COP Network Farm Summaries Overview

What Is the COP network?

The Canadian cow-calf cost of production (COP) network provides a standard methodology that allows for comparison of production systems across Canada and internationally with a global network. Producers who signed up were grouped into similar production systems based on winter feeding days, calving and weaning dates. Data was collected through producer focus groups to produce benchmarks. A standardized methodology was used for all provinces. The different eco-regions and production systems are outlined below in Tables 1 through 3. It should be noted that while the sample size was adequate to represent a specific production system for a region these should not be used or assumed to be representative of a provincial average. As additional production systems are collected in coming years it will become apparent if the same size is representative or not.

This baseline cost of production data will reduce the response burden on producers by collecting structural information every five years and utilizing annual indexing for changes in input and output prices.

The COP network uses specific terms and calculations, please refer to the glossary or COP Calculation Choices Fact Sheet, which provides a description of why different approaches are taken by different groups such as AgriProfit$ and the COP network. Please refer to the comparison glossary for ease of reference to terms used from AgriStability and other familiar sources.

Types of benchmarking

There are three types of benchmarking for cow-calf producers: self-comparison, provincial comparison, and peer group comparison. A self-comparison can help producers evaluate incremental improvements in their operation across time. Benchmarking against provincial averages can explain the competitive environment of the producer location. Provincial benchmarks have been the historical method used by cow-calf producers but have not been the most efficient method for many operations. The COP network focus is to develop a peer group comparison of similar production systems and eco-regions for producers to compare and better evaluate their success. Through a peer group comparison, producers can match their production style and eco-region regardless of their provincial boundary to a group with similar traits.

Table 1. Western provinces farm summaries

Farm	Farm description	Eco-region	Herd size	Winter feeding rotation (lbs/cow/day as fed)
CA-BC1 Future Farms Shorten Winter Feed Wheat Straw	A cow-calf operation producing homegrown feed located in the rangelands and fruit producing region of the highly populated Okanagan	Southern Interior	65	150 days on homegrown hay/haylage (25 lb dry matter), protein tub (1 lb) for 125 days throughout winter, and 70 g trace mineral and salt throughout the year
CA-BC2 Future Farms Shorten Winter Feed	A cow-calf operation producing predominantly homegrown feed located in the ranchlands of central B.C. characterized by plateaus, mountains and grasslands suited to cattle production	Central Interior	90	210 days of winter feeding on homegrown hay (40 lb), grain screening pellets (4.5 lb) for 30 days at calving, with mineral (100 g) and salt (50 g) bale shredded on pasture
CA-AB1 Future Farms Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2 Feed Heifers Separately	A mixed farm with cow-calf, backgrounding and cash crop production	Aspen Parkland	212	60 days of swath grazing followed by 190 days winter feed with grain silage (60 lb), hay (6 lb) and barley (3.3 lb), mineral and salt (100 g)
CA-AB2 Future Farms Cull Cows 5 Yrs Old Buy Heifers Cull Cows 5 Yrs Old Raise Heifer Cull Cows 7-8 Yrs Old Buy Heifers Cull Cows 7-8 Yrs Old Raise Heifers Yearling Grassers	A cow-calf and backgrounding operation producing predominantly homegrown feed	Aspen Parkland	280	80 days of swath grazing followed by 146 days of winter feed with grain silage (36 lb), hay (10 lb), straw (3.6 lb), barley (2.4 lb), greenfeed (3.5 lb), and mineral and salt (100 g)
CA-AB3 (revised) Future Farms Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2 Sell Bred Heifers Shorten Winter Feed	A mixed farm with cow-calf, backgrounding, and cash crop production.	Rocky Mountain Natural Region	172	54 days of swath grazing followed by 180 days of winter feeding with hay (23.5 lb) + silage (6 lb) + straw (6 lb), mineral and salt (100 g)
CA-AB4 Future Farms Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2 Shorten Winter Feed	A mixed farm with cow-calf and cash crop production	Fescue Grassland	60	20 days of swath grazing followed by 191 days on winter feed with hay (21 lb), straw (7 lb) and greenfeed (15 lb), with mineral and salt (100 g)
CA-AB5 (revised) Future Farms Shorten Winter Feed	A mixed farm with cow-calf, backgrounding and cash crop production	Peace Lowland	221	51 days of swath grazing followed by 184 days on winter feed with grain silage (11 lb) + straw (6.5 lb) + greenfeed (5.6 lb) + hay (4.8 lb) + barley (3.8 lb), mineral and salt (100 g)
CA-AB6 Future Farms Water System Shorten Winter Feed	A cow-calf operation producing predominantly homegrown feed in one of the most productive agricultural regions of the prairies	Aspen Parkland	164	35 days of swath grazing followed by 117 days winter feed with hay (28 lb), straw (11 lb), grain (2 lb), mineral and salt (100 g)

