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After 34 years with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the past four as CEO, Kendal Frazier announced his plans for retirement.

Cash-traded feeder pig reported volume was below average this past week, with 4,800 head reported. Cash feeder pig reported prices were $97.36, down $2.81 per head from last week.

Sometimes, the slightest of differences between groups of feeder cattle can significantly affect their value when sold as fats. Understanding these subtle nuances can help you more effectively market your future calf crops.

Alleyways are used not only for livestock movement, but for cattle "storage." But cattle don’t like to be crowded, and remaining in alleyways until processing makes the corral experience bad, and makes cattle harder to work next time.

"Who else has the knowledge, the experience, and the fortitude to press on," asks Shad Sullivan? "The American farmer and rancher."

The beef cattle trade has been highlighting this winter’s weather market for several weeks now, but the impact from last week’s bomb cyclone the cattle feeding belt has escalated problems for cattle performance.

The recent USDA release of the December livestock trade data puts a bow on cattle and beef trade for 2018. 

Following the shutdown, fundamental information is slowly returning to normal. The February Cattle on Feed report was released last Friday, with the March report scheduled for its normal date of March 22.

The USDA has released new cattle on feed numbers. It is still playing catch up following the partial government shutdown.

Whichever way you look at it, increasing the opportunity for profit or decreasing the risk for loss, having an advanced genetic “scouting report” on feeders has value.

When animals have health or performance problems it is almost always because the person in charge of taking care of them is not showing the proper interest in what they need.

Exports accounted for 13.7 percent of total beef production in September, reports U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Beef cow slaughter year-to-date through the first week of October was 11% higher than last year, and that followed 2017's increase of 11%.

Value-added programs don’t necessarily add value to a set baseline price. Rather, they begin by removing some of the discount (risk) that buyers assume exist.

Does feeding whole soybeans to growing or finishing cattle make economic sense?

Non-tariff exports of U.S. beef and pork to Mexico and Canada remain in place and we can now move forward with certainty toward our expanding North American trade opportunities.

Attacks on the checkoff is only weakening the beef industry , says John Robinson, vice president of Membership and Communications, National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

Low-stress weaning—regardless of how we do it—begins with how we gather and bring in the cattle. If we don’t do it properly, the cows and calves are in panic mode before we even have them in the corral.

In the seedstock business, the bar is higher than in a commercial herd. Registered breeders need more from their cows than just an acceptable calf.

An article by Consumer Reports this week shows again, how complex scientific information can be misrepresented in order to influence the reader’s beliefs about the meat industry.

If there’s any place where a good 2" rain causes dancing in the streets, it’s in West Texas. In a land that’s usually dry anyway, the past few years of drought have been challenging to say the least.

Whether you measure ranch output by the animal unit or the acre, market weight is undeniably one of the primary factors in cattle profit/loss equations.

Despite increased beef production in 2018, up nearly 4% so far this year, beef demand has been quite strong and has limited beef and cattle price pressure in the first half of the year.

Summer often brings a few infectious ailments to beef cows. Common problems include eye infections and foot rot. Treatment of affected cows will often involve the use of antibiotics, so remember VFD rules.

University of Missouri Extension will offer cattlemen a bus tour of cattle operations in Kansas and Oklahoma Aug. 6-9.

Currently in the yards, it feels that packers are still playing the need for inventory, week to week.

Cattle producers are invited to attend a field day at the Mingo Farm in St. James, Mo., to learn how to use natural shade to improve their beef operation.

Starting out the month of May, we dove headlong into the seasonal market with a widening Choice/Select price spread.

A lot of ranchers have trouble gathering their cattle. If done properly, however, one or two people can gather even large pastures in one day and miss none.

This week should show us how willing the packers are to pull May contracts.

USDA’s cattle on feed survey data can have inherent problems, but additionally, we don’t really know the feeding performance of cattle in feedlots in the major feeding regions.

New technologies will never be in short supply. Some will forever change how we raise top quality cattle and beef.

NCBA encourages USDA to look beyond modifying “standards of identity” in order to provide adequate protection for beef producers and consumers.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service specialists show how injection–site blemishes can diminish the value of beef carcasses at the recent Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Convention in Fort Worth.

Calving season has begun, in a winter season that has had some extreme temperature swings. Drastic temperature changes can continue to be a concern when caring for newborn livestock.

Holding our ground and protecting our export position is vital in the two years ahead as our fed cattle supplies grow to the cycle peak and competing U.S. protein supplies become record large.

The strong start for beef and cattle markets is encouraging but plenty of challenges remain in 2018.

Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) allow the breeder to identify the animals that excel in the traits that are important for their operation.

Producers are being asked to provide input on their experiences of livestock raised without antibiotics, "no-not ever" production programs and the impact on animal health and welfare.

Key to the feeder cattle and calf price outlook is the feeder cattle supply (estimated from cattle inventory), forage conditions, feeding margins and feedlot demand and thus, fed cattle prices.

A 14-month-old Angus bull became the highest-priced bull ever sold at public auction last week, fetching $800,000 from two ranchers based in Missouri and Oklahoma. The previous record, set just last year, was $750,000.

The Cattle report issued by USDA-NASS in late January included several interesting changes in major beef cow states. 

All sectors of the animal food production industry and partners in human medicine and public health will come together around one of the most important topics in animal and human health today.

Finding a feedlot partner helps ranchers share information and profits

The time is now to start planning for parasite control prior to grazing.