Beef Herd Records:

What Should You Know About Your Herd?

Dale C. Miller

• Are your cows individually identified (with ear tags and tattoos)?

• Are calves tattooed and ear tagged at birth?

• Do you carry a pocket record book to note breeding dates, calving dates, sex of calf, difficult births, or degree of assistance required at birth?

• Do you make notes on the season (unusually dry, cool, etc.,), forage quality and availability, winter feed quality and availability, and relate these to average weaning weights?

• Do you individually weigh your calves at weaning?

• Do you annually or semi-annually weigh your cows to determine the percentage of her weight she weans in calf each year? This may be the best overall measurement of efficiency we have readily available.

• Do you record all purchased feed, medication, fertilizer, lime, hired machinery, and hired labor expenses and total annually?

• Do you make note of all sales commissions and transportation expenses and total annually?

• Do you know your initial cost and year of purchase of any fencing, handling facilities, specialized equipment or buildings used in conjunction with your beef operation?

• Do you note the purchase price, year of purchase and expected life of any breeding animals you purchase or have on your operation?

• Do you keep records of your land rental rates and property taxes, and have some idea of the current value of your property?

Organization is the key to keeping accurate records. Make sure you or your employees obtain receipts for all purchases related to your farm. Designate a location where those receipts are placed and retrieve them weekly or monthly to enter in your ledger or records program. Numerous software programs are available to maintain such records if you have a personal computer. Carry your pocket calendar daily to make entries as described above and summarize those notes at the same weekly or monthly intervals. Obtain access to accurate scales for weighing calves and cows. Many scale options are now available including digital load cell models which are much more versatile than conventional scales. Develop a history on each cow in your herd: her birth date; sire and dam or breed combination; breeding and calving dates; calf sex and weaning weights; vaccination records, mature body weight, and any abnormal circumstances.

After you develop these record keeping habits, begin to compare expenditures by month and year. Chances are you will notice, and be able to eliminate some unnecessary expenses. You will also be able to determine your production costs at various times and use this information to make informed market decisions. Your relative production cost status will become apparent by comparing your production costs with those of other operations. Your accountant will appreciate your efforts and be able to make better financial recommendations. You will also be able to determine which are your most efficient cows, which cows you should cull and what is a reasonable price to ask for, or accept when she sells. Without this information, it's difficult to determine the value of your beef operation or to make informed decisions concerning it.