United States

Department of

Agriculture

Animal and

Plant Health

Inspection Service

Veterinary

Services

National

Animal Health

Monitoring

System

April 2011

Small-scale U.S.

Cow-calf Operations
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USDA:APHIS:VS:CEAH

NRRC Building B, M.S. 2E7

2150 Centre Avenue

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117

(970) 494-7000

Email: NAHMS@aphis.usda.gov

http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov

#596.0411

Cover photo courtesy of Agricultural Research Service
USDA APHIS VS / i

Items of N ems of Note

For this report, small-scale cow-calf operations

were defined as operations with fewer than 100

beef cows. Farms with fewer than 100 beef

cows are important contributors to U.S.

agriculture, accounting for 90.4 percent of all

farms with beef cows and 45.9 percent of all

U.S. beef cows (NASS 2007 Census of

Agriculture).

The majority of small-scale cow-calf operations

relied at least partially on off-farm income to

support the household. When considering all

the hours worked on and off farm, producers on

operations with fewer than 50 beef cows

devoted an average of 28.9 percent of their total

work time to the cow-calf operation, and

operations with 50 to 99 beef cows devoted an

average of 47.3 percent of their work time to the

operation.

Almost 8 of 10 operations with fewer than 50

beef cows (78.0 percent) operated their cow-calf

operation as a supplemental source of household

income; 5.3 percent operated as the primary

source of household income; and 16.7 percent

operated for some other reason, such as

pleasure. Among operations with 50 to 99 beef

cows, 68.3 percent operated their cow-calf

operation as a supplemental source of household

income; 24.1 percent operated as the primary

source of household income; and 7.6 percent

operated for some other reason, such as

pleasure.

Over 60 percent of small-scale cow-calf

operations used production practices to target

conventional marketing channels for calves

produced (60.5 and 68.7 percent of operations

with 1-49 and 50-99 beef cows, respectively).

About 7 of 10 of the operations that functioned

as the primary source of household income

(72.7 percent) targeted conventional marketing

channels compared with about 5 of 10 of the

operations that functioned for reasons other than

income (55.8 percent). A very small percentage

of operations used specific production practices

to target certified organic marketing channels

(1.2 and 0.2 percent of operations with 1-49 and

50-99 beef cows, respectively). The percentage

of operations that targeted conventional and

certified organic marketing channels did not

differ substantially by herd size.

Use of some marketing practices for calves

differed between small-scale cow-calf

operations and larger operations. Operations

with fewer than 100 beef cows were less likely

to use specific production practices to target

breed-influenced programs and age-and-source

verification programs than operations with 100

or more beef cows. Small-scale operations were

also less likely to utilize forward pricing of

calves than larger cow-calf operations. Just 2.3

percent of operations with 1 to 49 beef cows and

3.1 percent with 50 to 99 beef cows marketed

calves using forward pricing.
ii / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Utilization of reproductive technologies, such as

estrus synchronization, palpation for pregnancy,

ultrasound, and semen evaluation, generally

increased with herd size. The two most common

reproductive technologies used across all cowcalf operations were semen evaluation and

palpation for pregnancy. Palpation for

pregnancy was used by about 1 of 10 operations

with 1 to 49 beef cows (10.8 percent) and about

1 of 4 operations with 50 to 99 beef cows

(25.8 percent). For operations that did not use a

particular reproductive technology, the most

common reason cited was labor/time.

Producers were asked to consider whether

certain diseases had a significant economic

impact on their operations in 2007. Of

operations with 1 to 49 beef cows, 58.8 percent

strongly agreed or agreed that external parasites

had a significant economic impact on their

operation, while 49.6 percent strongly agreed or

agreed that internal parasites had a significant

economic impact. Over one-half of operations

with 50 to 99 beef cows strongly agreed or

agreed that open/late calvers, external parasites,

and internal parasites had a significant economic

impact (73.9, 65.2 and 57.1 percent of

operations, respectively). A lower percentage of

operations with 1 to 49 beef cows than

operations with 50 or more beef cows strongly

agreed or agreed that calf scours, pneumonia/

shipping fever, or open/late calvers had a

significant economic impact.

