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Audie Neal Rackley, 85, former Executive Editor of the Quarter Horse Journal and Quarter Racing Journal, passed away on Monday, March 16, 2020 in Amarillo, Texas.

Moving from his Nebraska ranch to Washington D.C., was an eye-opener for Greg Ibach, USDA undersecretary of marketing and regulatory programs, when he saw how much food labeling says to beef consumers.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed consumer behavior and the U.S. economy. The effects are unprecedented and it is difficult to determine how long the impact will last.

It is critical for consumers to know that there is no shortage of meat in the U.S. In fact, production of beef, pork and poultry are projected at record levels in 2020.

We often consider the saving or revenue opportunity from technology, but this data reveal where the unexpected opportunity lies in the middle, preventing unnecessary treatment or finding calves we didn’t know were ill.

Despite our best efforts at bull selection and heifer development, cows or heifers occasionally need assistance at calving time. Every baby calf has a certain degree of respiratory acidosis.

Last Monday the cattle market felt the same negativity as all other markets with the uncertainty of what may happen to global trade due to the effects of the coronavirus.

Time is of the essence when a calving cow or heifer has a situation where the calf is coming backwards. If the umbilical cord is totally pinched by the pelvic rim, the calf can only survive about four minutes.

The coronavirus is another “black swan” that is different in some fundamental ways from other such events in cattle markets, such as the packing plant fire last year or even the first BSE case in late 2003.

Body condition at the time of calving is the most important factor affecting rebreeding performance of normally managed beef cows.