Cow-calf producers faced with tough decisions in drought
Jason Rowntree
Michigan State University
Because of the record high prices for beef, the common inclination even in drought is to hold on. Feed costs are always the ranches highest expenditure and can comprise 70 percent of the total cow cost. Doubling or tripling this expense will no doubt erase any profits that high prices once promised. Thus, ranchers should take a hard look at what cattle to market to bridge until soil moisture and forage production improve.