About 6 of 10 operations with 1 to 49 beef cows

(59.4 percent) vaccinated any cattle or calves in

2007 compared with about 9 of 10 operations

with 50 to 99 beef cows (86.6 percent). A lower

percentage of operations with 1 to 49 beef cows

vaccinated calves against respiratory disease

from birth to sale compared with operations

with 50 or more beef cows.
USDA APHIS VS / iii

Suggested bibliographic citation for this report:

USDA. 2011. Small-scale U.S. Cow-calf Operations

USDA–APHIS–VS, CEAH. Fort Collins, CO

#596.0411

Contacts for further information:

Questions or comments on data analysis: Dr. Andrea Beam (970) 494–7000

Information on reprints or other reports: Ms. Abby Fienhold (970) 494–7000

Email: NAHMS@aphis.usda.gov

Feedback

Feedback, comments, and suggestions regarding this report are welcome. Please forward

correspondence via email to: NAHMS@aphis.usda.gov, or you may submit feedback via online

survey at: http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov (Click on “FEEDBACK on NAHMS reports.”)
iv / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Table of Cont able of Contents

Introduction 1

Terms Used in This Report 4

Section I: Population Estimates 5

A. Business Characteristics 5

1. Contribution of the cow-calf operation to household income 5

2. Marketing channels 7

3. Forward pricing 9

4. Sales and customers 10

B. Animal Health and Management Practices 11

1. Grazing land 11

2. Reproductive technology 12

3. Impact of health problems 14

4. Vaccinations 15

Section II: Conclusions 16

1. Marketing channels 16

2. Vaccination 16

3. Reproductive technology 17

4. General conclusions 17

References 19

USDA APHIS VS / 1

Introduction

Introduction oduction

This report is the second in a series of reports

resulting from the Small-scale Operations

Initiative implemented by the National Animal

Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) at the

request of the administrator of the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and

Plant Health Inspection Service. The primary

objective of the Small-scale Operations

Initiative is to investigate factors that set smallscale operations apart from larger operations.

This particular report provides information

comparing small and large beef cow-calf

operations.

Defining farm size for cow-calf operations

The USDA defines a small farm as a sole

proprietorship, partnership, or family

corporation with annual gross sales of less than

$250,000 for all agricultural products sold from

the farm. However, for this report small-scale

cow-calf operations are defined as operations

with fewer than 100 beef cows as of July 1,

2007. This definition has been utilized by other

researchers as well (Lacy et al., 2003; Ward et

al., 2008). In addition, most operations with

fewer than 100 beef cows would be expected to

have annual gross cattle sales well below

$250,000 (Benson and Poore, 2008; Forero et

al., 2008), although some cow-calf operations

also raise and sell other livestock or crops,

increasing the operations’ total gross sales. This

report discusses characteristics and management

practices of operations with 1 to 49 beef cows

and 50 to 99 beef cows. These two size groups

account for 79.4 and 11.0 percent, respectively,

of all 764,984 farms with beef cows in the

United States (NASS 2007 Census of

Agriculture).

Data sources

Unless otherwise noted, data for this report

were taken from the NAHMS Beef 2007–08

study, which was conducted in 24 States.* As of

January 1, 2008, these 24 States accounted for

79.6 percent of all U.S. cow-calf operations

and 87.8 percent of all U.S. beef cows.

Furthermore, these States accounted for 76.8

percent of small-scale U.S. cow-calf operations

(fewer than 100 beef cows) and 82.7 percent of

U.S. beef cows on small operations (USDANASS).

A total of 2,159 cow-calf operations

participated in the NAHMS Beef 2007–08

study. The study used a stratified random

sample with unequal selection probabilities. All

respondent data were statistically weighted to

reflect the population from which they were

selected. Additional details of sample

weighting and study design are published

elsewhere (USDA-APHIS, 2008; USDAAPHIS, 2010).

