Quick Facts...
- Steers can be exchanged for cow-calf pairs on a weight-to-weight basis.
- Similar ratios are not valid to exchange one kind of animal for
another kind (sheep for cattle or vice-versa).
- Exchange ratios assume that current stocking rates are proper.
Some ranchers may consider replacing a cow-calf enterprise
with a yearling-steer enterprise. Advantages of a yearling
enterprise include eliminating the need to maintain the cow all
winter, lower labor inputs, and a shorter period for carrying
production loans. A cow-calf-yearling operation increases the
economic flexibility of a ranch by providing for the purchase or
retention of yearling cattle during favorable years and
liquidation during less favorable years.
Exchange Ratios
To convert a cow-calf operation to a yearling operation,
choose a substitution or exchange ratio to allow for proper range
use by the new class of livestock. There are subtle differences
in behavior between yearling steers and cow-calf pairs in dietary
selection, grazing patterns and forage consumption. The influence
of these differences on exchange decisions are small, except in
extreme cases.
Steers eat plants similar to those eaten by cows and calves,
so it is feasible to exchange steers for a cow-calf operation. It
is not possible to use a simple exchange ratio to exchange one
kind of animal for another, for example, cattle for sheep. A
vegetation type may be more suitable for one kind of animal than
the other.
The proper substitution ratio of steers for cow-calf pairs
on shortgrass steppe was verified at the Southeast Colorado
Research Center. Forage consumption by the two classes of cattle
under field conditions on shortgrass and seeded (sideoats grama)
rangeland was evaluated during the grazing season, about June 1
to October 15. The ratio is applicable to most types of cattle
but should be used with caution if animals of extreme biological
types are exchanged.
A weight-to-weight substitution ratio is applicable on
shortgrass range. Weight of steers per area can be substituted
for a similar weight of cow-calf pairs during a growing season.
The potential range of error in using the weight-to-weight
exchange is about 3 percent. Many interacting factors could
affect the value of this ratio, including animal type, weight,
production, pasture size and environment.
| Table 1: A sample calculation. |
| Average cow weight |
1,150 |
| Calf weight off pasture |
450 |
| Average calf weight |
3001 |
| Average weight cow-calf |
1,450 |
| Projected yearling weight on
pasture |
550 |
| Projected yearling weight off
pasture |
850 |
| Projected average yearling
weight |
7002 |
300 cows-calves x (1,450) pounds = 435,000 pounds
435,000 pounds/700 pounds per steer = 621 steers |
1Assumes calf weighs 150 pounds when it goes on pasture; therefore, average weight is (150 + 450)/2 = 300
2(550 x 850)/2 = 700 |
| Table 2: Number of steers that can replace cow-calf pairs. |
| Average weight of cow and calf for
season, pounds |
Average weight of steer for season, pounds |
|---|
| 500 |
600 |
700 |
800 |
| 1,000 |
2.0 |
1.7 |
1.4 |
1.2 |
| 1,100 |
2.2 |
1.8 |
1.6 |
1.4 |
| 1,200 |
2.4 |
2.0 |
1.7 |
1.5 |
| 1,300 |
2.6 |
2.2 |
1.8 |
1.6 |
| 1,400 |
2.8 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
1.8 |
| 1,500 |
3.0 |
2.5 |
2.1 |
1.9 |
| 1,600 |
3.2 |
2.7 |
2.3 |
2.0 |
Example
Consider the example of a 300-cow unit that is to be
converted to a yearling operation. The actual number of yearlings
that can be run depends on the amount of hay vs. winter grazing
by the cow herd. Let's consider only the pasture used during the
growing season as shown in Table 1. Based on these weights, 621
steers can be stocked where there were 300 cow-calf pairs.
Table 2 can be used as a quick conversion for weights to the
nearest 100 pounds. For example, if the average weight of the cow
and calf is 1,300 pounds and the average weight of steers is 600
pounds, 2.2 steers can be exchanged for each cow and calf pair.
Pasture used by the cow herd for winter grazing also can be
converted to yearling use in the same manner. It may be a problem
to estimate the number of cow/calf days of grazing available if
that pasture is grazed during the growing season. One solution is
to compare the stocking rate on areas of the ranch similar to the
winter pastures and adjust animal numbers for differences in
forage production.
Any exchange-ratio estimate is a guess. What counts is how
animals perform in relation to what is expected. Exchange ratios
assume that current stocking rates are proper. Exchange ratios
say nothing about the number of cow-calf pairs vs. steers to
maximize net return. Different variable costs and selling prices
are associated with different enterprises. Therefore, stocking
rates that maximize profits will probably be different for the
two enterprises.
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