Alternative Cow-Calf and Stocker Production Systems in the Georgia Piedmont Area

Highlight: Economic analyses indicated that costs and returns were closely related to age of cattle, quality of forage, and cattle market prices in the Southeast. Brood cow-calf and stocker calf operations performed best when annual winter grazing was included in the production systems. Returns per acre to capital, land, and management during the 1966-1970 period were $18.37 for the winter cow-calf system with annual winter grazing and $10.87 for the summer Cowcalf unit. Returns per acre to capital, land, and management during the 1963-1970 period were estimated at $6.46 for the summer stocker calf system and $41.00 for the winter stocker calf system with annual winter grazing. The summer cow-calf system and the winter stocker calf system were the best combination of systems to increase total beef production for the Piedmont area.