Small-scale cow-calf farms in the United

States

Farms with fewer than 100 beef cows

accounted for 90.4 percent of all U.S. farms

with beef cows and 45.9 percent of all U.S.

beef cows (NASS 2007 Census of Agriculture)

[figure 1]. Of these small farms, the majority

had fewer than 50 beef cows.

*

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida,

Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,

Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico,

North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota,

Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming.
2 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Introduction
USDA APHIS VS / 3

Introduction

Distribution of Beef Cow-calf Farms,

by State

Texas has more beef cow-calf farms across all

farm sizes than any other State. In general, the

northeast States have fewer beef cow-calf farms

than the central States. The majority of small

cow-calf farms (fewer than 100 beef cows) are

located in the central and eastern States, while

the majority of large beef cow-calf farms (200 to

499 beef cows) are located in the central and

western States (NASS 2007 Census of

Agriculture).
4 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Introduction

Terms Used in This Report

Beef cow: Female bovine that has calved at

least once.

Herd size: Herd size is based on October 1,

2007, cow inventory. If there were no cows on

October 1, 2007, then July 1, 2007 cow

inventory was used.

Operation: Premises with at least one beef cow

on October 1, 2007, or July 1, 2007.

Population estimates: The estimates in this

report make inference to all operations in the

target population (USDA-APHIS, 2008; USDAAPHIS, 2010). Data from the operations

responding to the survey are weighted to reflect

their probability of selection during sampling

and to account for any survey nonresponse.

Precision of population estimates: Estimates

in this report are provided with a measure of

precision called the standard error. A 95-percent

confidence interval can be created with bounds

equal to the estimate plus or minus two standard

errors. If the only error is sampling error, the

confidence intervals created in this manner will

contain the true population mean 95 out of 100

times. In the example below, an estimate of 7.5

with a standard error of 1.0 results in limits of

5.5 to 9.5 (two times the standard error above

and below the estimate). The second estimate of

3.4 shows a standard error of 0.3 and results in

limits of 2.8 and 4.0. Alternatively, the 90-

percent confidence interval would be created by

multiplying the standard error by 1.65 instead of

2. Most estimates in this report are rounded to

the nearest tenth. If rounded to 0, the standard

error was reported (0.0). If there were no reports

of the event, no standard error was reported (--).
USDA APHIS VS / 5

Section I: Population Estimates—A. Business Characteristics

Section I: P Section I: Population opulation

Estimates

A. Business Characteristics

1. Contribution of

the cow-calf

operation to

household income

The majority of small farms in the United States,

including small-scale cow-calf operations, rely

at least partially on off-farm income to support

the household (Hoppe et al., 2010). In fact,

based on the U.S. Census of Agriculture

(USDA–NASS, 2007a), less than 3 percent of

all cow-calf producers obtained all of their

income from farming.

Cow-calf producers were asked to consider all

the hours worked on and off farm and then

estimate the percentage of work time devoted to

the cow-calf operation. On average, the amount

of work time devoted to the operation increased

as herd size increased (figure 2). Producers on

operations with fewer than 50 beef cows

devoted an average of 28.9 percent of their work

time to the operation compared with 47.3

percent for operations with 50 to 99 beef cows.

In other words, small-scale cow-calf producers

dedicate 50 to 70 percent of their time to

working off farm, raising other livestock, or

producing crops.
6 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Section I: Population Estimates—A. Business Characteristics

Cow-calf producers were asked if they operated

their cow-calf operations as the primary source

of household income, as a supplemental source

of income, or for some other reason, such as

pleasure. The percentage of beef cow-calf

operations that operated as a primary source of

household income increased with herd size. For

example, 5.3 percent of operations with 1 to 49

beef cows, 24.1 percent with 50 to 99 beef

cows, and 65.0 percent with 200 or more beef

cows were operated as the primary source of

household income. The majority of all

operations (71.9 percent) functioned as a

supplemental source of income (figure 3).

