Fact Sheet Written by:
Clement E. Ward, Professor and Extension Economist
Chandra D. Ratcliff, Graduate Research Assistant
David L. Lalman, Associate Professor and Extension Beef Cattle Specialist
And Provided by
Oklahoma State University
Cowherd owners need to understand what animal attributes affect the value of feeder calves. Periodic research identifies buyer preferences for feeder calf traits and the value of those traits. One such study in Oklahoma compared the value of feeder cattle characteristics at two time periods, October 1997 and April 1999 (Smith et al.). Similar information on the value of feeder calf traits was generated from Oklahoma Quality Beef Network sales during the period 2001 to 2003. An earlier OSU Cooperative Extension fact sheet (F-599, Price Premiums from the Oklahoma Quality Beef Network) discussed price premiums for preconditioning. Further information is reported in this Extension fact sheet on price premiums and discounts for several other feeder calf traits. The objective is to identify traits that affect the price of calves and potential marketing and management intervention strategies that should improve market prices for calves.
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