Latest News From Stocker

U.S. cattle slaughter for the first quarter of 2019 was slightly above a year ago (up 0.7%, while tonnage produced was 0.8% below 2018’s.

“Foot rot” is a common cause of lameness in beef cattle on pastures. 

In hindsight, selling every head of cattle a person owned in 2014 and then buying back animals in late 2015 would have resulted in windfall gains for most commercial cattle producers.

Adding different forages to existing grass stands can help reduce the amount of hay needed during the winter by expanding the grazing season during the late fall, winter and early spring.

Adding different forages to existing grass stands can help reduce the amount of hay needed during the winter by expanding the grazing season during the late fall, winter and early spring.

Does May bring flowers … or more showers? 

Conditions were significantly different in April, 2018 with 34.85 percent of the state in extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4) drought conditions and just 41.72 percent of the state with no drought conditions.

The abundant moisture that is keeping producers from marketing cattle is also setting cattle country up for favorable grazing conditions this spring and is also positively influencing summer grazing pastures.

It is an understatement to say the stocker cattle business is not for everyone.

When animals have health or performance problems it is almost always because the person in charge of taking care of them is not showing the proper interest in what they need.

When animals have health or performance problems it is almost always because the person in charge of taking care of them is not showing the proper interest in what they need.

A major winter storm this past week extended in a belt across the middle of the country from Denver east to the mid-Atlantic coast.

In November, U.S. feedlots set a record for 1.87 million head marketed, the highest Dec. 1 total since the series began recording in 1996.

In November, U.S. feedlots set a record for 1.87 million head marketed, the highest Dec. 1 total since the series began recording in 1996.

In November, U.S. feedlots set a record for 1.87 million head marketed, the highest Dec. 1 total since the series began recording in 1996.

More than $2.4 million worth of cattle were never bought in wire fraud scheme that spanned Missouri and Texas.

Stay on your toes this year, as business mind-set will be increasingly needed to maintain a profitable 2019. Take a lesson from these 10 articles of cattle fraud during 2018.

This year there has been a noticeable increase in the number of cattle embezzlement and fraud cases across the country.

As producers rush to complete BQA certification, cattle haulers should also take note—they will need certification in the BQA Transportation program by Jan. 1, 2020.

Cattle producers have little reason to be concerned about calf prices declining much more than where they are now.

The fall foliage also reminds us that 2018 is winding to a close and we are beginning to see markets take on their final look for the year.

Sunshine also helped kick-start feeder markets, at least for stocker calves.

Winter wheat pasture availability is helping to keep demand high for select stocker cattle weights.

Finished cattle continued trading steady for the fifth consecutive week. Early in this trend, one might say this was beneficial for cattle feeders as they were able to hold packers at bay and keep prices from falling.

Beef cattle numbers in Mississippi are up and prices are profitable, making 2018 a good year for the industry despite high supply.

Contrary to the current feeder cattle market, the slaughter cow and bull market are seasonally faltering.

Prices for feeder steers over 650 pounds were also higher compared to the previous week. However, prices for steers between 550 and 650 pounds declined compared to the previous week.

Fed cattle sold steady to higher, while calves and yearlings were called steady to $5 higher.

Oklahoma producers interested in dual-purpose or forage-only wheat for winter grazing often prefer to plant winter wheat in early to mid-September if conditions permit.

We are now fully transitioning into a primary calf selling time of the year for cow-calf producers and into an active buying time for stocker producers.

The softening that is taking place in today’s market seems to have more to do with the seasonal price patterns established through supply and demand factors.

Prices for feeder cattle typically decline seasonally for all weight classes after August.

The key to the market will continue to be beef demand as expected supply will change very little.

New supplements offer value but producers need to determine costs and potential returns for practices they adopt

New supplements offer value but producers need to determine costs and potential returns for practices they adopt

Cattle importer focuses on finding healthy, quality cattle for finishing in the United States.

The Flint Hills region of Kansas is receiving stocker cattle following timely rains in April that are helping boost grass growing conditions.

Consumer support for beef in the marketplace is further supported by the Restaurant Performance Index (RPI).

Many producers now have calves on the ground, so it’s a good time to discuss prices and to update marketing plans for the new-crop.

Larger numbers of cattle on feed indicate that even more cattle and beef are to come to market in coming months. 

The spring run for grass cattle is coming to a close in the Southeastern United States.

The feeder calves with the greatest value are almost always the heavier calves, but producers must calculate if it is profitable for them to own the cattle longer, and provide the resources to add the additional weight.

There are several big storylines in the cattle industry with the number of cattle on feed and a wall of cattle on its way to a store near you being one of the big headlines.

What is evident in the market is continued strong demand for grass cattle.

Cattle conditioning or flesh is probably one of the largest contributing factors to reduce value at time of sale.

Drought and dryness is continuing to expand across the Great Plains and southwestern states.

Earlier in 2017, Oklahoma State University, in conjunction with USDA, conducted a comprehensive survey of Oklahoma cattle producers.

The price outlook the next several months appear favorable for cow-calf and stocker producers

The opportunity to use cheaper forage gains to build those high opportunity cost feeder cattle is a viable option.

The checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program has launched a new training and certification program for cattle transportation.