Considerations When Making Beef Cow Culling Decisions

The sixth and final session of the 2021 Ohio Beef Cattle Management School was hosted via ZOOM by the Ohio State University Extension Beef Team on February 22nd. During that session the attention turned to cow longevity, and factors involved in making culling decisions. In the presentation embedded below we join OSU Extension Educator Dean Kreager as he explores the range of considerations involved including pregnancy status, body condition, soundness, feed resources and the seasonal market environment for culls.

Find recordings from all the 2021 Ohio Beef School sessions linked here.

The Cow Health Examination

In this 6 minute video, Dr. Justin Kieffer, Clinical Veterinarian for the OSU Department Animal Sciences, discusses how to give a cow a proper health examination.

Summer and Fall Cattle Markets

– Josh Maples, Assistant Professor & Extension Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University

Weekly live cattle cash prices have remained relatively strong amid the market setting discussed in this newsletter last week. The continued rally in the cutout suggests strong beef demand in the near-term. Similarly, feeder cattle prices have been stronger in many regions over the past few weeks. However, there is more uncertainty in the summer and fall months for both live and feeder cattle prices.

Cattle futures prices declined over the past week and a half after rallying at the end of March and into early April. The June live cattle contract closed above $125 on April 7th but has since posted eight consecutive days of declines and closed below $119 in trading today.  The summer and fall month contracts experienced larger declines than the winter and spring 2022 contracts. Feeder cattle futures have also been on a decline over the past few weeks. The May contract closed today about $10 lower than on April 7th. Similarly, the fall contracts are back into the low to mid $150s after spending a few days above $160.

The next cattle on feed report is set for release this Friday and is likely to contain some eye-popping year-over-year comparisons as the March 2021 data will be positioned against March 2020 data when covid disruptions were in full effect and placements were very low. While placements are nearly Continue reading

Pregnancy Checking; the Economics and Alternative Methods for Beef Cows

If you’re breeding for January calves, the time when you might begin to confirm pregnancy in those cows is approaching. During the fifth session of the 2021 Ohio Beef Cattle Management School that was hosted via ZOOM by the Ohio State University Extension Beef Team this past winter, a portion of the program was focused on managing reproductive efficiencies in the beef herd and included discussion on the economic significance of confirming pregnancy in beef cows and the various diagnostic methods that are available. Listen in below as OSU Extension Educator Al Gahler discusses the economic returns to the operation realized through pregnancy checking cows in a timely fashion, and the various methods it can be accomplished.

Opportunities to Manage Price Risk in 2021

– Kenny Burdine, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Kentucky

When Josh, James, and I put together our spring market outlook article and video in early March, we shared an expectation of improving feeder cattle prices throughout 2021. Similar forecasts have been made by many analysts given an expectation of improving domestic demand and some encouraging export levels to start the year. This same general optimism can be seen in CME© feeder cattle futures prices as deferred months are trading at significant premiums to nearer months. This is not uncommon in the spring of the year, but the magnitude of this carry in 2021 is much larger than usual. James referenced the wide April to September spread in his article last week. As I write this on April 12, 2021, the August through November feeder cattle futures contracts were trading at a $14-$18 premium over the April contract. The settle prices from Friday April 9th are shown in the table below.

The simple way to think about this is that the futures market is expecting heavy feeder cattle prices to increase by $14-$18 per cwt between now and the August to November time period. While there is value in that implied forecast, it also speaks of Continue reading

Managing Cattle Income Risk with Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) Insurance

On February 24th, the Ohio State University Extension Beef Team hosted the 2021 Ohio Cattle Feeding School via zoom. With the recent volatility in the fed and feeder cattle markets, risk management for livestock producers is of increasing importance. Knowing that, the first portion of the Cattle Feeding School focused on utilizing Livestock Risk Protection, or LRP, and Livestock Gross Margin, also known as LGM insurance, as tools to manage price and income risk. The program begins below with OSU Extension Beef Field Specialist Garth Ruff introducing Erin Horst and Justin White of Hudson Crop Insurance as they discuss utilizing LRP and LGM products to manage the price risk cattlemen find themselves exposed to.

Find recordings from all the 2021 Ohio Beef School sessions linked here.

Spring is Here

– David P. Anderson, Professor and Extension Economist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

After languishing for weeks at about $114 per cwt the fed cattle market has sprung to life. Fed cattle prices hit $123-124 in more Northern regions and closed the week at $121 in the Southern Plains. From 2015-2019 the seasonal price increase has been about $6 per cwt, or 4.3 percent. Prices dipped as low as $109 in late January making this seasonal run larger than normal, so far.

Surging demand, and expectations of demand continue to drive prices higher. The Choice beef cutout ended the week of April 9th at $272 per cwt, up $20 from the week before. Select beef is in on rally also, ending the week at $264 per cwt. The Choice-Select spread is about on par with the 5 year average.

It’s worth remembering that prior to the pandemic, beef demand had been on several good years of strength. A growing economy, falling unemployment, and consumer preferences trending towards higher USDA quality grade beef were building demand. 2020 did not slow beef demand, even with the Continue reading

Ventilation; Critical to Cattle Comfort and Performance

Jason Hartschuh, OSU Extension AgNR Educator, Crawford County

Spring is one of the most challenging seasons on the farm to keep barns properly ventilated. We often see temperatures in the teens and less than a week later see highs in the 70’s. Our ventilation system recently roared to life as temperatures in the barn crossed 65° F reminding me that we still had not gotten around to winter fan maintenance as belts squealed and louvers hung half shut.

Fan vent in need of cleaning

Fan maintenance is critical to keeping your cows cool and saving energy. Ventilation systems often consume between 20-25% of the total energy used on the farm. Lack of cleaning can reduce a fans efficiency by as much as 40%. Meaning that your electric bill stays the same, but less air is moving through the barn. Monthly maintenance through the summer is critical to keep fans clean. Even a thin layer of dirt on the fan blades, shutters, and protective shrouds decreases air movement and increase the power requirements from the fan. Heavy cleaners and a pressure washer work well to remove dirt from the fans.

Be sure to Continue reading

A Mineral Program is Key to Successful Grazing

Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension (originally published in Farm & Dairy)

A good mineral program is just as important as good forages in a successful grazing program.

The grass is getting greener by the day and the grazing season is within sight. In previous editions of this column my colleagues have covered a variety of topics to consider before turning livestock out to pasture this spring. While checking fences, watering systems, pasture fertility, and forage establishment are often on our minds before spring turnout, another thing we need to consider is our mineral program.

Having a sound, balanced mineral program in place is important throughout the year as minerals are involved in most if not all metabolic functions of our livestock, including growth, reproduction, and lactation. However, it is often on pasture where we run into mineral imbalances and issues. While some issues are harder to detect such as reduced daily gain or lost milk production, others like Continue reading