Library

OSU Cowculator v2.0 Beef Cow Nutrition Evaluation Software

David Lalman (April, 2020)

Summary

Feed and grazing costs can be 50 to 70 percent of production costs in cow/calf enterprises and 60 to 80 percent of production costs in growing and finishing enterprises. As a result, beef cattle producers must critically evaluate grazing, feeding and supplementation programs to ensure efficient use of available resources and optimization of animal performance. OSU Cowculator is an Excel-based spreadsheet program designed to assist cattlemen in making informed decisions associated with beef cattle nutrition. Animal criteria and the feed library can be customized to each operation and to each situation. Animal requirements, feed intake estimates and performance predictions are based on years of research data summarized in the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine, Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle publication (NASEM, 20). This program is intended to replace previous versions of the OSU Cowculator program and all previous versions of OSUNRC and OSU Ration Calculator programs.