The percentage of cow-calf operations that

operated for reasons other than income also

varied by herd size. Only 3.3 percent of

operations with 200 or more beef cows raised

cattle for reasons other than income, while 16.7

and 7.6 percent of operations with 1 to 49 and

50 to 99 beef cows, respectively, operated the

cow-calf operation for other reasons, such as

pleasure.
USDA APHIS VS / 7

Section I: Population Estimates—A. Business Characteristics

2. Marketing

channels Breed-influenced programs and age-andsource verification programs are marketing

strategies intended to add value to the end

product.

Breed influenced programs refer to a

marketing strategy in which a beef product is

labeled based on cattle breed, such as

Certified Hereford beef. Internet information

networks are available to help connect cattle

buyers and sellers with breed-influenced

programs. These programs usually have

specific requirements for producer-level

management practices, including

identification of cattle.

Age-and-source verification programs

allow the buyer to verify the source and age

of beef cattle to target certain marketing

channels. Some major food chains in the

United States purchase verified products in

response to customer demand. These

programs involve the use of animal

identification tags, which allow the age and

source of the cattle to be traced.

Cow-calf producers were asked if they used

specific production practices to target the

following marketing channels:

Breed-influenced programs

Of operations with 1 to 49 and 50 to 99 beef

cows, 11.7 and 15.9 percent, respectively, used

specific production practices to market to breedinfluenced programs (figure 4). A higher

percentage of operations with 200 or more beef

cows used specific production practices to target

a breed-influenced program compared with

operatons in the other size categories. Among

small-scale operations, the percentage targeting

breed-influenced programs was not statistically

different for operations that were operated as the

primary source of household income, as a

supplemental source of income, or for reasons

other than income.

Age-and-source verification programs

As with breed-influenced marketing,

participation in age-and-source verification

marketing differed between small operations and

larger operations. Only 5.2 percent of operations

with 1 to 49 beef cows used production

practices to target age-and-source verification

marketing compared with 29.0 percent of

operations with 200 or more beef cows

(figure 4). Of operations with 50 to 99 beef

cows, 11.7 percent used specific production

practices to market to age-and-source

verification programs. In addition, the

percentage of small-scale operations targeting

age-and-source verification programs was not

statistically different for operations that were

operated as the primary source of household

income, as a supplemental source of income, or

for reasons other than income.

Conventional marketing

Conventional marketing refers to the marketing

of a standard commodity product, as opposed to

targeting specialized markets. Overall, 62.8

percent of cow-calf operations used production

practices to target conventional markets.

The percentage of operations that targeted

conventional marketing did not differ by herd

size (figure 4). However, small-scale operations

that operated as the primary source of household

income were more likely to target conventional

marketing channels (72.7 percent) than smallscale operations that operated for reasons other

than income (55.8 percent; p=0.018).
8 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Section I: Population Estimates—A. Business Characteristics

Natural and certified organic marketing

refers to product statements or labels regarding

how a product is produced. The percentage of

operations that targeted these two channels did

not differ substantially by herd size. Almost 30

percent of cow-calf operations1 used specific

production practices in order to target natural

marketing2 channels, and about 1 percent used

specific production practices to target certified

organic marketing channels.

1

Data not shown

2

As defined by producer
USDA APHIS VS / 9

Section I: Population Estimates—A. Business Characteristics

3. Forward pricing Producers were asked how many of the calves in

the 2007 calf crop would be marketed using

forward pricing, such as forward cash, futures

contract, and options. Small-scale cow-calf

operations were less likely to utilize forward

pricing of calves than large cow-calf operations.

Just 2.3 percent of operations with 1 to 49 beef

cows and 3.1 percent with 50 to 99 beef cows

marketed calves using forward pricing

(figure 5). The percentage of small-scale

operations that used forward pricing was not

statistically different for operations that

operated as the primary source of household

income, as a supplemental source of income, or

for reasons other than income.

A forward-pricing contract legally binds the

buyer and the seller to a specific price for a

specific quantity of livestock to be delivered

at a certain time to a specified place. Forward

pricing contracts can help producers manage

the economic price risk associated with

fluctuations in market prices for calves. If the

forward price is greater than the spot price

(current price at the time the exchange takes

place), then the cattle seller (cow-calf

operator) will make more money on the cattle

than if the forward contract was not in place.

