Replacements
Milk cow, heifer and beef-on-dairy calf prices are all holding at historically strong levels as tight replacement supplies keep values elevated across the dairy cattle market.
After several years of tight replacement numbers, rising use of sexed semen suggests U.S. dairy producers are beginning to slowly rebuild heifer supplies.
Strong beef prices are pushing milk production higher, but what happens when the bubble bursts?
Livestock market historians will likely record 2025 as the year prices exploded.
When replacement heifers are limited, every pregnancy counts.
It’s easy to chase calf prices or cut costs but not at the expense of creating a replacement shortage in your herd.
As the dairy industry continues adapting to market demands, there is hope that current positive trends will benefit producers for the foreseeable future.
Dairy heifers and calves continue to fetch high prices, with Holstein springers reaching up to $4,000 and beef-cross calves topping $1,650 in recent auctions across the U.S.
The ebb and flow of market factors require dairies to be nimble in their management strategies. Situation currently at hand: not enough heifers to meet typical demand. That’s why Wisconsin veterinarian Ryan Leiterman advises dairies to embrace their older cows.
After reaching historically high levels, springing Holstein heifer prices have softened somewhat in the past month.
Dairy replacement heifers and beef-cross calves are fetching record-breaking prices this spring, with Holstein springers hitting $4,200 and beef-cross calves surpassing $1,600.
It’s history in the making in U.S. dairy animal trade right now, as springer values stay knocking on the door of $4,000 per head.
With heifer prices at record highs, raising replacements on-farm can be a money saver since 2024 costs are much lower than buying on the market.
Heifer supplies are tight, but cow numbers continue to increase and are substantially higher than a year ago. High heifer prices and a tight supply have resulted in farmers holding on to more cows.
Nobody would want to show up to their first day on the job sick, but that’s exactly what happens when a first-lactation animal enters the milking herd with mastitis.
It continues to be a seller’s market for dairy replacement heifers, heifer calves, and beef-cross calves.
Does it make financial sense to purchase dairy replacement heifers in today’s white-hot market?
An unprecedented shift in the U.S. dairy cattle population could signal uncertainty ahead in terms of milk production, cow numbers, and prices – for both the milk and the animals.
The beef cattle industry is evolving, and dairy producers are playing a pivotal role in that transformation.
Beef-on-dairy strategy continues to cut into heifer supply.
The USDA’s January 2025 Cattle Inventory Report revealed that we are living in historic times in terms of the U.S. dairy heifer population.
Holstein springers again topped out at $4,250/head in Pipestone, Minn. in January, 2025, with other reporting markets also hanging in strong.
When dairy farmers think about animals impacted by cold stress, calves are often the first that come to mind. However, it’s important to remember that cold stress doesn’t just affect calves—it can also significantly impact heifers.
Holstein heifer prices soar to $4,250 at Minnesota auction.
Compared to five years ago, today’s Holstein springer values are double to triple and still on the rise.
Facilities, genetics, nutrition, stockmanship and marketing are some of the impotant factors to consider in the transition process.
After a slight pull-back last month, Holstein springer values have come roaring back, jumping more than $1,000 per head on the top end in California.