I am writing this article as a 1-2 punch with my June 2026 article: Those Cows are Too Expensive. This week, let’s look at the calf that she produces. The main points still apply when selling and buying livestock: use today’s prices, focus on the relationship between different classes of animals, and know your individual operation costs. Plus make sure you identify what animals you have the skill and passion to care for.
Take a listen to Wally as he walks through the Value of Gain flipchart. We listed calf prices (per head) in one-hundred pound increments to show market value changes for each weight group. Wally mentions the stocker business in this video, but it applies to cow-calf as well.
In the stocker business, if you know what weight class you are buying, and what weight class you intend to take them to, you can purchase the weight class favorable to your operation. Understanding this process can make your stocker business very lucrative compared to systematically buying the same weight class over and over.
In the cow-calf business, consider your target weaning and/or sale weight. The industry paradigm encourages big weaning weights and the coffee shop loves to hear fishing tales about epic weights from the sale barn. However, if you look at this value of gain chart (below), it actually tips the scales towards selling 400# calves. The market will give you $2448 for a 400# calf and $2765 for a 700# calf. What kind of overheads or systems are in place on your ranch to produce those extra 300#? Is there extra cost and labor to get the extra $300 per calf? Are you adding weight to that calf for free?
Regardless of markets going up, down, or sideways, there is money to be made in the cattle market. I encourage you to start watching weekly market reports to see where the value of gain can be used to your advantage, both seasonally and regionally. But more importantly I encourage you to challenge your ranch system. Why are you selling the animals you currently are? Are they the right size? Is it the right time to sell? Share your thoughts by dropping a comment below!
Thank you
You are welcome!
The big difference is that cows depreciate and stockers are a shorter term proposition. Calving later, weaning a lighter calf and using your own cattle as stockers (or stores in the UK) creates a drought strategy, maintains biosecurity and produces more beef per brood cow.
I won’t argue with that, but do remember cows will APPRECIATE before they depreciate, it is up to us to capture the value on all animals on the ranch.
I’ve also found that I profit on the cow side by weaning a little early and a little lighter. We don’t feed in the winter with minimal supplementation and the additional pounds we put on the cow by weaning earlier lets us get through the winter cheaper. If we kept calves longer on the cow and shot for a heavier weaning weight, we would have to put more into the cow over the winter.
Great point! It’s all in the margins
Great article,
I guess great minds think alike, got rid of all my raised yearlings early this year at 900lbs and still had extra feed. So I purchased 95 angus program steers at 718lbs @ $2,725/hd. Looking to sell them in November at 900lbs. Will keep you posted on whether it works.
The OK and the CA markets were pretty close in our example this time! Looks like a good trade to me, $2.35 VOG up to 800#. Never hurts to have extra feed! Then you can put whatever animals you want to graze it.
Thank you for this great analysis!
You are welcome!