MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — With cattle prices remaining strong, Missouri cow-calf producers face an expensive decision: sell valuable heifers today or keep them as replacements with hopes they pay off for years to come.
A two-day workshop in Mount Vernon this week will focus on helping producers make that decision based on more than current market value.
“Retain With Intention: Building a Better Missouri Cow Herd” is scheduled for Sept. 2-3 at the University of Missouri Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center. The program will examine the genetics, reproduction, nutrition and economics involved in selecting replacement females.
Strong cattle markets have made herd rebuilding particularly challenging. A quality heifer can bring a sizable check at the sale barn, meaning producers who retain replacements are giving up significant immediate income. The payoff depends on whether that female breeds early, raises productive calves and remains in the herd long enough to recover her development costs.
MU beef genetics specialist Jamie Courter said producers need to consider a heifer’s potential value over eight to 10 years rather than simply what she would bring today.
The workshop will help cattle producers evaluate performance records, genomic information, reproductive benchmarks and development strategies. Live-heifer evaluation and reproductive assessment demonstrations are also planned.
Economics will be a major part of the discussion. Producers will examine the costs and potential returns of retaining replacements compared with selling heifers at different stages of development.
Replacement females represent one of the biggest long-term investments in a cow-calf operation. With the nation’s beef cow inventory still tight and replacement females carrying significant value, choosing the wrong heifers can become an expensive mistake.
The Mount Vernon program is designed to help producers establish their own selection criteria rather than simply keeping females based on appearance or convenience.
Registration for the Sept. 2-3 workshop is $200.
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