Direct Marketing Beef: Adding Value to your Product
Finding a way to add extra value to your product may take more time and effort, but in the long run it may lead to a sustainable and profitable option for your beef operation.
Finances & Budgets
Effective financial planning and budgeting to manage costs, maximize profits, and ensure the sustainability of beef cattle operations.
Articles
Fall 2024 Cattle Feeder Enterprise Projections Now Available
To assist with the task of determining what cattle feeders can pay for feeder calves UW-Madison Division of Extension has assembled a set of fall projections.
Raise or purchase replacement heifers?
Table of Contents Introduction The topic of raising one’s own replacement heifers or buying them has been discussed many times over the years. As fall gets closer and beef cow calf producers begin thinking about what they might do with the heifers, now is a good time to evaluate options. Both options have some pros […]
When to Cull Bulls
It is common practice this time of year to evaluate our cows to make culling decisions, but this is also a good time to evaluate our bulls to determine which sires we are going to feed through the winter and which have come to the end of their genetic contribution to the operation. Bulls, much […]
The Costs of “Roughing the Cows though the Winter”
When visiting farmers with beef cow-calf enterprises during times when feed prices are high, or hay is in short supply, a few will usually make a comment about roughing the cows through the winter. “Roughing the cows through” usually means that the cows must “make do” with the feed on hand or that which can […]
Don’t let open cows eat your feed, and profits, this winter
High feed costs and limited forage inventories are reasons to consider using pregnancy diagnosis if it is not part of your current herd management. Several pregnancy diagnosis methods are available to beef producers. The real value of pregnancy diagnosis is not finding pregnant cows, but open cows. Identifying open cows early presents an opportunity for herd managers to make decisions.
Digging deeper into breeding costs for the beef cow-calf operation
Fertility is a major factor in determining beef cow calf herd profitability. UW-Madison Extension provides tips and tools to assess the true cost for various breeding options.
Fall 2020 Cattle Feeder Enterprise Projections
The annual fall cattle feeder projections for 2020 have been compiled. Projected sale prices were estimated by looking at futures contract prices and taking into account seasonal and cyclical trends in addition to current placements and animal breed influence on prices. These projections are intended to serve as an initial guide.
Market for profit or market on price?
Marketing is an active process including: research, advertisement, promotion and sale. Becoming a profit-controller and not a price-taker is the main goal for improving marketing skills. Going through the process of forming a marketing plan can be beneficial. A marketing plan, which is developed to be strategic and not just convenient, will work to create a value added product.
