Economic Analysis of Calving Assistance on Western Canadian Cow-Calf Operations

Abstract The objective was to estimate the difference in cost, revenue, and profit between unassisted and assisted calvings on western Canadian cow-calf operations. Historical records of individual animal production measures from 2015 to 2020 and industry-described inputs were used in a modified dec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of agricultural and applied economics Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 297 - 309
Main Authors Lucio, Cecilia, Windeyer, M. Claire, Larson, Kathy, Pajor, Edmond A., Pearson, Jennifer M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.05.2024
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Summary:Abstract The objective was to estimate the difference in cost, revenue, and profit between unassisted and assisted calvings on western Canadian cow-calf operations. Historical records of individual animal production measures from 2015 to 2020 and industry-described inputs were used in a modified decision tree model. The incidence of assisted calvings in heifers and cows was 4.6 and 2%, respectively. Assisted heifers and cows had an expected profit of −$227.43 and −$67.06 CAD per calving, respectively, while unassisted heifers and cows had an expected profit of −$76.11 and $120.12 CAD per calving, respectively. Calving assistance can impact the profitability of western Canadian cow-calf operations.
ISSN:1074-0708
2056-7405
DOI:10.1017/aae.2024.12