Earn more money for old cows

There’s a shortage of beef this year, and even cull cow prices are at their highest. Culls are often the forgotten part of cattle marketing plans. Here are some tips for getting more money for old cows.

Know the season

Prices paid for cull cows are one of the most seasonally predictable of all cattle markets, says Patrick Linnell, director of market research for CattleFax. Records from the past 20 years show that cull values peak in the middle part of the year (May, June, and July), then bottom late in the year. 

“The peak comes at the height of the hamburger grilling season, the end point for most cull cow meat,” says Linnell. The market then bottoms out late in the year when grilling season goes away, and more old or open cows flood the market.

Last year, he says, the market for cull cows averaged just under $1 per pound, or $1,300 for an average size cow. This year, CattleFax predicts that average will jump to $1.15 per pound, or $200 more per head. 

“About 20% of the total revenue of a cow herd comes from cull animals,” adds Linnell. He suggests you explore ways to move your culling season earlier in the year.

Add some weight

History says it pays to add weight to a cull cow you’re going to send to market. According to CattleFax statistics, on average, you can add $180 to a cull cow’s value by delaying sale from November to February and adding 100 pounds to her weight. 

Of course, there are variables to making that pay. Thin cows are easier to add weight and it will take higher quality feed than typical winter cow rations.

Western Iowa cattle producer Ted Paulsrud says he always tries to add weight before selling cull cows. For instance, after calving in the spring he puts cows that lost a calf onto a silage-corn ration that’s similar to a feedlot ration. “They will gain three to four pounds a day on that,” he says. “I feed them for a few weeks, then sell them in the late spring or summer.” That usually hits a seasonal peak.

Paulsrud also weans calves in August and puts cows to be culled into an early-harvested corn stubble field, where they can also make rapid gains. Then he tries to sell them before the market bottoms.

Add some condition

Body condition scores (BCS) indicate the overall fat cover of a cow. At harvest, a cow with BCS 1 or 2 with all of their ribs showing falls into the canner quality grade. With no marbling, that meat is generally good for soup meat or pet food. According to the 2022 Beef Quality, the share of beef cows that fall into the “too thin” category is on the increase.

On the other hand, if you put some conditioning on a cow and get to a BCS 3 or 4 with few ribs showing, she can fit the utility grade. That’s hamburger quality.

This is to say that besides putting weight on a thin cow, you can also add significantly to her per unit value: more pounds and more value per pound. University of Nebraska research says it’s possible to add 20% to cull cow value by taking her from a canner to a utility grade.

Utilize alternative markets

One of these could be a direct market to consumers through a locker plant or an on-farm butcher facility. There are consumers who would prefer to buy hamburger beef over steaks and roasts. Some cull cows could be marketable this way at a better price than sale barn prices. 

There’s also a potential market for cows that you chose to cull not because they are old, but because they no longer fit your herd or have fallen behind your desired calving window. They could fit someone else’s herd. In that case, says Linnell, a middle-age bred cow might be worth an extra $400 or more, compared to cull market price.