We calve fall (Sept-Oct) and spring (January) and creep feeding makes a HUGE difference in our fall calves. We breed for performance, but even cattle that have the genetics to grow also have to have the chance, and a little feed makes a big difference in getting them started & adding pounds at weaning. It also helps us see which calves really perform given the opportunity. That said, we don't always push our calves as hard as we can. We usually bucket feed them in a creep feeder. That just helps manage the cost and sometimes keeps some of the calves from just getting too fat. Our spring calves are sometimes harder to get started if we have plenty of pasture, but again you can definitely see a difference between calves that go in there and any that might not. Yes, feed isn't cheap, but neither are pounds of calf at weaning! If you have cattle that are genetically capable of converting feed to frame, muscle and bone, I think it pays. It may be a different scenario for smaller framed cattle with less performance.