Selecting Replacement Heifers: Boosting Longevity and Return on Investment

Whether beef cattle producers retain females from within their own herd or purchase them, replacement heifers come at a cost and are an investment into the future herd. Selecting the right animals and proper management is necessary to meet on-farm goals and improve the longevity of heifers as future breeding cows.

A recent analysis of 63 farms across Canada enrolled in the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network estimated the cost of raising replacement heifers in 2023 to be an average of $2,904 per heifer, with a range of $1,905 to $3,806, which is estimated to be even higher in 2025. The largest expense of raising replacements being the lost opportunity of selling the heifer. Depending on cost of production, producers could pay back their investment in replacement heifers in five to seven years.

From a whole-herd perspective, total replacement cost depends on both the cost of raising each replacement heifer and the overall replacement rate. For the 63 benchmark farms, replacement cost accounted for an average of 8% of total herd costs in 2023. When the cost of all replacement heifers is distributed across the entire cow herd, the average replacement cost per cow is estimated at $139, with a range from $50 to $272 per cow.