CA-SK1a Future Farms Corn Graze Backgrounders	A cow-calf operation using both homegrown and purchased feed in southern Saskatchewan	Aspen Parkland	350	112 days of barley/oats swath graze followed by 68 days of corn grazing, then 42 days of hay (35 lb dry matter) and 70 g of mineral and salt year-round
CA-SK1b Future Farms Standing Hay 20% Standing Hay 50%	A cow-calf operation purchased all feed	Boreal Transition	350	150 days of hay (36 lb/day) and year-round mineral at 70g/day
CA-SK3 (revised) Future Farms Shorten Winter Feed Water System	A cow-calf operation producing homegrown feed located in a dry mixed grassland region of Saskatchewan	Mixed Grassland	245	30 days (Nov-Dec) half ration of grass hay (15 lb) fed with field grazed cereal crop residue, followed by 150 days of hay (31 lb) combined with lentil, barley or malt pellets (3 lb), 210 days of free choice mineral (100 g) and year round salt (50 g)
CA-SK4 Future Farms Sell Bred Heifers	A cow-calf operation producing predominantly homegrown feed located in one of the most productive agricultural regions on the prairies	Aspen Parkland	120	60 days of bale grazing at 3% body weight with 5-10% wasted (45 lbs) followed by 60 days of corn grazing and then 45 days of greenfeed (30 lb) + hay (9 lb)
CA-SK5 (revised) Future Farms Shorten Winter Feed	A cow-calf operation producing cash crops and predominantly in-house purchased feed in a region dominated by spear and wheat grasses	Moist Mixed Grassland	135	60 days of stubble, aftermath grazing followed by 140 days of predominantly cereal silage (19 lb), hay (10 lb), straw and chalf (8 lb), cereal screenings (oat hulls or barley) (5 lb), and camelina meal (5 lb) delivered as a pre-mix on full winter feed days with loose mineral (100 g) and salt (50 g)
CA-SK6 Future Farms Creep Feed	A cow-calf operation producing cash crops and predominantly homegrown feed in one of the most productive agricultural regions on the prairies	Aspen Parkland	135	186 days of predominantly cereal silage (35 lb) and alfalfa hay (14 lb) fed TMR with custom mineral mix (100 g), with barley grain (4.5 lb) included for 90 days. Total delivery dependent on dry matter of main silage ingredient (corn, barley, oat)
CA-MB1 (revised) Future Farms Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2	A cow-calf and backgrounding operation with predominantly homegrown feed in the Aspen Parkland of Manitoba	Aspen Parkland	320	Starting late October, 30 days of 20 lbs alfalfa hay supplemented on pasture, followed by 110 days of 30 lbs dry matter intake of standing corn with 10 lbs of alfalfa hay silage (65% DM), followed by 60 days of 34 lbs alfalfa hay and 5 lbs oat/pea straw with 57 grams of mineral throughout
CA-MB2 (revised) Future Farms Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2	A cow-calf operation that preconditions and produces cash crops and predominantly homegrown feed in cool, moist regions of Manitoba	Interlake Plain	225	180 days of corn* silage (33 lb), hay* (17 lb), pellet (2 lb), grain (1 lb) with mineral (90g) and salt (45 g) throughout winter feeding, including 60 days with straw (9 lb). *Silage ingredient varied among producers as did dry matter of hay

