Skinny cows may look better in bikinis, but in the beef business that’s not really how we measure success. Economic losses from thin cows can be substantial. As the graph below shows, the thinner the cow, the less likely she is to become pregnant. While weaning weight may not always be a good measure of your success as a producer, calves from skinny cows will have lower weaning weights, which could result in lower revenues. This is because skinny cows produce less colostrum, so their c








