Table 1.
Costs, returns, and herd demographics for US cow-calf herds by region(USDA:ERS, 2012).
| Heartland | Northern Great Plains | Prairie Gateway | Eastern Uplands | Fruitful Rim | Basin and Range | Mississippi Portal | Southern Seaboard | National (average) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| states included | IA, MO, IL, IN, OH, KY, NE, SD, MN | ND, SD, NE, MN, WY, MT, CO | TX, OK, KS, NE, CO, NM | KY, WV, VA, OH, PA, TN, NC, AL, GA | CA, AZ, OR, WA, ID, TX, FL, GA, SC | NV, CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, CO, AZ, UT, NM | LA, MS, AR, TN | TX, LA, AR, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC, VA, DE, MD | |
| Average herd size (cow number) | 63 | 182 | 108 | 78 | 133 | 258 | 74 | 68 | 100 |
| calf death loss (%)a | 16.9 | 11.2 | 16.5 | 19.0 | 14.8 | 18.4 | 23.4 | 20 | 17.2 |
| Market Value ($/calf)b | 351 (279, 426) | 368 (309, 426) | 367 (312, 426) | 323 (256, 399) | 334 (268, 408) | 348 (277, 414) | 328 (272, 387) | 330 (266, 408) | 338 (234, 489) |
| replacement cost ($/cow) (USDA:NAS S, 2007) | 979.51 | 734.29 | 868.57 | 518.93 | 775.83 | 793.30 | 592.86 | 721.74 | 789.91 |
a
Calculated as 1-(calves weaned)/(number of cows)
b
Average (range), 2005to 201 0, assuming calves to weigh 300 pounds