Minimizing Shrink

Imagine 100 head of cattle are sold at $1.75 per pound. If each animal weighs 800 pounds, the total weight for these animals would be 80,000 pounds, with a pay weight of $140,000. If the animals are transported before being weighed, the expected shrink loss could be around 7%, meaning a loss of $9,800 on this sale.

If cattle are weighed on-site, not only would shrink be lowered to 2 or 3%, but the stress on the animal would also be minimized. Typically, this 2 or 3% accounts for the content of the animal’s digestive system, called fill, that the buyer takes into consideration at purchase. In this case, selling at only 3% shrink means saving $5,600 per 100 animals when weighed at the farm instead of offsite.

Unfortunately, shrink cannot be eliminated completely, but it can be reduced. Owning or bringing a livestock scale to the animals is the best way to reduce shrinkage and the overall economic impact on a rancher.