Beef Production
Since the beginning of March, any year-over-year comparison of cattle slaughter and feedlot inventory flow has been interesting given the distortions in the flow of cattle resulting from COVID plant slowdowns last year
I see a real need to help my generation understand food doesn’t magically appear on store shelves. That gorgeously marbled steak cooked to medium rare is a product of hard work, technology and responsible animal care.
For Double C Cattle Company, stewardship of the land reigns and the cattle are an integral tool in management.
Large numbers of cows going to slaughter during the last quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of this year confirm the downward trajectory of the cattle cycle has not changed.
Cash fed cattle prices were lower $1 to $2/cwt. last week, arriving at an average just below $121/cwt. Futures weakness brought prices lower, despite the severe upward trajectory of carcass cutout values.
Rural landowners are often interested in raising livestock to slaughter for personal consumption, local marketing or for normal commodity markets. There are several options producers can use to finish cattle.
Virtual appointments for all kinds of services have become increasingly more available over the last year—even veterinary visits. Drovers’ latest Pulse Poll shows some ranchers would try out the service.
Many cattle feeders never received a bid on cattle last week, and the ones that did saw a bid one to three dollars lower than the week before.
The Neuharths grow a diverse rotation of crops on 2,500 acres of farmland, and rotationally graze beef cattle on 3,000 acres of grassland.
April’s USDA Cattle on Feed report requires careful interpretation. The typical year-to-year comparisons are mostly meaningless because of the pandemic disruptions affecting markets one year ago.
Data collected by the Red Angus Association of America suggest producers who regularly genotype their females make more rapid genetic progress than their counterparts.
Heifers conceiving early in their first breeding season will have increased lifetime production and efficiency. It is critical heifers attain enough weight to initiate their first estrous before the onset of breeding.
Before bulls are turned out this spring a complete breeding soundness evaluation (BSE) should be conducted by a veterinarian, including a physical examination, reproductive tract examination, and semen evaluation.
One Kansas packing plant sat idle half the week for maintenance while others were reluctant bidders, leaving feeders with more cattle than available shackle space.
Oregon rancher Alec Oliver was determined to return to ranching and working from horseback after he was paralyzed in a vehicle accident nearly a decade ago.
Drought is significantly worse now than at the same time last year with 63% of the country now in D0-D4 categories. Producers should inventory forage and hay reserves and carefully evaluate forage production potential.
About 70% of North Dakota is in extreme drought (D3 on a scale of D0 to D4). This created a “perfect storm,” with dry vegetation, low humidity, dry soils and wind fueling a high-risk environment for wildfires.
North Dakota just endured its driest September to March ever on record. On Thursday, Governor Doug Burgum declared a state of emergency due to drought. Farmers are now forced to make tough decisions, early.
Cattle and beef markets have been a flurry of activity since the last CAB Insider with many positive market indicators sending fed cattle and cutout values rapidly higher.
“What once worked beautifully was working no longer.” How often is that the case, but we haven’t stepped back long enough to realize it?
The spring rally in negotiated cash cattle prices continued last week as trade in the South developed early in the week with packers more aggressive than in recent weeks.
Established product requirements in the beef industry may differ somewhat from one segment of the industry to the next, but there are some common expectations fundamental to each.
Beef exports have evolved significantly in a very dynamic environment of global politics and trade policies; direct and indirect impacts of animal disease outbreaks; and growing beef preferences and consumption.
The Nature Conservancy and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service announce a five-year cooperative agreement to increase private land conservation in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.
The adage that “knowledge is power” is especially true when it comes to understanding mold and mycotoxins. Lon Whitlow, professor emeritus at NC State University, offers five reminders to help livestock producers.
Higher fertilizer prices and poor precipitation outlook could mean thin margins and little room for error for cattle and forage producers this year.
Kansas rancher Matt Perrier talks about his focus on maternal traits that fits marbling into the equation.
With breeding season approaching, cattle producers must develop or modify management plans in anticipation of a drought to keep the most productive and valuable cows in the herd.
Gardiner Angus Ranch’s 42nd Spring Sale held Saturday at the ranch near Ashland, Kan., saw a total of 898 head sell to 275 buyers from 30 states, Canada and Mexico.
Thanks to early adoption of innovative grazing practices combined with advances in cattle breeding and nutrition, U.S. producers have already employed many of the suggested practices the study suggests employing.