The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic performance o
f different body condition groups in order to demonstrate the importan
ce of body condition scoring in cow/calf operations. Body condition sc
oring was applied every six weeks over the period of a whole year. The
cows (n=266) were divided into three body condition groups according
to three body condition at calving: group 1: low body condition (BCS <
3,0), group 2: adequate body condition (BCS 3,0-4,0), group 3: high b
ody condition(BCS > 4,0). The cow performance was defined by foul para
meters: pregnancy rate, calf survivability rate, calculated 205 day we
aning weight and achieved price per kilogram weaning weight. The calcu
lation was performed by multiplication of the four parameters. the res
ults of the calculations underlined the performance losses due to subo
ptimal body condition found in the literature. In comparison to refere
nce values our data ta demonstrate, that consider able losses can be a
voided by improving the body condition scores of the dam. In addition
to optimized feeding strategies, herd management plays a paramount rol
e in this improvement. By means of a sensitivity analysis, pregnancy r
ate was determined to have the highest economic impact on cow/calf ope
rations.