# Cow-calf profit per head in Nevada

> Nevada cow-calf operators averaged roughly $165 per cow in net cash income during 2024-2025, though total economic profit remains near breakeven once pasture, labor, and capital charges are included. Strong calf prices have offset high feed and range costs.

**Headline:** $165 net cash income per cow (2024-2025 est.)

## Key Figures

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Gross revenue per cow | $1,150 |
| Cash costs per cow | $985 |
| Non-cash costs (depreciation, labor, land) | $340 |
| Net cash income per cow | $165 |
| Total economic profit per cow | -$175 |

## Detail

Nevada cow-calf returns in 2024-2025 have been buoyed by historically strong feeder calf prices, with 500-pound steer calves trading near $2.80-$3.00 per pound at fall auction, pushing gross revenue per cow to roughly $1,150 based on the Basin and Range region reported by USDA ERS. Even so, Nevada's position as the most arid cow-calf state in the nation means total economic profit per cow remains negative once non-cash charges for unpaid labor, depreciation, and land are included.

University of Nevada Reno Extension budgets assume an 85 percent weaning rate, 500-525 pound steer weaning weights, and heavy reliance on federal grazing allotments charged at the 2025 statutory minimum of $1.35 per AUM. Despite that cheap headline AUM rate, Nevada operators spend disproportionately on trucking, water hauling, range riding, and permit compliance, which pushes cash costs to roughly $985 per cow, above the Basin and Range regional average reported by USDA ERS.

The state's cost structure is defined by distance and aridity: ranches often run cattle across allotments requiring 10 or more acres per AUM, and shipping calves to Midwest feedlots adds freight that Plains producers do not incur. Nevada Cattlemen's Association industry data shows the state's roughly 465,000 beef cows are concentrated in Elko, Humboldt, and White Pine counties, where scale partially offsets per-head overhead, leaving net cash income near $165 per cow while full economic profit sits around negative $175, consistent with the long-run USDA ERS pattern for the Basin and Range region.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why is Nevada cow-calf profit lower than Plains states?

Nevada relies heavily on BLM and USFS grazing allotments with long haul distances, sparse forage (often 10+ acres per AUM), and higher trucking and water development costs than Great Plains operations.

### How do federal grazing fees affect Nevada profitability?

The 2025 federal grazing fee is $1.35 per AUM, the statutory minimum. While cheap nominally, permit compliance, range riding, and wild horse conflicts add indirect costs unique to Nevada ranches.

### What weaning percentage do Nevada budgets assume?

University of Nevada Extension budgets typically assume an 85 percent weaning rate with 500-525 lb steer calves and 475 lb heifer calves sold in the fall.

## Sources

1. USDA ERS Commodity Costs and Returns, Cow-Calf Basin and Range Region (2024) — https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/commodity-costs-and-returns/
2. University of Nevada Reno Extension, Nevada Cow-Calf Enterprise Budget (2023) — https://extension.unr.edu/publication.aspx?PubID=3870
3. Nevada Cattlemen's Association Industry Overview (2024) — https://www.nevadacattlemen.org/

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