Abstract
Abstract Cull dairy cows comprise almost 10% of the national beef production in the United States and contribute with an important additional income source for farmers. However, cull dairy cows present high variation due to many reasons, which affect live animal characteristics, carcass traits, and market price. The objectives of this study were 1) to assess relationships between price and carcass quality of cull dairy cows sold through auction market, and 2) to investigate the effect of animal life history events on price, as an indicator of carcass quality. Data from four dairy operations in Wisconsin included 3,375 cull dairy cow records during the period of 2015 to 2019. Life history events data were collected from Dairy Comp software; live weight and price were obtained periodically from an auction barn, and the carcass data were provided by a local packing plant. Price ($/cwt) and adjusted price (price divided by the national average price) were the two outcome variables. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and multiple linear regression were used to investigate the relationship between variables. On average (standard deviations within parenthesis), live weight was 701.54kg (123.15kg), carcass weight of 324.97kg (68.92), dressing of 46.26% (4.92%), and price of $56.98/cwt (5.57$/cwt). CCA between adjusted price and carcass quality traits was 0.76, indicating that price is a good indicator of carcass quality. Lactation number, culling reason, month, and year of sale drastically affect price (R2 0.7532) and adjusted price (R2 0.4706). Higher live weight and days open led to higher adjusted price, and longer days dry and high milk production decreased price ($/cwt). A large variation between farms was noted. In conclusion, culling and marketing decisions should consider these factors, as an attempt to increase the price received for cull cows, and ultimately improve carcass quality.
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