Burke Teichert, ranch consultant and speaker says, “One of the biggest determinants of ranch profit is the cost of developing or acquiring herd replacements.” Replacement heifers are important to ranch profitability and need to be successful cows that stay in the operation for a long time.

Cattle producers in the U.S. should be asking themselves: “What is high-quality beef and how do we produce it?” Not only is high quality what the packers and consumers want, but there are also incentives for those who produce a quality product.

The obvious answer to the title question is: Poor-temperament cattle are hard to handle and for safety reasons need to be culled. But that’s not the only reason.