Stocker cattle (summer grazing)
What it earns, what it costs and what it asks of your week.
Every figure on this page is the template's own, an extension estimate and not a measurement of any farm. Your own hours and harvests calibrate it once you log them.
Where the numbers come from
- TN · University of Tennessee Extension, Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2026 Stocker/Backgrounding Budget (D32), 2026 primary
- KY · University of Kentucky, Department of Agricultural Economics, Stocker Outlook for 2026, 2026
- TN · USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Market News, Tennessee Weekly Cattle Auction Summary (AMS_2063), 2026
The budget states no size of operation, so no per-head figure, weekly chart or collision check is made up for it.
Hours by week
Not published. Hours by week need a size of operation, and this template's source states none.
Where it lands on a mixed farm
Not published. A collision check needs this template's size of operation, and its source states none.
Tasks
| Task | Hours fixed | Hours per head | When | Rigidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receive and process | 2 h | 0.15 h a head | once, Batch start | Fixed |
| Daily check | 0.25 h | 0.003 h a head | daily, Batch start | Fixed |
| Move to fresh pasture | 0.5 h | 0.005 h a head | weekly, Batch start | Flexible, 3 days |
| Mid-season work (implant, deworm) | 2 h | 0.08 h a head | once, Batch start +70 days | Flexible, 10 days |
| Gather, weigh, haul and sell | 4 h | 0.1 h a head | once, Batch end | Fixed |
Costs
| Line | Amount | Schedule F |
|---|---|---|
| Calf bought (504 lb at $3.35) | $1,689.86 a head | Livestock purchased |
| Pasture fertilizer and herbicide (0.67 ac) | $101.45 a head | Fertilizer and lime |
| Hay bought (0.75 t) | $112.50 a head | Feed |
| Supplemental feed (4 lb/day) | $81.18 a head | Feed |
| Salt and mineral (30 lb) | $13.80 a head | Feed |
| Vet and medicine | $20.36 a head | Veterinary, breeding, medicine |
| Commission, insurance and hauling | $26.84 a head | Marketing |
| Other supplies | $1.50 a head | Supplies |
Revenue
| Line | Price | Yield | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feeder cattle sold | $3.10 a lb | 768 lbs a head | 1 lb a lb |
Farm Draft records the tax category of each line and leaves the choice of treatment to your CPA.
Run it on your own farm
Add Stocker cattle (summer grazing) next to the rest of what you grow and raise. Farm Draft puts every enterprise in one weekly calendar against the hours you actually have and names the week they collide.
The other templates
- Beef cow-calf
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cut flowers (bunches, direct)
- Hair sheep (pasture lambs)
- Hay (tall fescue, custom baled)
- Honeybees
- Laying hens
- Market garden (mixed vegetables)
- Meat goats (pasture and browse)
- Orchard (apple and pear, semi-dwarf)
- Pastured broilers
- Pastured feeder pigs (whole and half hogs)
- Pick-your-own and event days
- Raspberries