WT WT
1,293.17 1,149.20
WT
1,106.87
WT
1,350.67
WT WT WT
1,065.75 1,223.43 937.90
WT
1,186.65
WT WT
1,310.95 1,179.70
WT
1,307.25
WT
1,275.87
WT
1,091.85
WT WT WT
1,130.90 1,270.22 1,007.92
WT WT WT WT
1,262.80 1,207.50 1,281.40 1,100.80
WT
1,254.16
2 BLK-COW 1175 93.00 BELUS BROS INC , BUFFALO WY 7 BLK-COW 1630 84.00 1 BLK-COW 1370 85.00 PERRY RANCH INC. , SHERIDAN WY 1 BLK-COW 1410 84.50 1 BLK-COW 1555 85.00 1 BWF-COW 1205 80.00 LOVE LAND & CATTLE, SHERIDAN WY 1 BLK-COW 1595 79.50 1 BLK-COW 1450 85.00 1 BLK-COW 1305 85.00 1 BLK-COW 1765 79.00 1 BLK-COW 1805 78.00 2 BLK-COW 1525 77.50 BRETT OR DARCY DELAPP, KAYCEE 2 MXDCOW LH 1018 72.00 2 MXDCOW LH 1085 65.00 BULLS JOHN JR. ZEZAS TRUST , BUFFALO WY 1 HEREBULL 2435 104.00 1 BLK-BULL 1935 102.00 IBERLIN RANCH , BUFFALO WY 1 RED-BULL 1775 106.00 1 BLK-BULL 1935 100.00 1 BLK-BULL 1880 108.50 1 BLK-BULL 1925 100.00 JOSEPH M. HARRIET , BUFFALO WY 1 BLK-BULL 2110 110.50 1 BLK-BULL 2190 106.00 KINCHEN LIVESTOCK, KAYCEE 1 RED-BULL 1175 114.00 FRONTIER CATTLE CO, KAYCEE WY 1 BLK-BULL 1875 114.00 1 BLK-BULL 1990 108.00 TYE CURUCHET , KAYCEE WY 1 BLK-BULL 1775 106.00 AG RESERVES INC. , WOODRUFF UT 1 RED-BULL 1980 117.00 1 BLK-BULL 1675 108.00 DON, BETTY BROWN TRST, RECLUSE 1 BLK-BULL 1985 107.00 FADDIS-KENNEDY CATTLE, SHERIDAN 1 HERE-BULL 2090 110.50 1 HERE-BULL 1795 96.00 1 HERE-BULL 1530 97.00 1 HERE-BULL 1680 105.50 TOM, DEB GORZALKA, CLEARMONT 1 BWF-BULL 1900 116.50 LITTLE RANCH CO INC , LEITER WY 1 WHT-BULL 1900 119.00 RODERIC A ROSS , WYARNO WY 1 BLK-BULL 1890 113.00 BELUS BROS INC , BUFFALO WY 1 BLK-BULL 1745 104.50 GOSNEY RANCH , KAYCEE WY 1 RED-BULL 1735 105.00
WT
1,092.75
WT WT
1,369.20 1,164.50
WT WT WT
1,191.45 1,321.75 964.00
WT WT WT WT WT WT
1,268.02 1,232.50 1,109.25 1,394.35 1,407.90 1,181.87
WT WT
732.60 705.25
WT WT
2,532.40 1,973.70
WT WT WT WT
1,881.50 1,935.00 2,039.80 1,925.00
WT WT
2,331.55 2,321.40
WT
1,339.50
WT WT
2,137.50 2,149.20
WT
1,881.50
WT WT
2,316.60 1,809.00
WT
2,123.95
WT WT WT WT
2,309.45 1,723.20 1,484.10 1,772.40
WT
2,213.50
WT
2,261.00
WT
2,135.70
WT
1,823.52
WT
1,821.75
Upcoming Sales July 20 • • July 27 • August 3 • August 10 • August 17 •
All Species Special • Regular Sheep & Goat Sale • Horses Regular Cattle Sale Regular Cattle Sale No sale Enjoy the Johnson County Fair!! Regular Cattle Sale Feeder Lamb Special • All Species • Regular Sheep & Goat Sale • Horses • Regular Cattle Sale
August 24 • Yearling Special • Regular Cattle Sale August 31 • Feeder Lamb Special • Regular Sheep & Goat Sale • Regular Cattle Sale September 7 • Yearling Special (Free BBQ) • In House Video Sale • Regular Cattle Sale September 9 • Full House Horse Sale (Big Horn Edition)
www.buffalolivestockwyo.com
not. It’s recommended producers determine how long they want their breeding and calving periods to last. Forty-five to 60 days is usually ideal. It is recommended to cull cows that aren’t pregnant after the 45 to 60 day timeframe. If she’s not producing a calf, she is costing hundreds of dollars per year to keep her around. It’s important to ask the question, how much are producers willing to pay to keep an open cow? Structural soundness Many producers in Wyoming have high expectations for cows to graze and perform in harsh, vast environments. Cows remaining sound enough on their feet to maintain body condition, calve and rebreed every year is imperative. Structure issues tend to only get worse with time and eventually will catch up with them. Identifying structure problems early should always be a priority. Body condition Body condition is a huge indicator of reproductive success. Cows lacking body condition have higher probabilities of being open cows. Additionally, thin cows have greater chances for calving difficulty. Even if thin cows are getting bred during the breeding season, it may be possible she is calving a few days later each year, her calf weights are declining and she will eventually fall out of the 365-day ideal calving window. Udder quality Not only is milk production important for calf growth, but so is the structure and quality of the udder. It’s important to consider if her udder is still adequate to meet the needs of her calves going forward. Does she have four good productive udders with good teat attachments? Will her calves be able to easily access the milk they need? Selection for udder quality is a moderately heritable trait,
so maintaining dams with good udder attachment should be included in the selection criteria. Mouth The cow needs to have enough teeth to graze and ruminate effectively. Aged cows may lose teeth or wear them down enough to negatively impact their ability to maintain the demands of pregnancy and her environment. A bad mouth can affect digestibility and intake, putting her at risk of being an open cow. Disposition It always seems the meanest cows breed back every year and raise some of the best calves. However, maintaining cows with attitude problems will likely mean future generations with attitude problems. Even if these crazy calves do well in a range setting where they are not handled much, they will likely struggle to gain as much in the feedlot compared to their gentle herd mates. Additionally, meat quality in temperamental cattle is often less desirable. Other health issues A cow’s history of various health issues can cost producers money and may cost more in the future. Cows with incidences of retained placentas or prolapses are at risk for reoccurring issues and should be strong culling candidates. Also, cows having dealt with infections, lump jaw and other issues are also at risk. Consider selling these females while they are recovered, more valuable and before they are sick again. Making the reasonable decisions to cull cows is not easy, but these decisions are an important piece of the profitable production puzzle. Hopefully these considerations will make those decisions a little bit easier. Chance Marshall is a University of Wyoming Extension educator based in Fremont County. He can be reached at cmarsha1@uwyo.edu or 307332-2363.
