Is this a good time to expand your cow herd, now that the U.S. beef cattle industry is deep into a fourth year of its rebuilding phase? The consensus has a short answer: no.
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ONAGA, Kan. – Is this a good time to expand your cow herd, now that the U.S. beef cattle industry is deep into a fourth year of its rebuilding phase? The consensus has a short answer: no.
They say we’ve already added more than enough cows to produce the volume of beef consumers can afford to buy. Adding to your herd now only aggravates the pending oversupply and sets you up to endure several years of unprofitable calf prices.
You were supposed to respond to those crazy-good prices in 2014 by saving heifers—and thousands did—even though economists figured the cost of the pregnant female by the next spring was more than $2,200 per head. If you bought bred heifers that year, they may have cost $3,000, but what were their calves worth last fall? See? Too many
calves already.
I didn’t buy any heifers then, but I’m not buying any blanket advice now.
My answer is a qualified yes, this could be a good time to expand your herd.