# Cow-calf profit per head in Idaho

> Idaho cow-calf operations averaged about $165 in net cash income per cow in recent USDA ERS data, but once unpaid labor and capital charges are included, total economic profit runs near -$95 per cow in a typical year, with 2024-2025 calf prices pushing cash margins sharply higher.

**Headline:** $165 net cash income per cow; roughly -$95 total economic profit per cow

## Key Figures

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Gross revenue per cow (calf + cull) | $915 |
| Total cash costs per cow | $750 |
| Non-cash costs (labor, capital, depreciation) | $260 |
| Net cash income per cow | $165 |
| Total economic profit per cow | -$95 |

## Detail

Idaho cow-calf returns track closely with the USDA ERS Basin-Range region, where gross value of production has averaged near $915 per bred cow driven by a weaned calf plus cull cow revenue. Against roughly $750 in cash costs per cow, that leaves about $165 in net cash income, but once unpaid operator labor, depreciation on breeding stock and equipment, and a capital charge on land are layered in, total economic profit sits near -$95 per cow in a representative year, consistent with USDA ERS cow-calf cost-and-returns tables.

The 2024-2025 market has been an outlier to the upside. With the US beef cow herd at its smallest level since the early 1960s, 5-weight steer calves have traded above $3.00 per pound at Idaho auction markets, which University of Idaho Extension enterprise budgets translate into gross revenue uplifts of several hundred dollars per cow versus the 2019-2022 baseline. Idaho budgets assume an 88-90% weaning rate on a roughly 550-575 lb calf, so each additional ten cents per pound at the sale barn flows almost directly to the bottom line.

Idaho's cost structure is what keeps the state competitive even in weaker price years. Federal grazing on BLM and Forest Service allotments, irrigated crop aftermath, and relatively cheap alfalfa aftermath hold summer feed costs below the 17-state ERS average, while winter hay remains the single largest swing factor in the University of Idaho Extension budgets. Operations that own their hay ground and run on federal AUMs routinely clear total economic profits where leased-forage and purchased-hay operations, as reported by the Idaho Cattle Association, only break even on a cash basis.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How does Idaho's cost structure compare to the Mountain West average?

Idaho sits near the Basin-Range regional average tracked by USDA ERS, with feed and pasture costs modestly below the 17-state mean thanks to irrigated aftermath grazing and low-cost federal AUMs on BLM and Forest Service allotments.

### Why are 2024-2025 Idaho cow-calf returns well above the historical average?

Record-low US beef cow inventory has pushed 550 lb steer calf prices above $3.00/lb at Idaho auctions, lifting gross revenue per cow by roughly $300-$400 over the 2019-2022 baseline even as hay and interest costs stayed elevated.

### What weaning percentage do Idaho budgets assume?

University of Idaho Extension cow-calf budgets assume an 88-90% weaning rate on a 550-575 lb steer-equivalent calf, consistent with USDA ERS Basin-Range regional parameters.

## Sources

1. USDA ERS Commodity Costs and Returns: Cow-Calf Production, Basin-Range region (2024) — https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-costs-and-returns/
2. University of Idaho Extension, Idaho Cow-Calf Enterprise Budget (2024) — https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/cals/agricultural-economics/livestock
3. Idaho Cattle Association market and policy reports (2024) — https://www.idahocattle.org/

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Source: Vellum — https://vellum.app/cow-calf-profit-per-head/idaho