This is the price of staying in business. A bred cow is not a commodity you sell — she is the one you have to buy back to keep the herd the size it was. When bred stock runs dear, rebuilding costs more than the calves it will produce are worth, and the herd keeps shrinking.
Every figure is dollars a head. Bred stock and pairs are bought by the head, never by the hundredweight — the two are separate markets and are never averaged here.
| Pregnancy stage | Aged (>8 yrs) | Young/Middle Aged (2-8 yrs) | Middle Aged (5-8 yrs) | Young (2-4 yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Stage (1-3 mo) | $2,051 4,542 hd | $2,533 2,689 hd | $2,433 2,776 hd | $2,708 1,446 hd |
| 2nd Stage (4-6 mo) | $2,205 8,228 hd | $2,800 4,758 hd | $2,709 5,962 hd | $3,145 2,456 hd |
| 2nd/3rd Stage (4-9 mo) | $2,585 2,317 hd | $3,208 4,402 hd | $2,954 506 hd | $3,175 346 hd |
| 3rd Stage (7-9 mo) | $2,651 1,866 hd | $3,283 2,109 hd | $3,215 2,075 hd | $3,890 1,453 hd |
| State | Average | Head |
|---|---|---|
| NE | $4,102 | 687 |
| KS | $3,150 | 3,763 |
| MO | $3,052 | 9,595 |
| MS | $2,845 | 2,727 |
| AR | $2,716 | 1,259 |
| AL | $2,696 | 3,367 |
| KY | $2,643 | 4,566 |
| WY | $2,623 | 1,500 |
| MT | $2,571 | 688 |
| UT | $2,569 | 91 |
| TN | $2,553 | 1,921 |
| GA | $2,540 | 2,861 |
| TX | $2,531 | 1,987 |
| OK | $2,406 | 12,130 |
| NM | $2,343 | 4,667 |
| WA | $2,302 | 144 |
| NC | $2,284 | 864 |
| SC | $2,239 | 654 |
| WV | $2,208 | 238 |
| NY | $2,134 | 113 |
| CO | $2,120 | 1,079 |
States with fewer than 50 head over the window are left out — an average built on a handful of cows is a lot price, not a state price.
Related: cull cows and bullsfor the other end of a cow's life, sale barns for the individual reports these averages are built from, and drought for what drives the rebuild. This site is not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, the USDA.