Stocker
How does management in the stocker phase affect feedlot and carcass performance?
Corbitt Wall gave the weekly USDA National Feeder Cattle Summary for the week ending March 14.
Corbitt Wall gave the weekly USDA Feeder and Stocker Cattle summary for the week ending Feb. 21.
Stocker cattle operators wishing to explore ideas for making their operations more efficient and profitable will want to attend this year’s Mid-South Stocker Conference Feb. 18-19 in Buchanan, Tenn.
If there are any lessons that can be learned from the past few years of sparse rainfall it’s that recovering from drought requires proper management.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association comments on Merck Animal Health’s response to Tyson’s ban of Zilmax-fed cattle.
Merck Animal Heath will suspend sales of Zilmax in the U.S. and Canada, while the beta-agnostic feed additive is under additional scientific audit after Tyson issued a ban on purchasing Zilmax-fed cattle.
Drought conditions have had a significant effect on feeder cattle supplies.
But opportunities abound for stocker operators and backgrounders.
More than 1.113 million cattle were shipped out of Texas last year because of the historic drought.
This is the lowest January 1 inventory of all cattle and calves since the 88.1 million on hand in 1952.
Some feeders holding out for higher prices, which could make feedyard showlists longer next week.
The old rule of thumb that feeder prices trade inversely to corn price does not necessarily hold true in today’s markets.
But drought conditions in some regions are dampening demand for stocker weight cattle.
Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch is a new website from the National Drought Mitigation Center to help livestock producers develop drought plans.
The quantity of beef available to consumers has declined in recent years, unfortunately that trend is going to continue.
While 26% of the beef herd resides in severe drought areas, states in good shape are trying to help those in drought areas.
A commercial rancher has switched from a pounds-only philosophy to one that includes quality.
Last week’s corn price decline helped bring down break-evens for cattle feeders, but feeder prices remain strong.
There is little research on tornadoes impacting beef production, but there are several concerns that should be addressed.
Price volatility in the corn, fed and feeder cattle markets can provide opportunity to manage risk exposure.
Price activity was beneficial for those in the feeder cattle market, but for cattle feeders the dilemma of placing cattle below breakeven continues.
Producers may find additional opportunities to market their calves if they background them before selling them.
Steve Kay, of Cattle Buyer’'s Weekly, says today’s reports can be regarded as slighly positive.
As fall approaches and temperatures decrease, it’s time to think about weaning calves or filling pens with purchased calves. Young, light, freshly weaned calves also bring a unique set of health management challenges to the lot.
Crunching the numbers using Performance Beef showed the Gall family where overfeeding was costing their business every month. The ability to accurately capture every dollar made it easy to switch to Performance Beef.
Understanding and implementing grazing strategies can help maximize producers’ economic return.
Winter wheat could still present good grain opportunities for farmers, experts say, but a lack of moisture has stressed pastures.
Drought in Oklahoma and Texas is forcing more cattle on feed, and that will impact inventory numbers in January.