Every feedlot manager knows the feeling. You are looking at a group of steers, doing mental math on current corn prices and projected sale dates. The difference between a profitable turn and a losing one often comes down to a few cents per pound.
In the past, you might have relied on back-of-the-napkin calculations or complex Excel sheets that are hard to update on the fly.
That changes today.
We are excited to announce the launch of the Breakeven Predictor in FLS Cloud. This powerful new tool allows you to simulate financial outcomes in real-time, giving you the confidence to make smarter buying and feeding decisions.
The Breakeven Predictor is an interactive financial modeling tool built directly into your FLS Cloud dashboard. It allows you to input hypothetical variables—like purchase price, ration costs, and interest rates—and instantly see how they impact your bottom line.
To launch the tool, go to: Finance → Breakeven Predictor
After you click the Breakeven Predictor menu, this screen will appear.
The tool is designed with a simple split-screen layout: Inputs on the left, Results on the right. As you adjust any number on the left, the results on the right update instantly.
Start by defining the animals you are projecting.
Animal Type: Select from your standard types (e.g., Steers, Heifers). The system automatically pulls in your historical Average Daily Gain (ADG) and Feed Conversion ratios to give you a running start.
Head Count & Weights: Enter how many head and their induction weight.
Purchase & Sale Price: Input the current market price ($/cwt) for buying and your target sale price.
Next, fine-tune the expenses.
Ration Cost: Enter your cost per ton of feed. (We even included a Ration Calculator popup that lets you build a weighted average cost if you are mixing multiple rations!)
Operational Costs: Add daily yardage, medical estimates, and even death loss percentages.
Interest: Don't forget the cost of money. Enter your interest rate to see exactly how financing the cattle and feed impacts your profit.
On the right side of the screen, FLS Cloud does the heavy lifting.
Breakeven ($): The exact price you need to sell at to cover all costs.
Cost of Gain: Your projected cost to put on a pound of beef.
Profit/Loss: The total estimated profit for the entire pen.
Do you frequently buy 700lb steers? Or maybe you have a standard "Heifer Finisher" scenario?
With the Save Template feature, you can build a scenario once and save it. Next time, just select "Steers Template" from the dropdown, and all your standard costs and performance metrics will pre-load. You can create as many templates as you need to cover different buying strategies.
1. bid with Confidence: When you are at the auction or negotiating a private treaty, you can plug in the asking price and instantly see if it pencils out.
2. Optimize Rations: See how a cheaper (but lower energy) ration might affect your days on feed and total cost of gain compared to a "hotter" ration.
3. Educate Investors: If you feed cattle for investors, use the Print feature to generate a professional projection sheet that shows them exactly where their money is going and the potential return.
The Breakeven Predictor is available now for all FLS Cloud users. Log in today to create your first projection template.
Not using FLS Cloud yet?
Feedlot Solutions provides the industry's most robust cloud-based management software. From inventory tracking to financial forecasting, we help you measure it so you can manage it.
Click here to schedule a demo and see the Custom Report engine in action.
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