For the first time in over 40 years, updates to animal transport regulations were planned to take effect in February. However, an amendment provided for a two-year grace period until Feb. 20, 2022.

Whether you subscribe to culling females using the Four O’s Cow Culling Program (culling open, old, ornery and oddball cows) or not, culled females have a profit potential you’ll want to maximize, just like when you sell your calf crop. Published resources indicate up to 20 percent of an operation’s income is generated from the sale of culled animals. All of us are striving to keep culling to a minimum; however, creating management plans that will both increase income and net positive returns on investments from culls should be implemented. All too often, cattlemen have not taken advantage of management programs that can turn a profit. Let’s consider some factors producers should consider when managing for extra profit.

Knowing the right times to sell can help your bottom line. Analyzing the current cull cow market, slaughter trends and understanding the strained position processing plants are in can help producers make the right call on sale times.

Typically, the sale of cull cows accounts for 15 to 30 percent of the yearly gross revenues of cow-calf operations in the U.S. Historic cull cow prices over the past 30 years have been the lowest in the months of November, December and January, and at their highest level in March, April and May.