Compared to 5 years ago, today’s Holstein springer values are double to triple and still on the rise. As an example, October 2019 prices for high-quality springers in Turlock, Calif. ranged from $1,300-1,600/head, compared to $2,800-3,600 for the same month in 2024. Even compared to a year ago, springer values have seen a healthy bump, jumping from $2,400-2,675 in Pipestone, Minn. in October 2023 to about $3,700-3,850 today.
Calf prices, too, have made a stunning transformation. In October 2019, Holstein heifer calves were practically being given away at $5-50/head in one Wisconsin market, and $18-26/head at another in Pennsylvania. Today’s heifer calf values hang steadily in the $300-500 range nationwide, as beef-cross calves also continue a mind-boggling run with current values still sometimes exceeding $1,000/head. In the most recent Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Report, USDA economists predict that tight dairy replacement heifer inventories will keep a lid on U.S. milk production as producers hang onto aging cows to keep their stalls full.
By Maureen Hanson
November 7, 2024
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