As dairy producers employ new breeding strategies to capture more revenue by creating beef cross calves, dairy replacement heifer inventories have taken a massive hit. The USDA estimate for the country’s total dairy replacement inventory dropped in the past 12 months by more than a quarter-million head, from 4.34 million to 4.07 million.
In most markets, Holstein springer values have responded accordingly. In three of four reported markets, springers are finally fetching prices at or above the cost of production, which currently is estimated at about $2,000/head. Meanwhile, Holstein heifer calves saw considerable gains in the last month as well, alongside their male counterparts, some of which brought up to $500/head. Beef cross calves posted even higher values – in some cases, topping a whopping $10.00/pound.
| Springing Heifers | Heifer Calves | |
Location (sale date) | Supreme/Top | Approved/Medium | 90-120 pounds |
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Turlock, Calif. (2-23-24) | $1,700-2,300 | $1,400-1,625 | - |
Lomira, Wis. (2-29-24) | $1,300-1,800 | $900-1,200 | $200-270 |
Pipestone, Minn. (2-15-24) | $2,550-2,750 | $2,450-2,550 | No test |
New Holland, Pa. (2-15-24) | $1,925-2,300 | $1,950-2,025 | $275-325 |
