A Few Often Overlooked Costs Associated 
with Calf Record Keeping on the Ranch
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Labor costs for gathering, working and verifying calves        $ 7.68 
Mobile system costs, excluding interest and depreciation       $ 0.60 
Travel costs for two pulling diesel pickups                    $ 0.37
Electronic tag and application                                 $ 3.00
Tag usage costs, excluding interest and depreciation           $ 0.15 
Data retrieval and output costs                                $ 1.00
Crew per diem and travel expenses                              $ 1.00
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Subtotal                                                      $ 13.80
Cost overrun charge of 20%                                     $ 2.76
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Estimated per calf cost excluding all implementation costs    $ 16.56 
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Assuming 10,500 calves worked per year over 70 workdays utilizing 
labor to gather, work and verify 150 calves per day at $12 per hour.
No costs beyond the cow calf producer are considered.