Kevin Lynch shares the pros and cons of multispecies grazing as well as what beginners need to consider in Season 7, Episode 16 of the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast.
Over the past five weeks the combined Prime and Choice carcasses harvested totaled 84.7%, a six percentage point increase over the September low of 78.7%.
Cattle and hog feeders are benefitting from dramatically lower grain and feed costs this year while live animal sale prices are higher. Profit margins for both species have doubled in the past month.
Do America's trade policies push ranchers out of business? That's a protectionist's view, but there's no evidence suggesting ranchers “displaced” by beef imports – nor being unduly damaged in the marketplace.
One of the most important decisions cattlemen and cattlewomen face today is how to engineer their selection and mating program to add value to their next calf crop.
Steve Swaffar encourages producers to be prepared to plant cover crops in a wet year if they are looking to increase ground cover and extend days spent grazing.
Horn flies are a small black fly that feeds on the back, sides and belly of cattle and are the most common fly in beef cattle. Economic losses begin when fly populations reach 150-200 per animal.
Carcass weights have trended heavier for over 60 years with steer carcass weights increasing by an average of 4.0 pounds per year, up over 240 pounds from 660 pounds in the 1960s to over 900 pounds in recent years.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought coverage is now at its lowest level since spring of 2020, but USDA's topsoil moisture map shows it's still extremely dry in areas of the west and too wet in the east.
Negotiated cash cattle prices moved lower again under pressure from sinking futures markets. The red-hot hamburger market kept pushing most utility cows higher.
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced it’s canceling the July Cattle Inventory Report. In the announcement, NASS blamed budget cuts from the most recent appropriations bills.
Manipulating the reproductive process of your cow herd can result in shorter breeding and calving seasons with more calves born earlier in the season resulting in an older, heavier, more uniform calf crop when you wean.
Fertilization requires the ability to use increased forage growth in a timely manner. That's more important for stockers than cow-calf operations as excessive early pasture growth is more efficiently used by mature cows.
Research indicates multiple animal performance benefits linked to earlier castration (birth to 3 months), including shorter initial weight loss periods, lower disease susceptibility, and higher post-weaning ADGs.
South Dakota Dairy Producers encourages all dairy producers to closely monitor their herd and contact their herd veterinarian immediately if cattle appear symptomatic.
Cherry County Neb. remains the U.S. County with the most beef cows, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. South Dakota has seven counties ranked in the Top 33 while Texas has five.
Now, along with undergraduate students, current high school seniors who have experience raising and caring for small or large livestock, equine and/or poultry, are eligible to apply.
USDA reports are not an exact science of data collection and should not be treated as such. We have to take the information from all reports, reported and/or surveyed, and use it accordingly in our analysis.
In an effort to prevent domestic cattle from being exposed to Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV), 17 states have restricted cattle imports from states where the virus has infected dairy cows.
Steve Troxle, state commissioner of agriculture, said he is waiting for more diagnostic information from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and will work collaboratively with North Carolina dairy farmers.
The margin spread between packer losses and feedyard profits expands as wholesale beef prices continue their retreat. Pork producer profits continue increasing.
There's a lot of rhetoric surrounding beef trade that we shouldn't accept at face value. A closer look at the data shows America’s ranchers are the direct beneficiaries of international trade.
King Ranch has acquired a 50% stake in Cobalt Cattle, the nation’s fourth-largest cattle feeding operation with six feedyards in Colorado, Kansas and Texas.
Liver abscesses remain a singular, dark cloud over the otherwise sunny segment of dairy-beef-cross cattle. Several entities are performing research to try to solve this frustrating industry obstacle.
NCBA and the PLC oppose three finalized Endangered Species Act rulemakings that significantly expand federal overreach and roll back reforms that previously provided some relief to farmers and ranchers.
Strong global demand for U.S. pork has been been a bright spot for the industry. Fueled by growth in the Western Hemisphere, South Korea and Australia, U.S. pork exports posted another excellent performance in February.
Beef exports continue to face headwinds as beef production decreases and beef prices increase in the U.S. market. Beef imports are dominated by imports of lean processing beef to supplement supplies of nonfed beef.
Under pressure from negative margins, packers will continue to play their games but their activity last week led to the biggest harvest rate in seven weeks.
Kay Russo, DVM, Novonesis technical services manager for dairy and poultry, emphasized the situation is rapidly evolving and more clarity will come with time as researchers learn more.
Pesky horn flies can become prolific during the grazing season. However, there are control tactics that can help keep horn fly populations under wraps.
Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, says the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza impacting beef cattle in the state's panhandle – where dairy cows have been infected – is minimal.
Some say he’s single-handedly changed the Brazilian beef industry. Others say he’s changed their life. No matter how you look at it, Professor Zequinha is a game-changer.
Keeping replacement females from first calf heifers can work if producers plan and select sires that are adequate for calving ease and also offer maternal traits that are beneficial.
As cattle are fed to heavier end points, the incidence of BCHF is increasing. The beef industry is stepping up to help producers and veterinarians make production and selection decisions to reduce the occurrence of BCHF.
The latest data on steer weights shows 23 pounds heavier than a year ago at 922-pounds, record-high for the first two weeks in March. That's a sharply higher trend line in a time when weights historically trend lighter.
Livestock producers and veterinarians are urged to practice good biosecurity practices to prevent transmission of the disease. Five states have also issued restrictions on dairy cattle movement.
