Calculating Closeouts for Stockers Can Improve Decision-Making and Profitability
Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist
Southwest New York Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Program

Most of the stockers in the Northeast are brought in from pasture and sold or begin the finishing process on-farm. Following the transition of those animals, a closeout can be created for each group or pen sold. This evaluation reviews the animals' yearly performance, looking at items including feed intake, death loss, revenue, expenses, and profit/loss and helps to develop an annual record to help make decisions moving into subsequent seasons. The University of Wisconsin has developed a series of open-access close-out spreadsheet to help with the evaluation, which can be found here.
If you are interested in sharing your evaluation, Dr. Mike Baker from Cornell University will use the data to determine the trends on a state-wide basis.
Upcoming Events
Is Grazing Sheep Beneath Solar Arrays and Opportunity for Your Future?
September 25, 2023
Mt. Morris, NY
Grazing sheep beneath utility-scale solar arrays can build wealth of present and future sheep farmers as vegetation management service providers and access to additional pasture. The Cornell Cooperative Enterprise Program (CEP) conducted a survey earlier this year completed by over 600 farmers. Farmers identified barriers to grazing sheep under solar arrays and weighed in on need for a producer-led organization to negotiate contracts on their behalf, coordinate logistics of multiple flocks, provide transport of sheep to and from the site, care for sheep while on-site, and provide supplemental mowing. Additional questions focused on processing and marketing needs.
Technology for Grazing Dairies Webinar
September 27, 2023
Join us for this free webinar! Brought to you by the dairy specialists of CCE NWNY and SWNY Dairy, Livestock and Field Crops Programs.
Protecting Against Murphy's Law: A FREE Live Seminar for Veterans.
October 4, 2023
What Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong!
Good ole' Murphy's Law is probably the best description of what it's like to be a farmer that there is! Join Cornell Cooperative Extension Farm Business Management Specialist, Katelyn Walley-Stoll, to learn more about the 5 areas of risk on farms and how to develop strategies to manage those risks. Participants will have the opportunity to identify areas of risk on their own farms and brainstorm ways to (try to) prevent the inevitable!
Registration is REQUIRED by visiting https://tinyurl.com/CCERisk or call Kelly at 585-268-7644.
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