Table 2. Eastern provinces farm summaries

Farm	Farm description	Eco-region	Herd size	Winter feeding rotation (lbs/cow/day as fed)
CA-ON1 Future Farms Double Cropping	A cow/calf and preconditioning operation producing cash crops and predominantly homegrown feed around Lake Simcoe-Rideau	Lake Simcoe-Rideau	50	175 days of 20 lb hay, 20 lb oatlage, 2lb corn screenings and a premix mineral pack
CA-ON2 Future Farms Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2 Shorten Winter Feed Guard Dog	A spring and fall calving operation producing cash crops and predominantly homegrown feed around Lake Simcoe-Rideau	Lake Simcoe-Rideau	90	180 days on free choice (28 lbs) Hay, 5 lbs of corn distiller solubles with free choice mineral
CA-ON4 Future Farms AI 50% Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2 Share Machinery	A cow-calf operation producing cash crops and predominantly homegrown feed around Lake Wabigoon	Lake Wabigoon (4S)	100	178 days bale graze 35 lb grass-legume mix (Oct to Feb), after calving 85 days on 35lb DMI oat/pealage bale (around 40% moisture)(March 1 to May 25) with 100g mineral throughout
CA-QC1 Future Farms Share Machinery Shorten Winter Feed	A cow-calf operation that backgrounds for 90 days, uses 100% homegrown hay and retains replacement heifers	10. St. Lawrence Lowland	150	200 days of 36 lbs of hay, 50 g of mineral and 50 g of salt per day, provided year-round
CA-QC2 Future Farms Sell Bred Heifers	A cow-calf operation that backgrounds for 120 days, uses 70% homegrown hay and retains replacement heifers	11. Quebec Maritimes	275	240 days of 38 lbs of hay, 75 g of mineral and 25 g of salt per day, provided year-round
CA-QC3 Future Farms Cheaper Bred heifers Raise Replacements Add a Bull Raise Replacements, AI Shorten Winter Feed	A cow-calf operation that preconditions for 45 days, uses 100% purchased hay and purchases bred heifers as replacements	10. St. Lawrence Lowland	60	200 days of 40 lbs of hay, 50 g of mineral and 50 g of salt per day, provided year-round
CA-QC4 Future Farms Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2 Shorten Winter Feed	A cow-calf operation with fall calving, that backgrounds for 90 days (30 days confined, then on pasture), uses 50% homegrown hay and retains replacement heifers	10. St. Lawrence Lowland	60	200 days of 35 lbs of hay, 100 g of mineral provided year-round
CA-MT1 Future Farms Early Calving	A cow-calf operation producing homegrown feed with predominantly direct farm-gate sales of cull cows for boxed beef	Prince Edward Island	85	Bale grazing 180 days on dry hay (26 lb) and haylage (15), with mineral (100 g) and salt (61 g)
CA-MT2 Future Farms Calving Distribution 1 Calving Distribution 2 AI	A cow-calf operation producing homegrown feed with some direct farm-gate cow sales of boxed beef	New Brunswick Uplands	35	Bale grazing 220 days on haylage (35 lbs) and dry hay (15 lbs), with mineral (77 g) and salt (64 g)

Table 3. Dairy-beef farm summaries

Farm	Farm description	Eco-region	Winter feeding rotation (lbs/head/day as fed)
CA-MT5a CA-MT5a-Future Farm	Dairy Operation with overproduction of milk (raw or acid) taking calves to 300 lbs (using existing facilities)	Prince Edward Island	First 3 days, mother’s milk colostrum, 4L twice a day, from day 4 to 10 weeks old: free choice acidify milk (10L/day) and free choice calf starter (about 0.4kg/day), totalled 25kg/hd over the entire period of 9 weeks) and 2kg/day hay. From 10-12 weeks, transition to 1kg/day calf starter and 6.5kg/day hay
CA-MT5b CA-MT5b-Future Farm	No Dairy, using milk replacer, taking calves to 600 lbs (facilities developed)	Prince Edward Island	35 days 0.7 kg milk replacer and 0.6 kgs calf starter (increasing to 1kg by end), followed by 140 days of 4.2 kg whole corn and 1.25 kg pellet supplement with a transition period between rations
CA-MT6 CA-MT6-Future Farm	Mixed operation taking bob calves to slaughter weight (using existing facilities)	Prince Edward Island	Finishing ration is silage based delivered at 37 lbs/hd/day, including corn silage (20.5 lbs with D.M. 30%), grass silage (6.6 lbs), barley (9.9 lbs with D.M. 86%) and ATB mineral/rumensin mix (100 g)