Cost of raising cattle in Texas

Texas is the largest cattle-producing state in the United States, with roughly 12.2 million head of cattle and calves and approximately 4.1 million beef cows as of the January 2024 USDA NASS Cattle Inventory. For a mid-size cow-calf operator running 200 to 2000 head, total cash costs averaged about $913 per bred cow per year in 2023 under the USDA ERS Southern Plains regional cost-and-returns accounts, which cover Texas, Oklahoma, and adjacent states.

The dominant breeds on Texas cow-calf operations are Angus, Hereford, and Brahman-influenced composites such as Brangus and Beefmaster. Brahman genetics are widespread because Texas spans humid subtropical climate zones along the Gulf Coast and semi-arid rangeland across the Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos, where Bos indicus heat and tick tolerance materially reduce veterinary and shrink losses. Typical stocking rates range from roughly 15 acres per cow-calf pair in improved East Texas pastures to 50 or more acres per pair in the arid western counties.

Feed and purchased hay remain the single largest line item at roughly $328 per head annually, reflecting the state's recurring drought exposure and the need to supplement native range with protein cubes and baled hay during winter and dry summers. Pasture and grazing lease costs average around $214 per head, consistent with the 2023 USDA NASS Texas cash rent survey which reported non-irrigated pasture rental rates near $7.50 per acre statewide. Labor adds approximately $187 per head when both hired and operator labor are valued at prevailing Southern Plains wage rates.

Veterinary and medicine expense is comparatively modest at about $54 per head per year for Texas cow-calf operations, a reflection of extensive range management and the parasite resistance of Brahman-cross cattle. Miscellaneous costs — fuel, equipment repairs, minerals, marketing, and supplies — round out the budget at roughly $130 per head, bringing the total cash cost of production to approximately $913 per bred cow per year according to the USDA ERS Commodity Costs and Returns series for the Southern Plains region in 2023.