Quantifying value beef-dairy crossbred cattle bring to beef supply chain
- amy55735
- Mar 3
- 1 min read
New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service is beginning to shed light on the impact of beef and dairy crossbred cattle on the beef supply chain. While limited in scope, the data collected to date suggests that the growing number of beef-on-dairy animals is contributing to higher cattle prices for producers and delivering added value to feedlots and processors.
The practice of using beef genetics in dairy reproductive programs, commonly referred to as “beef on dairy” within the industry, has steadily increased as the U.S. beef cow herd has contracted. Historically, cattle market analysts had limited pricing data to quantify the impact of beef-on-dairy on the cattle market. That changed in March 2024 when USDA began tracking beef-on-dairy animals sold at public auctions.
According to an analysis outlined in a new CoBank Knowledge Exchange report – “Beef-on-Dairy Data Suggests Opportunity for Feedlots and Processors” – the slaughter auction prices for beef-on-dairy cattle were slightly higher than for beef cattle and significantly higher than for dairy cattle. The weight of beef-on-dairy animals fell between the ends of the beef and dairy cattle spectrum.
By CoBank
February 25, 2025
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