BEEF
Mid-summer shipments of cattle off grass pastures to feedlots is in full-swing.
Several marketing options for cow-calf producers to consider.
The six key sections to include in your business plan.
Dry lot feeding of summer calving cows may be a cost competitive production system when grass prices are high, distillers grains prices are comparatively low, and corn stalks are readily available for grazing.
Now is the time to start thinking about marketing opportunities for calves this fall.
Summer brings bullish and bearish news in cattle markets.
Most areas of Oklahoma experience 70 or more days each year with temperatures that exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit, providing ample reason for cattle producers to guard against heat stress in their herds.
Cattle producers capture value from pasture to plate.
The longer cattle continue to trade sideways the more explosive price movement could be.
Recent beef and cattle trade data shows a mixed bag of global market impacts, with total U.S. beef exports decreasing 5.3 percent in April compared to last year.
USDA released their June Cattle on Feed report this afternoon. It said there were 2.2% more cattle on feed than on June 1, 2015.
Where do we go from here? After a rough ride so far this year, one can only imagine what lies ahead for feeder cattle prices the rest of 2016.
Staying ahead of the curve is a fundamental element to the survival of most businesses.
Retail meat prices signal beef prices are down, but that’s due to a sharp drop in ground beef. Retail steak prices are up from year-ago, while pork chop and boneless, skinless chicken breast prices are lower.
More than half a century after its discovery, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) still wages war on cattle health and producers’ livelihoods.
Cattle on feed continues to increase, while drought conditions go away in the Northern and Southern Plains.
For years, the accepted target weight for yearling replacement beef heifers at breeding was 65% of their mature weight. Recently that target has been questioned.
Taking high-risk cattle to low-risk can be done, and it can be profitable when the calves are priced right.
Monthly fed cattle net returns have been negative since December 2014. A few months ago, it appeared that we would climb above breakeven this spring. However, that was before the recent drop in fed cattle prices.
Recent changes in beef production have implications for the timing and possibly for total beef production for 2016.
Cattle feeders and veterinarians should keep an eye out for E. coli O165:H25, an enterohemorrhagic strain that can cause disease in cattle and potentially poses a food-safety hazard for humans.
Many cow-calf producers are asking whether artificial insemination (AI) or natural service bulls are more cost effective for their herd.
One of our best tools for increasing beef production is steroid implants. They’re also one of the most misunderstood technologies by consumers.
Key performance indicators, also known as KPIs, can assist beef producers in measuring factors crucial to an operation.
For five decades, my family has been ranching in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Nearly every one of those years we’ve taken in stocker cattle for our custom grazing business.
Recently, over 8,000 acres of native range burned in the Nebraska Sandhills. These types of disasters often leave producers in a forage shortage for the summer.
Correct administration of any injection is a critical control point in beef production and animal health.
Firefighters battling a large wildfire in northwestern Oklahoma caught a break Thursday from diminished winds, but forecasters warned that other areas of the Midwest are at risk for pop-up fires because of dry air and strong gusts.