More than half a century after its discovery, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) still wages war on cattle health and producers’ livelihoods.

It seems certain that herd expansion has slowed to a snail’s pace compared to one year ago, but from a historical standard, expansion is likely still moving at a fairly rapid clip.

Cattle on feed continues to increase, while drought conditions go away in the Northern and Southern Plains.

As producers continue to make both short-term and longer-term decisions in managing their operations it is useful to periodically step back and take stock of characteristics depicting the industry more broadly. The recently updated estimates from USDA ERS of production costs and returns offer an opportunity to increase our understanding of regional variation in the U.S. cow-calf sector.

For years, the accepted target weight for yearling replacement beef heifers at breeding was 65% of their mature weight. Recently that target has been questioned.

Industry experts attribute Australia’s slide in cattle on feed to record breaking prices witnessed in the country.