Forward pricing contracts allow cow-calf

producers to lock in a price at or above their

break-even price, allowing them to be less

affected by fluctuations in market prices.
10 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Section I: Population Estimates—A. Business Characteristics

4. Sales and

customers

The percentage of cow-calf operations that

usually provided information about their calf

health program to buyers increased as herd size

increased (figure 6). Additionally, the

percentage of operations that sold weaned

calves to the same buyers each year increased as

herd size increased, ranging from 27.2 percent

of operations with 1 to 49 cows to 60.3 percent

of operations with 200 or more cows. These

findings are partially explained by the higher

percentage of large operations that use breedinfluenced and source verification marketing

programs. These programs typically involve

vertical alliances, which are relationships

between organizations in two adjacent stages of

the production-marketing channel without full

ownership by one individual firm (Ward and

Estrada, 1999).

With vertical alliances between cow-calf

producers and buyers, calf health information is

often passed along to the buyer, and the same

buyers purchase calves each year (Schroeder

and Kovanda, 2003). Operations with fewer

than 100 beef cows are less likely to engage in

sales contracts with the same buyers each year

(p<0.001) and are less likely to provide

information to their buyers about their calf

health program (p<0.001). A higher percentage

of small-scale operations that operated as the

primary source of household income or as a

supplemental source of income provided

information about their calf health program to

buyers (46.5 and 31.1 percent, respectively)

compared with small-scale operations operated

for reasons other than income (20.4 percent).
USDA APHIS VS / 11

Section I: Population Estimates—B. Animal Health and Management Practices

B. Animal Health and Management Practices

1. Grazing land Across herd sizes, the highest percentage of beef

cow-calf operations grazed their cows on their

own land or leased private land rather than on

public or grazing association land. The

percentage of operations that grazed cows on

leased private land and public land (State or

Federal) increased as herd size increased

(figure 7). More public land is available for

grazing in the western United States (DOI-BLM,

2010), and cow-calf operations in the western

United States tend to be larger operations

(USDA-NASS, 2007b).
12 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Section I: Population Estimates—B. Animal Health and Management Practices

2. Reproductive

technology

Many reproductive technologies are available to

cow-calf producers. Some of these technologies

can help improve reproductive efficiency or

allow producers to take advantage of top-tier

genetics. Cow-calf producers were asked

whether they used any of the following

reproductive technologies:

 Estrus synchronization

• Artificial insemination

 Palpation for pregnancy

 Ultrasound

 Pelvic measurement

 Body condition scoring

 Semen evaluation

 Embryo transfer

 •

 •

 •

 •

 •

 •

 •

The percentage of operations that used

reproductive technologies generally increased

with herd size. The two most common

reproductive technologies used across all cowcalf operations were semen evaluation and

palpation for pregnancy (19.5 percent and 18.0

percent of operations, respectively). Palpation

for pregnancy was used by about 1 of 10

operations with 1 to 49 beef cows and about 1 of

4 operations with 50 to 99 beef cows (table 1).

Table 1. Percentage of operations by reproductive technology used and by herd 

size 

Percent Operations 

Herd Size (number of beef cows) 

1–49 50–99 100–199 200 or More 

All 

Operations 

Reproductive 

Technology Pct. 

Std. 

Error Pct. 

Std. 

Error Pct. 

Std. 

Error Pct. 

Std. 

Error Pct. 

Std. 

Error 

Estrus 

synchronization 5.7 (0.9) 10.5 (1.8) 14.9 (2.1) 19.3 (1.9) 7.9 (0.7) 

Artificial 

insemination 5.6 (0.8) 8.4 (1.6) 16.3 (2.1) 19.8 (2.0) 7.6 (0.7) 

Palpation for 

pregnancy 10.8 (1.2) 25.8 (2.6) 41.2 (2.8) 58.3 (2.6) 18.0 (1.0) 

Body 

condition 

scoring 

10.5 (1.1) 19.1 (2.3) 26.8 (2.5) 34.4 (2.5) 14.3 (0.9) 

Semen 

evaluation 10.9 (1.1) 33.2 (2.7) 45.9 (2.8) 56.8 (2.5) 19.5 (1.0) 
USDA APHIS VS / 13

Section I: Population Estimates—B. Animal Health and Management Practices

Producers who did not use a particular

reproductive technology were asked the primary

reason for not using the technology. The most

common reason for not using a reproductive

technology was labor/time (table 2).

