How much do you think days open cost per cow per day?

The relevant research and estimations that I have seen are extremely varied as well, but the University of Kentucky has a great resource titled “How Much Are You Losing from Extra Days Open?”

Karmella Dolecheck and Dr. Jeffrey Bewley explain, “A common economic measure of reproductive performance is the cost of extended days open, referring to how much money is lost for every extra day a cow is not pregnant. Generally, producers and industry professionals estimate this cost at $3.00 to $5.00 per day open. However, this estimate may not account for variation in expenses and revenues over time or between herds, meaning cost per day open is likely overestimated in some conditions while underestimated on others.”

The New Mexico State University points out, “Days open can be influenced by factors such as length of voluntary waiting period, heat detection accuracy, semen quality and breeding technique, nutrition, cow fertility, disease, or weather.” So there are certainly many variables at play.


The University of Kentucky does have an interactive “Cost of Days Open” calculator to help producers identify costs for their specific circumstances.

Producers can “enter information about their farm specific situation (rolling herd average milk production, milk price, heat detection rate, conception rate, etc.)” to see the estimated “average days open, total cost of days open, and average cost per day open for each lactation.”

This information can help producers “better estimate the costs associated with their current reproductive management program and also make better decisions concerning how many times and when to breed a cow.”