Let Your Numbers Do the Talking
Beef Cattle Short Course on Aug. 3, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
With cattle markets constantly shifting and production costs on the rise, making sound financial decisions in your cow-calf or stocker operation is more important than ever. Whether you’re thinking about purchasing replacement females, retaining ownership past weaning, or evaluating a preconditioning program, there’s a tool available to help guide those decisions. The Beef Cattle Decision Aids walk you through all of these topics and much more!
This free tool is designed to help producers evaluate their situation using real data from their operations. Instead of relying on guesswork, you can plug in your own numbers and receive clear economic projections and reports tailored to your goals.
You can access the decision aids here: agecoext.tamu.edu/resources/decisionaids/beef
What Kinds of Questions Can These Tools Answer?
These decision aids are organized into more than 20 topic areas. Some examples include:
- Replacement Heifer Budgets – Should you raise or buy replacements? What’s the return on investment?
- Retained Ownership Projections – Is it worth it to feed cattle beyond weaning?
- Cow-Calf Budgeting – How does your operation stack up in terms of return on assets?
- Preconditioning Profitability – What’s the potential return on preconditioning calves?
- Feed, Hay, and Grazing Records – Where are your forage dollars going?
- Herd Health Economics – What’s the cost-benefit of your vaccination and treatment plan?
- Bull Investment and Breeding Strategies – What makes financial sense for your herd?
These are just a few examples of the many topics covered. Visit the Beef Cattle Decision Aid website for the full list!
Why Use These Decision Aids?
Real Numbers – You input your operation’s data. The tools do the math.
Risk Reduction – Understand where your break-evens are and evaluate “what if” scenarios.
Profit Focused – Help identify what’s working in your operation—and what isn’t.
Detailed & Customizable – Includes budgets, closeouts, and projections to support better business decisions.
The decision aids are backed by decades of research and Extension work by agricultural economists at Texas A&M. Each spreadsheet comes with a manual that defines terms and walks you through how to use the tool effectively.
In today’s volatile environment, understanding the economics behind your choices is critical. These decision aids won’t make the decisions for you—but they will equip you with the information you need to make the right call for your operation.
Explore the full library of tools here: http://agecoext.tamu.edu/resources/decisionaids/beef
If you need help getting started or choosing which tool fits your situation, please feel free to reach out:
Pancho Abello
pancho.abello@agnet.tamu.edu