Rancher
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.
Thanks to a reader’s observation, another county has been added to our list of those with more than 50,000 beef cows.
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.
Declining cattle futures provided leverage for packers to collect inventory with softer bids.
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.
Negotiated cash cattle prices moved lower again under pressure from sinking futures markets. The red-hot hamburger market kept pushing most utility cows higher.
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.
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.
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.
Caitlin Word shares the difference between principles and practices in this week’s podcast episode as it relates to regenerative agriculture.
The margin spread between packer losses and feedyard profits expands as wholesale beef prices continue their retreat. Pork producer profits continue increasing.
Government officials claim power over entrance, searches, and surveillance on private land with no restrictions.
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.
Five-hundred-sixty-three bidders registered for the annual sale with 264 buyers from 31 states and Mexico competed for 670 lots.
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.
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.
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.
Finished cattle, feeders, calves and the futures markets were all in retreat as the HPAI event becomes the latest beef industry black swan.
Pesky horn flies can become prolific during the grazing season. However, there are control tactics that can help keep horn fly populations under wraps.
Producers who are looking to minimize time spent checking water may consider investing in one of many modern water monitoring solutions.
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.
Mexico will increase surveillance and reinforce inspections of U.S. livestock imports after bird flu was found in dairy cattle.
Colorado officials have confirmed the first wolf depredation of a calf since gray wolves were reintroduced in the state in December 2023.
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.
The inaugural course date for Noble Business Essentials is set for June 13-14, 2024, on Noble’s campus in Ardmore, Oklahoma.
Ranchers and landowners from disaster-declared counties impacted by recent wildfires are eligible to apply to the TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund.
A recent Arkansas study showed deworming calves about two months before weaning improved weight gain and added value for producers.