Table 2. For operations with fewer than 100 beef cows that did not use a specific 

reproductive technology, percentage of operations by reason for not using the 

technology 

Percent Operations 

Reason Not Used

Does Not 

Work 

Labor/ 

Time Cost 

Lack of 

Facilities 

Too 

Difficult/ 

Complicated Other 

Reproductive 

Technology Pct. 

Std. 

Err. Pct. 

Std. 

Err. Pct. 

Std. 

Err. Pct. 

Std. 

Err. Pct. 

Std. 

Err. Pct. 

Std. 

Err. Total 

Estrus 

synchronization 2.1 (0.5) 37.3 (1.6) 17.2 (1.3) 11.1 (1.1) 17.8 (1.3) 14.5 (1.2) 100.0 

Artificial 

insemination 1.4 (0.4) 35.9 (1.6) 21.5 (1.4) 11.3 (1.1) 16.4 (1.3) 13.5 (1.1) 100.0 

Palpation for 

pregnancy 1.1 (0.4) 37.4 (1.7) 19.6 (1.4) 11.0 (1.1) 16.8 (1.3) 14.1 (1.2) 100.0 

Body 

condition 

scoring 

1.6 (0.4) 39.1 (1.7) 17.3 (1.3) 8.8 (1.0) 18.7 (1.4) 14.5 (1.2) 100.0 

Semen 

evaluation 1.1 (0.4) 33.5 (1.7) 25.4 (1.6) 9.6 (1.0) 16.5 (1.3) 13.9 (1.2) 100.0 
14 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Section I: Population Estimates—B. Animal Health and Management Practices

3. Impact of health

problems

Producers were asked to indicate whether they

strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, or strongly

disagreed that specific health problems had a

significant economic impact on their operations

in 2007. Producers were instructed to include

the cost of prevention, cost of treatment, and

lost production when evaluating economic

impact.

Of operations with 1 to 49 beef cows, 58.8

percent strongly agreed or agreed that external

parasites had a significant economic impact on

their operation, while 49.6 percent strongly

agreed or agreed that internal parasites had a

significant economic impact. Over one-half of

operations with 50 to 99 beef cows strongly

agreed or agreed that open/late calvers, external

parasites, and internal parasites had a significant

economic impact (73.9, 65.2 and 57.1 percent of

operations, respectively). A lower percentage of

operations with 1 to 49 beef cows than

operations with 50 or more beef cows strongly

agreed or agreed that calf scours, pneumonia/

shipping fever, or open/late calvers had a

significant economic impact (table 3). One

reason a lower percentage of operations with 1

to 49 beef cows strongly agreed or agreed that

open/late calvers had a significant economic

impact might be that a higher percentage of

smaller operations had no defined breeding

season. However, even when controlling for the

type of breeding season used by the operation

(one defined breeding season, two or more

defined seasons, or no set breeding season) the

difference between operations with 1 to 49 beef

cows and operations with 50 or more beef cows

was still significant.

Table 3. Percentage of operations that strongly agreed or agreed that the 

following health problems had a significant economic impact on their operation 

during 2007, by herd size 

Percent Operations 

Herd Size (number of beef cows) 

1–49 50–99 100–199 200 or More 

Health Problem Pct. 

Std. 

Error Pct. 

Std. 

Error Pct. 

Std. 

Error Pct. 

Std. 

