Valuing crossbred cull cows

Income from cull cows can depend on the reason for culling, the breed of cow, and seasonal changes in the cull market. Understanding these factors can help guide your culling decisions. Having a culling plan may be especially useful when dealing with extreme weather events or considering the future genetic potential of your herd.

Evaluating culling practices of a crossbred herd

We looked at culling records of the dairy cow herd at the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) over 14 years. During this time, cows that left the WCROC herd included:

• 272 Holsteins 
• 161 1964 genetic control Holsteins 
• 538 Pro-Cross crossbred cows composed of Montbeliarde, Viking Red, and Holstein breeds (MVH)
• 321 GrazeCross crossbred cows composed of Normande, Jersey, and Viking Red breeds (NJV)

Reasons for leaving the herd

• Reproduction (44 percent) 
• Mastitis (18 percent)
• Other reasons (15 percent)
• Death (10 percent)
• Dairy purposes (8 percent) and 
• Low production (4 percent)

The “other reasons” category included feet and legs, injury, disease, poor udder conformation, temperament, and Johne’s disease. First-lactation cows were culled more frequently for reproduction and dairy purposes than other lactations.

The second most common reason cows left the herd varied by breed:

• Holsteins (14 percent) left for death.
• 1964 Holsteins (24 percent) left for dairy purposes.
• MVH (19 percent) and NJV (25 percent) crossbreds left for mastitis.

While higher than the national average, the percentage of cows that left the herd for reproductive reasons likely relates to seasonal calving management. The cows were allowed two breeding seasons to become pregnant. If they remained open, they were culled.

Likewise, cows leaving the herd for mastitis or high somatic cell count (SCC) were above the national average but similar to other studies. The WCROC is a pasture-based dairy, which may have a higher SCC than conventional dairies leading to a higher rate of culling for this category.

A large proportion of 1964 Holstein cows were sold to another research herd during this study, which increased the number of cows sold for dairy purposes. The number of cows leaving for low production is slightly lower than the national average and previous cull cow studies. This lower percentage may be due to the lower herd average milk production at 15,400 pounds because culling cows for low production is less of a priority for this herd.

Bodyweight at culling

While bodyweight at culling did not vary by season, it did vary by breed.

Average body weight at culling:

• 1,230 pounds for Holsteins
• 1,197 pounds for 1964 Holsteins
• 1,215 pounds for MVH crossbreds
• 1,100 pounds for NJV crossbreds

What affects cull value?

Lactation

Cow body weight steadily increases with lactation number. First lactation cows in the study averaged 1,062 pounds while fifth or greater lactation cows averaged 1,268 pounds. Likely the older cows had less body condition but had increased frame size and weight.

Gross cull values for first-, second-, and third-lactation cows were $784, $789, and $780 respectively. Cull values for fourth and fifth or more lactation cows were $752 and $737.

Days in milk

As days in milk (DIM) at culling increase, gross and net cull values also increase.

In this study, cows with 0 to 49 DIM received a gross cull value of $736 compared to $800 for cows with 350+ DIM. Cull value increased $64 from the fewest DIM to the greatest DIM. Cows likely added body condition as their days in milk increased.

Season

Gross cull cow value was $824 in the spring, $811 in the summer, $733 in the fall, and $706 in the winter. Cull value was about $100 higher during the spring and summer months compared to the fall and winter months. This value agrees with prior studies and the typical beef market.

Year

Gross cull values tended to increase between 2010 and 2014. Values peaked in 2014 at $1,127 before steadily declining to $515 in 2020. Low cull values in 2020 likely resulted from reduced meat processing capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gross cull values sharply increased following 2020 and reached $998 in 2023.

Reason for leaving the herd

• Cows that left the herd for dairy purposes had the highest gross cull value of $833. These were healthy, producing cows sold to other dairy herds.
• Cows culled for reproduction purposes had a cull value of $777, followed by cows that left for mastitis ($765) and low production ($748).
• Cows culled for other reasons had the lowest body weight and gross cull value of $718.

Breed

• The Holstein cull cows had the greatest body weight (1,230 pounds) but the lowest gross cull value ($730) compared to other breeds in the study.
• 1964 Holsteins weighed 1,197 pounds and had a cull value of $804 likely due to a greater proportion of these cows being sold for dairy purposes. 
• The MVH crossbreds weighed 1,215 pounds and received a cull value of $767. 
• NJV crossbred cows weighed the least at 1,105 pounds but received an intermediate cull value of $771. 

Previous studies have shown lower carcass weights and average beef value for Holstein cows compared to MVH crossbreds.