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Economic Factors Affecting Cow Herd Performance

Last Updated: March 23, 2010

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Fact Sheet Written by:

Ruslyn Ramsey, Graduate Research Assistant

Damona Doye, Extension Farm Management Specialist

Clement Ward, Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist


And Provided by

Oklahoma State University

Economic performance of the beef cow-calf or cow herd enterprise can be measured in alternative ways. Three measures of performance, among others, are cost of production, pounds of calves produced, and rate of return on assets. Using these performance measures and SPA (Standardized Performance Analysis) data from New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, research at Oklahoma State University found key factors that influence economic performance. The objective of the research was to utilize unique data to identify economic factors within a ranch manager’s control that are important in determining economic performance. This extension fact sheet summarizes a decade of SPA data and recent research findings. A previous extension fact sheet F-231, “Cow-Calf Financial and Production Performance: What We Are Learning from Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) Data” summarizes earlier data and gives numerous references regarding cost management and production management. Results presented here provide insight into factors that affect performance across many sizes and production conditions in the southern plains region.

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Economic Factors

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