As cattle producers explore avenues for boosting productivity, the spotlight often shines on genetics. For crossbred beef-on-dairy calves, maximizing genetic potential goes beyond selecting the right genes – it is also about creating the right environment to allow those genes to fully express.

Your total cost to raise calves is an important metric, but it's especially important when profit margins are tight. Total feed costs or feed cost per pound of gain are common metrics; however, those figures may be misleading because they don't include the full picture.