Cattle feeders weigh the cost of feeding over the winter to selling now

The sale of cull cows often accounts for 15% to 30% of the yearly gross revenue in cow-calf operations, making it an important part of overall profitability. Traditionally, cull cow prices have been lowest in late fall and highest in early spring. However, with the U.S. beef cow herd now at its smallest level in decades and strong global demand for lean grinding beef, seasonal price swings have narrowed. Prices have remained historically strong through much of the year, with only modest softening expected this fall.