Smoking-hot heifers

摘要

Carefully analyze the cost of buying, selling and retaining replacement heifers,'The days of developing heifers from calves to breds for $300 are gone. But, soare $500 heifer calves in the fall. Is it worth it to develop and retainyour own heifers? Can you affordnot to?" That's the question John Ritten, University of Wyoming associate ag professor, asks of producers. Ritten thinks the fundamentals are in place for a strong market at least through 2015, and encourages producers who are trying to decide whether to keep their own replacement heifers this fall, or buy new genetics, to make an economic comparison to see how market swings and ever-changing input prices affect the value of bred heifers.