Herd Size
Scott Brown, a professor at the University of Missouri, shares what he’s seeing in the beef, pork and dairy sectors
With drought becoming more frequent and more severe, we are seeing trends in how it affects cattle numbers.
With great prices for cattle, the market is telling us to expand. The high demand we’ve been discussing is a signal for expansion, says Collin Woodall, NCBA CEO
More than 1.2 million acres burned beginning Feb. 26, making it the largest wildfire in Texas history. The losses include more than 12,000 cattle deaths, lost grazing values and fence repair costs.
While the heifer percentage in feedlots remains above the average of the past ten years, the decline from January to April is an encouraging sign that heifer feeding is perhaps slowing.
U.S. agriculture reduced greenhouse gas emissions through voluntary conservation efforts and market-based incentives.
Thanks to a reader’s observation, another county has been added to our list of those with more than 50,000 beef cows.
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.
USDA is Discontinuing A Major Cattle Report, And it Could Now Spur More Volatility For Cattle Prices
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.
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.
Oklahoma State’s Derrell Peel points out with the U.S. beef cow herd the smallest since 1961 and the all cattle inventory the lowest since 1951, it’s setting the cattle market up for higher highs.
The demand side of the equation has become increasingly crucial to the market’s performance as the per capita beef supply will decline in response to tighter cattle numbers.
From the intense heat in the South to drought blanketing much of the U.S., weather stole headlines again in 2023. What caused such extreme conditions? One meteorologist explains the culprits of the heat and drought.
Despite sharply higher cattle prices, there is no data to suggest heifer retention or enough decrease in beef cow slaughter to initiate herd expansion, although the most recent weekly slaughter data are encouraging.
As USDA prepares to release the July beef cattle inventory report, the Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor forecasts only a small reduction year-over-year. If the forecast holds true, it could put a damper on cattle prices.
For the second time in a decade, drought has pushed cattle numbers in the U.S. lower than planned and lower than needed to meet the demands of the market.
Significant declines to the beef cow inventory have led some to argue it’s an indicator of the beef industry’s decline. Further examination of the data, however, suggests that talking point is misleading.
After years of liquidation, the U.S. cattle herd continues to contract. With drought still a driving force behind lower cattle numbers, market experts think cattle price could top previous price records set back in 2014.
While the relatively predictable cattle cycle has proved itself many times, Rabobank says the next cow herd expansion will face multiple headwinds that will affect the speed of rebuilding. Here’s the details.
Cattle producers liquidated their herds with drought hitting cattle country. They also faced poor pasture and winter wheat conditions. So, what does that mean for the fall cattle run and the market outlook?
The production of cell cultured meat or alternative proteins will soon receive federal oversight from three agencies. Betsy Jibben with AgDay has the story.
AgDay national reporter Betsy Jibben talked with buyers and sellers at a feeder cattle auction in Northern Indiana. She traveled to Shipshewana, Indiana.
U.S. beef exports were down slightly from November 2014, but posted their largest volume (95,799 metric tons) since June. Most Asian markets performed well for U.S. beef in November, but exports continued to slump to le
As Cattle on Feed and Cattle inventory reports release today, economist Kevin Coburn shares his expectations and how the numbers might affect the cattle cycle.
Through May, beef cow slaughter for the year-to-date is 15% higher. While some drought reduction has improved pasture conditions, range and pasture conditions remain at the worst level ever for this time of year.
With spring upon us and drought persists, liquidation puts the industry on track to reduce the nation’s cowherd back near 2014 levels, which was the smallest beef cowherd since 1952.
Through the week ending March 26th, beef cow slaughter year-to-date is 16% higher than a year earlier and the highest since 1986, and we’re on pace to slaughter 12.3% of the cowherd.
Maps show the severity of drought in eight Central Plains states and where they began 2022 in beef cow numbers. These eight states represent 52% of America’s beef cows, and accounted for 67% of last year’s herd culling.
Even in regions showing gains in beef cow inventories, price increases have been slow to develop this year. Overall, ranchers continue culling the breeding herd at a significant rate through the first quarter of 2022.
If drought is not a limitation in 2022, will cattle producers continue herd liquidation? The answer will be determined by what cattle producers want to do and can do relative to cow culling and heifer retention.