Cow-calf profit per head in Georgia

Georgia cow-calf profitability in 2025-2026 is being driven by historically high feeder calf prices. University of Georgia Extension's 2025 cow-calf enterprise budget pencils 500-550 lb steer calves near $2.85-$3.10 per pound at state auction barns, translating into roughly $1,150 of gross revenue per exposed cow once cull cow and heifer sales are blended in. That is the highest nominal revenue line Georgia producers have seen, a direct result of the national beef cowherd contraction reported by USDA ERS.

The bottom line hinges on weaning percentage. UGA Extension budgets assume an 85% weaning rate, meaning roughly 85 salable calves per 100 cows exposed, with average weaning weights near 500 pounds on fescue and bahiagrass pasture. Operations that slip to 75% weaning lose roughly $130 of gross revenue per cow, which is often the difference between a positive and negative cash margin in a state where reproductive efficiency, not pasture quality, is usually the binding constraint.

Georgia's cost structure is comparatively pasture-friendly but labor- and health-heavy. USDA ERS Southeast region cost-and-return estimates and UGA Extension budgets put cash costs around $935 per cow, dominated by hay and winter supplementation, fertilizer on bermudagrass and fescue, mineral, veterinary and parasite control, and fuel. Adding non-cash charges for depreciation on the cowherd and equipment, unpaid family labor, and a pasture land charge adds roughly $305 more per cow. The result is net cash income near $215 per head but a total economic profit modestly in the red around -$90, consistent with the long-run pattern the Georgia Cattlemen's Association has documented where cash-flow-positive operations still fail to fully cover land and labor opportunity costs.