Beef - General
Disciplined hedgers protect themselves against noise and volatility – the very essence of why futures markets exist, and why smart feeders use that tool.
Packers and cattle feeders spent the week in a standoff ahead of USDA’s dual July reports that were bullish as expected, suggesting a 3% decline in cattle inventories and a 2% decline in cattle on feed inventories.
Beef cows and total mid-year inventory down 3%. Cattle on Feed July 1 totaled 11.2 million head, down 2% from July 2022.
Bartholomay Kattle Kompany of Sheldon is the recipient of the 2023 North Dakota Leopold Conservation Award®.
The rural economy seems to be set on cruise in neutral gear. That’s according to the Rural Mainstreet Index (RMI) from Creighton University.
Big moves in Washington in 2023 could impact your farm.
Do you know what the Top 5 targeted states are for animal rights activists? The answer may surprise you.
Missouri researcher Jared Decker used the commercial genomic prediction tool Zoetis GeneMax Advantage to investigate the ability of the test to predict the performance and profitability of a group of Angus calves.
The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) presented Sean McGrath, Vermilion, Alberta, Canada, a BIF Continuing Service Award July 4 during the group’s annual research symposium in Calgary, Alberta.
Central Kentucky famer Donald Veatch has a passion for sharing his conservation ethic and knowledge with those who want to learn how to care for their own land.
Results from the 2022 National Beef Quality Audit provide insight into the quality and value of cattle on the rail, determining ways the industry might look to improve in the coming years.
The House Committee on Agriculture has established a bipartisan Agricultural Labor Working Group to address the pressing labor challenges faced by the agricultural industry.
SpectoGard (spectinomycin sulfate) sterile solution—which received FDA approval in September of 2022—is now available for veterinarians and cattle producers in the United States.
There’s a $400 spread between cattle feeding margins and packer margins – now in the cowboy’s favor. Cattle harvest is lower as packers reduce hours, a signal their margins are in the red.
Using data and precision technology is the new norm in many segments of the agriculture industry. In the beef industry, Neogen’s Igenity Feeder DNA test is paving the way to a new era in cattle feeding.
The Beef Improvement Federation presented Warren Snelling, Lawrence, Nebraska, the BIF Pioneer Award during the group’s annual research symposium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Whether futures markets are friend or foe often depends on our understanding of those markets and whether we can ignore the drama and use facts to make decisions.
A recent study analyzed the probability of meat processing plant survival, finding that business diversification is most important for smaller plants and local context is more important for larger plants.
The Beef Improvement Federation presented David Bolduc, Stavely, Alberta, Canada, the BIF Pioneer Award during the group’s annual research symposium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Creep grazing has potential to be a cost-effective way to produce additional calf gains using forage rather than the traditional grain-based creep diets.
The Society for Range Management (SRM) recently established the Chuck Jarecki Rancher Land Stewardship Award thanks to a generous donation by its namesake, Montana rancher Chuck Jarecki.
July’s cattle inventory report will show continued declines to the beef cow herd. While beef cow slaughter is down thus far, the current pace suggests a herd culling rate over 12 percent for the year.
The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) presented Stewart Bauck, Lincoln, Nebraska, the BIF Pioneer Award July 5 during the group’s annual research symposium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Generally, a good week for agriculture with cattle steady to stronger despite a significant rally in the corn market. Packers try to hide their hand, but without inventory they must pay up to keep plants running.
Cattle industry leaders on Thursday (July 13) praised the introduction of a bipartisan congressional resolution recognizing the importance of commodity checkoff programs, including the Beef Checkoff.
Still unclear about the recent changes to over-the-counter antibiotics or beef promoting implants? Dan Thompson, DVM, host of Doc Talk TV, shares details about the new livestock antibiotic and implant regulations.
USDA’s APHIS is awarding more than $3.2 million to create antimicrobial resistance dashboards to improve access to information on antimicrobial resistance in domesticated animals.
Further discussion about cattle markets leads our columnist to conclude: producers are “prone to have high confidence in unfounded intuitions” and we often derive conclusions based on incomplete information.
Last week produced the lowest feed costs and lowest break evens for pigs placed in the finish barns since December 2021. Cattle feeders also saw declining feeding costs.
We know that the cattle market runs in cycle. Lee Schulz shares tips for how beef cattle producers can understand cattle cycles and how to make decisions accordingly.