Beef cow slaughter declined 19% in 2024 and another 17% in 2025 as producers held on to cows past their prime to get “just one more calf” from them, says University of Missouri Extension ag business specialist Wesley Tucker.
“Meanwhile, high calf prices continue to lure producers into sending good heifers to the feedlot rather than retention,” says Tucker. “Keeping older genetics in less productive cows while sacrificing young heifers will eventually bite us in the backside and lower the productivity of Missouri’s cow herd.”
Tucker and other MU Extension specialists will discuss how this is changing beef herds during a May 5-6 conference on genetics, nutrition and reproductive management at the MU Beef Research and Teaching Farm in Columbia.
Tucker says the “Retain With Intention: Building a Better Missouri Cow Herd”workshop shows how producers can create a sustainable replacement model with multiple evaluation and marketing points along the journey.
“Profitable value of gain creates multiple marketing opportunities throughout the heifer development system,” he says. “Heifers sent down an off-ramp along the path can still be profitable while creating flexibility in your system and helping you identify the replacements who will take your herd to the next level for years to come.”
Tucker will be joined by MU Extension specialists beef genetics specialist Jamie Courter, beef reproductive physiologist Jordan Thomas and beef nutritionist Eric Bailey.
The program will focus on helping producers make informed decisions about replacement heifers by using genetics, nutrition and reproductive management.
Source : missouri.edu