Error 

Internal parasites 49.6 (4.5) 57.1 (6.1) 69.4 (5.1) 63.7 (4.9) 

External parasites 58.8 (4.5) 65.2 (5.8) 76.6 (4.5) 76.4 (4.6) 

Calf scours 23.2 (3.9) 45.4 (6.2) 54.3 (5.9) 57.6 (5.0) 

Coccidiosis 18.2 (3.6) 31.4 (6.0) 34.7 (5.4) 41.5 (5.2) 

Open/late calvers 44.2 (4.5) 73.9 (5.0) 73.7 (4.7) 72.3 (4.6) 

Calf pneumonia/ 

shipping fever 25.5 (4.0) 48.7 (6.2) 58.0 (5.6) 56.8 (5.1) 

Pinkeye 30.4 (4.1) 46.8 (6.1) 48.7 (6.0) 48.6 (4.9) 
USDA APHIS VS / 15

Section I: Population Estimates—B. Animal Health and Management Practices

4. Vaccinations A total of 59.4 percent of operations with 1 to

49 beef cows vaccinated any cattle or calves in

2007 compared with 86.6 percent of operations

with 50 to 99 beef cows, 95.9 percent of

operations with 100 to 199 beef cows, and 92.1

percent of operations with 200 or more beef

cows (figure 8).

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex, also

known as shipping fever, is an important disease

in feedlot cattle. BRD is responsible for

economic losses in the form of medical

treatment costs, decreased daily weight gain in

affected cattle, and death losses. Vaccinating

calves against respiratory disease before they

are sent to the feedlot is one way to reduce the

occurrence of BRD after arrival at the feedlot. A

lower percentage of operations with 1 to 49 beef

cows vaccinated calves against respiratory

disease from birth to sale compared with

operations with 50 or more beef cows (figure 8).
16 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Section II:—Conclusions

Section II: Conclusions Section II: Conclusions

1. Marketing

channels

An array of marketing opportunities is available

to cow-calf producers. Breed-influenced

programs allow cooperation between feedlots,

packers, and cow-calf producers that can be

mutually beneficial. However, these programs

were targeted by less than 1 of 6 small-scale

operations. Forward contracts, which can help

producers manage economic risk, were utilized

by less than 1 of 20 small-scale operations.

Participating in breed-influenced marketing

programs or forward contracts may require

small-scale producers to make changes in the

genetics of their cattle and/or management

practices to meet buyer requirements, which

might be why so few choose to participate. Also,

some sales arrangements may require a lot size

larger than can be provided by a small-scale

operation. A better understanding of the reasons

small-scale producers are not participating in

these programs may reveal ways to make a

variety of marketing channels more accessible to

small-scale operators.

Some sales arrangements for calves may

require a lot size larger than can be produced

by small-scale operations. A lot is a group of

calves of similar weight and age that are sold

and shipped together. Sometimes small-scale

operations will pool their calves with those

from other small operations to meet lot-size

requirements.

2. Vaccination A lower percentage of operations with 1 to 49

beef cows vaccinated cattle or calves in 2007

compared with operations with 50 or more

cows. A variety of factors can influence

decisions about vaccination of cattle and calves.

A lower percentage of operations with 1 to 49

cows reported that calf pneumonia/shipping

fever had a substantial economic impact on their

operations in 2007, compared with operations

with 50 or more cows. The level of perceived or

actual risk of significant economic impact from

shipping fever is likely to influence producers’

decisions about vaccination of calves against

respiratory disease.

While vaccination can be costly, it can also be

an effective risk management tool for improving

herd health and productivity. Often, a new

disease introduced into a naïve, unvaccinated

herd has devastating effects. A local veterinarian

is the best resource to assist producers with

assessing disease risk, developing an

appropriate vaccination protocol, and designing

an overall herd health program.
USDA APHIS VS / 17

Section II: Conclusions

3. Reproductive

technology

Some reproductive technologies are expensive

and may seem impractical for many small-scale

operations. However, body condition scoring is

practical and inexpensive technology that can be

of value to small-scale operations that use a

defined breeding season. Body condition

scoring does not require any restraint facilities,

but does require some training. Cows with low

body condition scores can be given additional

feed to optimize their body condition scores

before calving, which will facilitate an early

return to cycling and more chances to conceive

during the next breeding season.

