Table 1.

Characteristics of U.S. cow-calf operations [adapted from (21, 29, 30)].

Variable	Subvariable	Unit	Herds
			Small		Large
Herd size			<50	50–100	100–200	>200
National characteristics	% of U.S. beef operations	%	79.4	11	5.7	3.9
	% of U.S. beef cows	%	28.7	17.2	17.5	36.6
	% operator's work time	%	28.9	47.3	55.5	68.2
Motivations for farming	Primary income source	% of operations	5.3	24.1	42.8	65
	Supplemental income source	% of operations	78	68.3	50.9	31.7
	Other motivation	% of operations	16.7	7.6	6.3	3.3
Marketing	Conventional marketing	% of operations	60.5	68.7	68.4	67.8
	Organic marketing	% of operations	1.2	0.2	0.3	1.3
	Forward pricing	% of operations	2.3	3.1	6.9	15.4
Sales	Providing buyer information regarding health status	% of operations	28.2	43.4	57.5	74
	Selling to same people (vertical alliance)	% of operations	27.2	37.1	39.8	60.3
How diseases impact economics (% that agree)	Internal parasites	% of operations	49.6	57.1	69.4	63.7
	Scours	% of operations	58.8	65.2	76.6	76.4
	Shipping fever	% of operations	25.5	48.7	58	56.8
	Pinkeye	% of operations	30.4	46.8	48.7	48.6
Vaccination practices		% of operations	59.4	86.6	95.9	92.1
Against BRD	At least 1	% of operations	26.3	63.1	71.7	82
	Twice	% of operations	12.7	33.2	38.7	41.8
	More than 3	% of operations	0	8.2	6.7	16
Mortality	Born dead	% of animals	2.9	3	3.2	2.5
	Born alive and survived to weaning	% of animals	93.1	93	93.3	94.5
Weaning	Weaning weight heifers	kg	223	244	248	246
	Weaning weight bulls	kg	241	256	259	255
	Weaning age	days	201	207	207	209
	Weaning to sale period 0 day	days	56	44.8	27	34
	Weaning to sale period 1 to 30	days	15.4	19.9	21.2	12.4
	Weaning to sale period 30 to 60	days	12.2	12.8	16	28.4
	Weaning to sale period >120	days	9.8	8.2	9.1	20.4
Programs	BQA knowledge	% of operations	44.3	65.5	69.2	79
	BQA meeting attendance	% of operations	17.8	26.4	29.8	35.6
	Preconditioning program	% of operations	-	-	-	-

BRD, Bovine Respiratory Disease; BQA, Beef Quality Assurance.