• Cull Beef Cows’ Contribution: Cull beef cows account for 10% of the U.S. beef supply, with overall cull animals making up 20%.

• USDA Cull Classes: Cull cows are categorized as Breakers, Boners, Leans, and Lights, based primarily on fatness and body condition.

• Value by Condition: Higher-conditioned cows (Boners, Breakers) fetch better prices due to higher dressing percentages and saleable product weight.

• Feeding Opportunities: Short-term feeding (50–70 days) can improve thin cows’ grades, adding weight and value per pound.

• Market Timing: Monitoring price differentials helps producers sell cull cows in optimal condition, maximizing returns.

Culling occurs annually in most beef herds, often at weaning. Cull animals, including beef and dairy cows and bulls, provide 20% of the U.S. beef supply, with cull beef cows contributing 10%. In drought years or for productivity improvements, some herds may cull more than the typical 20%.

Cull cows are categorized into four classes by USDA market news, based on fatness. Breakers, the highest-conditioned group (body condition score 7+), are fleshy and have excellent dressing percentages. Boners, a moderately conditioned group (score 5–7), include many well-nourished cows from commercial herds. Thin cows fall into the Leans (score 1–4) or Lights, which are smaller and yield very low carcass weights. Leans and Lights bring lower prices due to reduced saleable product and similar processing costs.

To maximize returns, producers should monitor price differentials and consider short-term feeding for thin cows to move them from the Lean or Light categories to the Boner class. This approach, achievable in 50–70 days with high feed efficiency, increases both weight and price per pound. Feeding cows to the Breaker class is rarely cost-effective, as there is little price advantage over Boners.