Palpation for pregnancy is another technology

that can be useful and practical for some smallscale operations. Palpation for pregnancy allows

the producer to make decisions about culling

(selling) cows that are not pregnant. The

procedure can be done by a veterinarian or an

experienced producer. Although there are labor

and/or costs involved— as well as the need for

restraint facilities—palpation can make

economic sense for certain operations,

especially those with lower or variable

pregnancy rates. Cows that do not calve are

often culled, since production of a calf is the

critical task for a cow. By culling an open

(nonpregnant) cow early, the producer avoids

the expense of feeding her for a full year while

waiting to see if she calves (Lamb, 2008).

There are several potential reasons that smallscale cow-calf operations utilize the

aforementioned management and marketing

practices less often than larger operations. It is

possible that small-scale operations do not have

access to as many outside financial and/or

information resources as larger operations. For

example, some operations may not have easy

access to veterinarians who specialize in large

animals, and the cost of having a veterinarian

travel a long distance to the farm may make

certain procedures, such as palpation for

pregnancy, cost prohibitive. Also, the majority

of small-scale operations rely on income from

off-farm jobs or other farming activities outside

of the cow-calf operation. The limited amount of

time available for the cow-calf operation may

restrict the use of more rigorous management

4. General

conclusions

and marketing practices. For example, this study

found that the primary reason cited by producers

for not using reproductive technologies was

labor/time.

Limited literature is available on factors

affecting the adoption of various technologies

and management practices on cow-calf

operations. Farm characteristics, operator

demographics, farm goals, and off-farm income

have been found to be related to the adoption of

practices and technologies (Ward et al., 2008;

Kim et al., 2005; Wozniak, 1993). A study in

Mississippi found that management and

marketing practices were less intensive on

small-scale cow-calf operations compared with

larger operations and concluded that the reliance

on off-farm income coupled with the older age
18 / Small-scale Operations Initiative

Section II:—Conclusions

of many small-scale producers may partially

explain the difference in Mississippi. Further,

the study found that producers in Mississippi

were somewhat reluctant to consider adopting

new management and marketing practices, even

in the context of increasing income from the

cow-calf operation. Specifically, the study

concluded that producers may be concerned

about having to give up autonomy when

adopting new marketing practices and may not

fully understand the potential benefits of certain

management and marketing practices (Lacy et

al., 2003).

Publications are available on marketing and

animal health management opportunities for

small-scale cow-calf operations (Commerford et

al., 2010; Troxel, 2010). Educational outreach

may be helpful in encouraging the adoption of

new practices by small-scale cow-calf

operations. Outreach programs should focus on

the benefits of the practices, including those not

strictly financial. This study found that almost

17 percent of the smallest operations (1 to 49

beef cows) have reasons other than income for

operating the cow-calf operation. Approximately

100,000 cow-calf operations in the United

States would fall into this category, based on the

NASS 2007 Census of Agriculture number of

farms with 1 to 49 beef cows in the United

States (607,708 total farms with 1 to 49 beef

cows x 16.7 percent = 101,487 farms; USDA–

NASS, 2007b). Other reasons for operating the

cow-calf operation may include enjoyment of

the rural lifestyle, for pleasure, as a learning

experience for children, or as a way to use or

maintain land. Any educational outreach

program should also propose realistic ways to

implement management and marketing practices

under the time constraints faced by small-scale

operators, who must simultaneously meet the

demands of off-farm employment and their farm

duties.

Producer alliances may also be a way to help

small-scale producers implement new

management and marketing practices. Some

practices are more practical or affordable on a

larger scale, which can be achieved using

producer alliances (Bailey, 1996). Alliances in

the beef cattle industry may be a growing

phenomenon (Fanatico and Rinehart, 2006;

Schroeder and Kovanda, 2003). Future research

should continue to investigate the motivations

for marketing and management decisions on

small-scale operations to elucidate ideal

methods for assisting them and maximizing the

persistence and success of small cow-calf

operations in the United States.
USDA APHIS VS / 19

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