by Sydney Winn for University of Missouri Extension

For many cattle producers, a single decision this fall could shape the future of their operation: Should you sell valuable heifers for immediate income, or retain them to help rebuild the herd?

The U.S. beef cow herd is at its lowest level in nearly 75 years, and cattle prices have reached record highs. The opportunity to expand has never been greater, but neither has the financial risk of getting it wrong, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri (MU) Extension state beef nutrition specialist.

To help producers make informed decisions, MU Extension will host “Retain With Intention: Building a Better Missouri Cow Herd” Sept. 2-3 at the MU Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center near Mount Vernon, Mo.

A quality heifer calf may bring about $2,400 at auction, so keeping her means turning down immediate income. The challenge is selecting females that will remain productive long enough to earn back their development costs and contribute to the operation’s bottom line. With so much at stake, making the right replacement heifer decisions is more important than ever.

“The opportunity to expand is real, but so is the risk,” he says. “With cattle prices where they are today, mistakes in replacement heifer selection can be extremely costly. Producers need a system for making those decisions intentionally rather than relying on tradition or intuition.”

The two-day program will help producers evaluate replacement heifers using a whole-system approach that combines economics, genetics, nutrition and reproductive management.