Free ranch tool
Cattle break-even calculator
Know your break-even before you load the trailer. Enter what you paid, what it costs you to put on a pound, and your target sale weight — get your break-even $/cwt and projected profit per head against live CME feeder futures.
Feeder Cattle futures (CME · GF=F): $354.15/cwt · quote fetched Jun 9, 2026 · delayed
Vet, trucking, interest
Results at current market ($354.15/cwt)
$13,750
Total investment
$275/head
100
Days on feed
500 → 750 lbs
$36.67/cwt
Break-even
$317.48/cwt above market
+$119,056
Est. profit / loss
+$2,381/head
The math behind it
Break-even $/cwt = total cost ÷ total sale hundredweight. Total cost is your purchase money, plus cost of gain × days on feed, plus the per-head costs that don't show up on a feed bill — vet, trucking, interest, death loss. Days on feed are estimated from a 2.5 lb/day average gain.
The number is only as honest as your cost of gain. Ranchers who track feed purchases against head-days know theirs; everyone else is guessing at the biggest variable in the trade.
HerdCommand tracks feed costs, weights, and sale records per animal and per group — so next season this calculator runs on your real numbers, not estimates.
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Common questions
How is the break-even price calculated?
Total cost (purchase + feed + other) divided by total sale weight in hundredweight. If 50 head cost you $180,000 all-in and sell at 750 lbs each, your break-even is $180,000 ÷ 375 cwt = $480/cwt. Sell above that number and you make money; below it and you don’t.
What should I use for cost of gain?
Cost of gain is feed plus yardage per head per day. On grass it might run $1.50–$2.50/day; in a backgrounding lot with bought feed it can run $3.00 or more. If you don’t know yours, that’s the most expensive blind spot in the calculation — start with your feed bills divided by head-days.
Where does the market price come from?
The comparison price is the CME Feeder Cattle futures quote (GF=F), delayed. Your local sale barn will differ by weight class and region — lighter calves typically trade well above the futures board — so treat the profit estimate as a planning number, not a bid.
Does the calculator account for death loss?
Not directly — add it to "other costs" per head. A 1–2% death loss on bought calves is a common planning figure; on a $1,500 calf that’s $15–30/head.