A look at cattle ROI

By Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County, Ohio State University Extension

Each year as I work through the pile on my farm desk at tax time, I come across the first Supervised Occupational Experience project book I completed when I began freshman ag. Considering what we’ve sold cattle for this past year, this time it really caught my eye.

That old Livestock Production Enterprise record book showed that I purchased two Hereford crossed steers in November of 1965 for less than a quarter a pound, totaling just over $100 each. I sold them 8 months later for about $260 each. As I think about some fed cattle in Ohio auction barns recently selling for $3,000 or more, and quality feeder calves commonly bringing $1,500 plus, I wonder if perhaps it’s time to take a fresh look at return on investment in the beef cattle industry and the value it represents during this time in the cattle price cycle.… Continue reading