Beef Production
If the 2019 ratio between wholesale beef prices and cash fed cattle prices existed today, cash cattle prices would be $136 per cwt. That would amount to an additional $252 for a 1,400-pound fed steer.
The wet spring has certainly provided favorable breeding conditions for flies. As we progress into the summer it is evident that fly pressure is and will be heavy.
Worms, flies, ticks and lice are all costly to beef producers.
This week we discuss the EPDs to consider when selecting bulls that will be used as rotational sires. A rotational sire is a bull from which daughters will be retained to develop as replacements in our cowherd.
Cash cattle prices in all regions saw higher prices for the second consecutive week as packers found tightening supplies of market-ready cattle.
USDA-NASS released two reports last week that added more fuel to red-hot grain and oilseed markets. The information about current and future corn markets has significant implications for cattle markets.
Collins Ranch finds success in a fragile grassland with continued stewardship.
When we consider the influential variables we measure and manage to, weight tops the list as weight-based decisions are at every stage of the beef supply chain, birth to carcass.
Breeding season is fast approaching, set your herd up for success by focusing on these key areas.
Each year, several thousand dogs enter the U.S. for resale or adoption. In a recent Hogs on the Hill article, NPPC chief veterinarian Liz Wagstrom wrote that it’s time to sound the alarm on importing rescue dogs.
Federally inspected weekly slaughter has fallen in the past three weeks 20,000 to 25,000 head below late Feb. and early March levels. Cleaning and plant maintenance is the primary factor for the smaller head counts.
A new arrangement between the Red Angus Association of America and IMI Global will allow cattle producers who take advantage of Red Angus value-added programs to more easily utilize IMI Global verification services.
After considering traits most economically important to us in our own production and marketing system, bull selection is critical to maximize the genetic potential of future calf crops to perform in those traits.
Cattlemen joining a March webinar hosted by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand learned how to understand beef carcass value and more while discovering the sources of premiums they earn for their best cattle.
Calves and stocker cattle sold higher at auctions across the country the last full week of March. Feeder cattle futures rallied to new contract highs and settled up $1.15 to $2.325, with the May contract leading gains.
The U.S. calf-raising sector now has a program to help ensure optimal calf health and welfare via the Calf Care & Quality Assurance (CCQA) program, the first, collaborative educational tool that provides guidelines.
Drought conditions loom as the grazing season begins across the Central Plains. The latest Drought Monitor shows 43% of the U.S. is experiencing some degree of drought, compared with just 24% last year at this time.
The last six weeks of winter produced a sideways trade in cash cattle with little. The first week of spring saw changing attitudes and packers willing to take on more volume with prices from $1 to $3 higher.
Solar energy falls into the renewable energy category, and its growth has skyrocketed over the last few decades due to lower installation costs and consumer demand for more sustainable energy.
Seven ranchers can win herbicide proven to reduce costs and grow business for the long haul.
Resilient Biotics, a North-Carolina-based startup, has been named the winner of the 2021 Beef Alliance Startup Challenge and has earned a chance to conduct a pilot with a Beef Alliance member company.
Ranchers are finding advantages in profitability, retained female fertility and longevity when using Hereford bulls in their crossbreeding programs, and many advantages translate into benefits at the feedyard, too.
When calving in early spring with lush pastures we can find mature cows that are in otherwise good condition with unusual behaviors, unsteady gait or inability to rise—early signs of both grass tetany and milk fever.
EPDs are the result of genetic prediction, based on performance data collected by cattle breeders over many generations of beef production.
Grass is greening up and cattlemen are busy seeking stocker and feeder cattle to turn out for the season. Prices last week saw the influence of that stronger demand.
Fed cattle prices have not put together any sort of spring rally with cash markets trading in a narrow range for several weeks, but there is considerable optimism beginning in the second quarter of the year.
Cash cattle markets carried a firmer tone most of the week but hopes for solid price gains were dashed by two days of declining futures prices. USDA’s Cattle on Feed report was consistent with trade estimates.
Beyond critical factors such as health, head count, evenness and flesh that always matter, it has become important to review Process Verified Programs and their role in cultivating more value add.
Is seaweed the answer in helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cattle? New research from UC Davis found adding seaweed into beef cattle’s diets could reduce methane emissions by as much as 82%.