Feedlot Fundamentals
Harnessing the full potential of the finishing phase requires a seamless integration of health, nutrition and partnership. From the importance of pre-arrival conditioning and transition protocols to the shifting dynamics of how pens are filled in today’s market, every decision impacts the bottom line. By exploring the nutritional development of stockers and the long-term effects of extended feeding on beef supply and carcass quality, producers can optimize cattle performance from the ranch to the rail.
The program, which is virtual, is scheduled to run each Thursday from July 16 through August 27, at 12:30 p.m. CDT. Anyone in the beef industry is welcome to participate.
The maps are made using seven-day forecasts based on four weather parameters – temperature, humidity, wind speed and cloud cover. Each parameter plays a significant role in the overall heat balance of feedlot cattle.
As cattle feeders hold on to fat cattle until the opportunity to be harvested arises, it is important to prepare for periods of extreme heat by developing a heat stress management plan.
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.
Growing more pounds of beef efficiently makes sense for everybody from ranch to consumer, according to a longtime South Dakota feedyard nutritionist.
In her research report, Chesney Reeves, a high school student from Central City, Neb., says coccidia was present in 100% of the pens tested and in over 50% of the samples from every pen.
Both fed cattle and feeder cattle markets traded at softer prices for the week.
Summer heat waves pose a serious danger to cattle in feedlots.
USDA’s May Cattle on Feed report said there were 1.3% more cattle on feed than a year ago. April placements were up a surprising 7.5% and April marketings were up 1.2%.
Less beef was shipped to Mexico, Canada and Philippines than last year.
Veterinarians today have access to better vaccines, better treatments and generally better overall cattle management than in the past, and yet the prevalence of feedyard death loss continues to run higher than just a few years ago.
The stock market is off to a dismal start in 2016. Hopefully, this isn’t a sign of a weakening economy.
Fed cattle prices are higher for the second week in a row.
USDA’s November Cattle on Feed report said the number of cattle on feed was 2.1 % higher at the start of November than a year ago.
The choice retail beef price declined for the fourth consecutive month to $6.23 per pound in September.
The September USDA Cold Storage report said there is a lot of frozen meat in the country.
Fed cattle prices were sharply lower this week on good volume.
Making sure your calves are ready to enter the feedlot is vital for success down the road.
Feedlot placements and marketings slide, while the WTO rules against COOL for a fourth time.
The April Cattle on Feed report said placements into large feedlots during March were up 0.4% and marketings were down 1.7% compared to March 2014.
Beef imports are up, while exports of beef are down.
The average price of fresh beef in grocery stores was a record $6.079 per pound during March. That was up 6.2 cents from the previous record set the month before.
This week’s fed cattle prices were the highest since early January.
Fewer cattle are on feed than what was projected, but domestic beef demand is up.
Fed cattle placements were up compared to the same time last year.
A new packing plant in Idaho and boxed beef prices going up for three weeks are good news for cattle producers.
This is New Year’s week and the number of cattle reports is smaller than normal.
It has been a chaotic couple of weeks in the cattle markets.