The U.S. beef cow herd is at the lowest level since 1962 <Link>. For cow-calf producers who understand and can leverage a heifer’s value potential, steers are great for providing income, but heifers can be used to generate wealth.
Heifer calves provide more options and opportunities than a bull calf.” – Aaron Berger
Source: BEEF, June 9, 2023. Link. Heifer calves provide more options and opportunities than a bull calf. To produce calves, you need heifers and relatively few bulls.
Also see: Ongoing drought is masking continued liquidation, BEEF, May 23, 2023. Link. On January 1 this year the supply of replacement heifer calves was very low, suggesting that the ability to add heifers next year may be limited.
INSIGHTS: For veterinary teams and representatives working directly with producers, consider this article as a resource to discuss herd development and recovery strategies.
Also see: Starting the herd rebuilding clock, Feedstuffs, June 12, 2023. Link. Drought-forced beef cow herd liquidation has made the beef industry smaller than it needs or planned to be.
There will be strong market incentives to rebuild herd inventories when it is possible to do so.