A True Timeline of Beef Production

When we saw this post on Facebook, from Five Rivers Cattle Feeders, we knew it had to be shared. It is the truth about cattle production.

Did you know it takes about four or five years from the moment a rancher decides to keep a female back in their herd until that truly impacts the beef supply?

Here's how that timeline works:

🐮 Heifer retained: a female calf is kept instead of being sold

 ⌛️ 14-18 months: she grows until she reaches maturity

 🐂 9-month gestation: a 286-day pregnancy

 🥛 7 months: the calf nurses and grazes until weaning

🌱  5-6 months: the calf is weaned and grows on grass and grain

 🌽 4-6 months: placed at a feedyard to maximize growth and quality

 🥩 Beef is finally on your plate, in the store, or at a restaurant.

That's our very realistic timeline, and it really cannot be rushed.

The U.S. cattle herd is currently at its smallest since 1951. Ranchers and feeders are working to rebuild, but it is a long process, with many external factors we cannot control.

Next time you see beef prices at the counter, this is the story behind them.

Thank you to Five Rivers for putting this into an easy-to-read timeline for all of us to understand the investment in cattle.

(images from Five Rivers)