With calves at record high prices, the temptation to sell calves right off the cow this fall is, well, tempting. I have been analyzing beef cow-calf financial records for over 30 years and this fall ranks as the No. 1 year in the past 30 years to keep your calves for at least 45 days and sell as fully preconditioned calves. While feed prices are above average, calf prices are way above average. This equates to a low cost of gain compared to the added value you will receive for the additional pounds of calf if you feed your calves after weaning for at least 45 days.

I developed a preconditioning ration for a herd recently and the feed cost was under $0.90/pound of gain. The producer has above average grass/legume hay and corn. He also has access to dry distiller’s grain, soy hulls and a vitamin/mineral mix with Rumensin. With calves selling for over $225/cwt., this is a tremendous opportunity to add value to your calves. In this herd, the owner should realize an additional profit of over $200/calf for weaning and feeding the calf for 45 days. (We also included a Component TE-G with Tylan implant that returned $35).

When I read articles on the profitability of preconditioning calves, I rarely see anything about the amount of shrink in calves sold right off the cow (not weaned) vs. those that have been on feed for about 45 days. An unweaned calf shrinks about 7 percent, so a 500-pound calf will lose about 35 pounds during transit to the feeder auction. A calf that has been on feed for about 45 days will only shrink 3 percent. We feel it is very doable to add 125 pounds in 45 days (2.8 pounds/day), so the shrink on this 625-pound calf is only 19 pounds. That 16 extra pounds (at $2/pound with the price slide) is worth $32/calf extra just in less shrink.

I checked the USDA feeder calf price data for several states in our area and calves that are verified to be preconditioned (weaned 45-plus days and received all necessary vaccinations) are selling at $7-20/cwt over commodity (unknown history) calves. At $10/cwt premium, that is an additional $62.50 on your 625-pound calf. 2023 is the “no-brainer” year to keep your calves for at least 45 days post weaning to add and capture an even larger paycheck for your calves.

If you need help developing a postweaning ration, contact your nutritionist, extension educator, herd health veterinarian, or feed specialist. Many of these experts are happy to help you.

W. Mark Hilton, DVM, grew up on a swine and beef farm near Morristown, Ind., and received his animal sciences and DVM degrees from Purdue University. He spent 15 years in an 80 percent farm animal practice in Iowa, 18 years as a clinical professor of beef production medicine at Purdue and seven years as a beef technical consultant at Elanco Animal Health. He owns Midwest Beef Cattle Consultants, LLC, where he helps beef producers have a healthier herd and a more profitable business. His column “Beef Herd Health” will appear monthly in Farm World. If you have questions or ideas for a future column, please email him at MBCCBeefTeam@gmail.com.