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.
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.
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) |
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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 |
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) |
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) |