Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) meetings in Boise, Idaho. The topics were interesting, timely and covered by an excellent panel of speakers. With regard to the selection of replacement heifers and rebuilding the nation’s cowherd, the key, actionable take home points are as follows:
- The best cows fit their production environment. As carcass weights continue to rise (with steer carcass weights up 82 pounds, year to date, over what they were in 2023), doesn’t the cow-calf operator need to modify genetics toward more growth and mature size? No! First, packers are discounting carcasses over 1100 pounds and even more substantially discounting carcasses over 1150. A higher percentage of the weekly beef carcass harvest mix is now subject to these discounts. Second, a new (more accurate) index of beef carcass red meat yield will replace the existing USDA Yield Grade equation within the next few years. While consumer demand will continue to economically incentivize the production of marbling and quality, a better index of red meat yield will act to de-incentivize feeding cattle longer, to heavier weights and fatter endpoints. Other factors (feed cost, producing the tonnage of beef wanted by consumers relative to lower cow inventory and fewer cattle on feed) will continue to influence finishing endpoints. The point is, growth and pay weight is a positive incentive at any marketing endpoint of our calf crop but needs to kept in balance with mature cow size. Accordingly, mature cow size (and milk) level need to be in accordance to production environments which vary dramatically across the U.S. The “best” cows breed early, calve early and wean a calf each year because their nutritional requirements can be met by the pastures they graze.
- A change in thinking is needed whereby cow-calf producers consider the $s/profit produced per acre of pasture as opposed to the $s/profit produced per cow. See my Cow-Calf Corner article titled “The Cowboy Math of Mature Cow Size and Calf Revenue Generated“ from June 17, 2024.
- Producers who know their cost of production prioritize maternal performance.
- When selecting replacement heifers from your calf crop, it is sage advice to favor the earliest born heifers produced by your oldest cows. Your older cows (6 years +) have proven their fit to your production environment and their daughters should have more lifetime productivity in your operation.
Lingering drought over much of the nation continues to stifle heifer retention and widespread expansion of the nation’s cowherd. That being said, consumer demand for beef remains robust and persistent. This information should inform decisions made regarding the selection of your next generation of beef cows.
Reference: https://beefimprovement.org/2026-symposium/2026-presentation-archive/
