Month: March 2019

Bull Buying Tips

– Dr. Darrh Bullock, Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

We are rapidly approaching bull buying season in Kentucky so there are few basics I would like to share. The genetics in the bull you are buying now will have a huge impact on your herd immediately and could linger for years to come if you keep replacements from him. For this reason it is important to get this decision right.

For commercial cattlemen, the first suggestion is to evaluate your crossbreeding program and make sure you are taking full advantage of heterosis (hybrid vigor). If your cow herd is made up of predominantly one breed then you might consider introducing a second breed and start a rotation system with those breeds. This can improve the productivity of your herd by greater than Continue reading →

Frost Seeding Tips

– Mark Landefeld, OSU Extension Agriculture Educator, retired, Monroe County

Round bales had been fed here and the area was very rough from unusually wet conditions. Paddock before being lightly disc and drug one morning when the overnight temperature was 24°F.

Last week we discussed how this year many producers have more than normal amounts of pasture that has been moderately to heavily tracked-up by livestock due to the extensive wet soil conditions. Many of these pastures can use a little help in recovering by adding grass and or clover seed to these fields. Spending a few minutes to calibrate your seeder will help you get the desired amount of seed on the pasture. This will be particularly helpful if you have large areas needing seeded.

Calibrating a hand held seeder or broadcast seeder mounted on an ATV is not too hard to do. You will need a scale to weigh the seed, a few plastic bags, a measuring wheel or tape measure and maybe a Continue reading →

Ohio Beef Expo Kicks Off March 15

The Ohio Beef Expo, the premier event of Ohio’s beef industry, will take place March 15-17 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus, Ohio. This annual event, coordinated by the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), includes a kickoff social; breed sales, shows and displays; beef quality assurance sessions; a multi-day trade show and a highly competitive junior show.

OCA members and Expo exhibitors are invited to attend The Social, on Thursday evening, March 14, at the Expo headquarters hotel, the Hilton Columbus/Polaris. The kickoff event will auction items for OCA’s PAC fund such as two VIP parking spaces at the 2019 Ohio Beef Expo, an Ohio State fire ring and other great items.

For the first time in Expo history, the trade show will open on Thursday, March 14 from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. This allows more Continue reading →

Posted by at Posted in Events

Weekly Livestock Comments for March 1, 2019

– Dr. Andrew Griffith, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee

FED CATTLE: Fed cattle traded $3 higher on a dressed basis compared to last week. Dressed prices were mainly $205 while live trade appeared set for $127 to $128.
The 5-area weighted average prices thru Thursday were $128.00 live, up $3.02 from last week and $202.51 dressed, up $1.51 from a week ago. A year ago prices were $126.80 live and $204.29 dressed.

The April live cattle contract is running more than a $9 premium to the June con-tract and more than a $13 premium to the August contract. At the same time, the finished cattle market is trading between a negative $1 to negative $2 basis compared to the April contract. Considering this scenario, there is a large price gap to fill between now and the June contract. As likely or as unlikely as it may seem that finished cattle prices will decline $9 between April and June, the market could actually have more swing than what is being represented by futures. Steer slaughter the first couple of months of 2019 has been below previous year levels which likely means Continue reading →