Team Number______

Beef Cow Herd Case Study: Bred Heifer Selection

Your challenge is to review the information and decide how many and which bred heifers to retain, while

staying within the limitations of available financial resources. You will have 2 minutes to explain your selections to the contest official.

Situation Statement:

You are the owner/manager of a 200 head commercial spring calving cow herd. The cow herd is made up of approximately 100 crossbred cows (50% angus, 50% simmental) and 100 crossbred cows (50% simmental, 50% Limousin).

The operation weans all calves at 180 days of age, selects enough heifers to replace 18% of the mature

cows, and the balance of the calf crop is placed in a custom feedlot. Due to a sterile bull, you only have 32 bred heifers, so you are looking at purchasing additional heifers and you are selecting from the nine pictured heifers.

Your calf crop will reach market endpoint by 14 months of age. You are trying to sell your feedlot cattle on a

grade and yield basis, but have been taking some sizeable discounts on approximately 12% Standards (U.S.D.A. Quality Grade).

Your ranch is in western Nebraska, where your grazing requirements are 10 acres per cow-calf pair. This would indicate that moderate frame and structural soundness is important when selecting replacements. Disposition is a problem in your herd, so you are also putting limited selection pressure on disposition.

Financial Situation:

Your 2002 Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) closeout shows the following: Your Herd State Average

Total Production Cost Per Cow $386 $295

Total Feed Cost per cow $277 $198

Pounds Weaned per cow Exposed 486 pounds 476 pounds

Stored Feed Useage/ cow 5,340 3,750 pounds

Your financial resources are limited and you are working on lowering production costs. You can spend less than, but must not exceed the $5000 budgeted for these purchases.

Herd Management Goals:

1)  Reducing Feed Costs

2)  Structural soundness.

3)  Improved disposition.

Bred Heifers to select from:

Expected Progeny Differences

No. / Breed / Frame Score / Adj. WW / Adj. YW /

BW

/
WW
/
YW
/
Milk
/
Price
1 / Simx Angus / 8.1 / 545 / 845 / / / /
$900
2 / Limx Angus / 5.6 / 465 / 785 / / / /
$850
3 / Simx Angus / 7.9 / 535 / 830 / / / /
$850
4 / Simx Angus / 6.2 / 460 / 690 / / / /
$900
5 / Simx Angus / 5.9 / 520 / 735 / / / /
$1000
6 / Simx Angus / 5.8 / 515 / 720 / / / /
$1100
7 / Angus / 6.0 / 530 / 770 / 2.9 / 35 / 47 / 11 /
$1100
8 / Angus / 5.8 / 545 / 760 / 2.6 / 45 / 61 / 12 /
$1200
9 / Angus / 6.0 / 540 / 810 / 3.1 / 48 / 77 / 8 /
$2600

Heifer 9 is a registered Angus heifer that has been ultrasounded, to confirm she is carrying a bull calf. Heifer 9 is bred to a leading growth sire in the Angus breed.

Average EPDs of Angus heifers for 2002:

BW=2.8 WW=30.0 YW=55.0 Milk=13.0

BW=birth weight WW=weaning weight YW=yearling weight

List your heifer purchases here:______

You will have 2 minutes to explain your selections to the contest official.