Cattle Feedlot Break-Even Calculator

Calculate your cost of gain, break-even price, and projected profit per head with real-time market data

Cattle Purchase

Enter your feeder cattle purchase details

Report ID / Description

Optional identifier for tracking this scenario on the printed report

In Date

Date cattle enter the feedlot

Purchase Weight (lbs)

Purchase Price ($/cwt)

Click refresh to fetch live feeder cattle futures price

Freight ($)

Commission ($)

Feed & Performance

Feed costs and expected weight gain

Feed Cost ($/ton)

Feed Conversion Rate

Lbs of feed per lb of gain (typical: 6-8)

Daily Gain (lbs/day)

Out Weight (lbs)

Target sale weight

Yardage ($/day)

Other Costs

Additional expenses and adjustments

Vet/Processing ($)

Margin Requirement (%)

Down payment percentage required

Cattle Interest Rate (%)

Applied to cattle purchase + vet + death loss + misc costs

Feed Interest Rate (%)

Applied to feed + yardage costs

Death Loss (%)

Shrink (%)

Miscellaneous Costs ($)

Market Price

Expected sale price at market

Futures Price ($/cwt)

Click refresh to fetch live cattle futures price for

Basis ($/cwt)

Local cash price adjustment (negative = below futures, positive = above futures)

About the Cattle Feedlot Calculator

Our free cattle feedlot break-even calculator helps ranchers and cattle feeders make informed decisions about their feeding operations. Calculate your cost of gain, determine break-even prices, and project profitability with real-time live cattle futures pricing.

Key Features

Real-Time Futures Pricing: Integration with live cattle futures markets to get current market prices
Comprehensive Cost Analysis: Factor in purchase price, feed costs, yardage, veterinary expenses, and more
Break-Even Calculations: Instantly see your break-even price per hundredweight
Profit Projections: Calculate expected profit or loss per head based on market conditions
Futures Month Matching: Automatically determine which futures contract month aligns with your out date
Sensitivity Analysis: Visualize how market price changes affect your profitability

How to Use

Enter your cattle purchase details including in-weight, purchase price, and expected days on feed. Add your operational costs such as feed price per pound, yardage fees, veterinary expenses, and other costs. Click the refresh button to load current live cattle futures prices for your calculated out date. The calculator will instantly show your cost of gain, break-even price, and projected profit or loss per head.