Insights into Managing Winter Feed Costs in Alberta Cow/Calf Operations

The largest single cost of maintaining a cow herd relates to feeds consumed, either in the form of winter feeds or summer grazing. These costs vary from:

region-to-region, depending on climate and resources available,
year-to-year, as related to unit costs of feed stuffs and grazing, and
producer-to-producer, depending on specific production and management systems used.

In addition to the direct costs of the feeds themselves, what and how cows are fed can have a significant effect on other non-feed cow/calf enterprise costs. Operating costs, labour required and assets utilized are directly related to the feeding system employed. For producers to make knowledgeable decisions regarding what and how to feed their cow herds, information on unit costing, as linked to management practices, is key. In the long run, the integrated feeding and grazing system choices by producers can have a significant effect on the profitability of the cow/calf enterprise.

To this end, the AgriProfit$ Business Analysis and Research team examined these elements with AgriProfit$ cooperators for the 2000 production year. Standard cost and returns analysis was supplemented by questions on feeding system and management practices. This Research Bulletin presents the results of this focused research work, creating valuable management information for Alberta producers to address the choices they have at hand regarding managing the winter feeding aspects for their cow herds.

Click on AgriProfit$ to download the “Insights into Managing Winter Feed Costs” Research Bulletin.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Study Group Overview

Winter Feeding Management Practices

Focused Statistical Analysis

Home Stretch

Appendix A: AgriProfit$ Producer Sample Descriptive Statistics
Appendix B: The Context of Statistical Analysis
Appendix C: Additional "Comparisons of Selected Means"
Appendix D: Statistical Analysis of Management Practices & Insights
Appendix E: Supplementary Questionnaire

For more information about the content of this document, contact Anatoliy Oginskyy.
This document is maintained by Shukun Guan.
This information published to the web on January 6, 2005.
Last Reviewed/Revised on February 26, 2018.