Which Beef-on-Dairy Market Strategy is Best for You?

Beef prices have already reached record highs in 2025, and economists predict that the market won’t likely let off the gas pedal throughout the remainder of the year. For dairy producers creating beef-on-dairy calves, this trend remains a welcome site for profit margins – especially as milk futures remain in uncharted territory.

However, as market conditions fluctuate, dairy farmers have reached a crossroad – do they sell these crossbreds as newborns, weaned calves, or raise them all the way to finish? Angela Breneman, Dairy Management Extension Educator at Pennsylvania State University, provides context on which market strategy might work best for your operation.

Selling Newborns

For most dairy producers participating in a beef-on-dairy program, selling crossbred calves as newborns remains the most common marketing strategy. This approach offers a quick return on investment and reduces the labor and resources needed for calf rearing.

“The dairy industry has capitalized on marketing 1–5-day-old calves,” Breneman says. “This is probably the easiest and most labor-efficient way to market your beef and dairy-crossed calves, but you must treat them like a dairy heifer calf. These calves have the best chance of a healthy, productive life, just as a dairy replacement heifer would be successful.”

To be successful at this, Breneman stresses the importance getting calves off to the right start, particularly when it comes to colostrum management and administering vaccines. Buyers seek well-started, healthy calves with strong immune systems, making proper early-life care essential for maintaining demand and securing the best prices.