Month: April 2022

Reduce the turning wheels, let the livestock do the harvest!

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

The more they graze, the less fed feed they need. Photo by Chris Hollen

I’m glad that warmer weather is finally here – at least most days it is. What I really don’t like this time of year is major rainstorms, mud and the increasingly finicky palates of some livestock. I would compare the last to a nice, delicious meal on the table for the family to eat while knowing there is fresh pie for dessert. The momentary stables that are fine most any day are suddenly just not good enough and the desire to skip to dessert is almost more than some can endure.

For the ruminant there are some good reasons for this. They have the ability to get fairly quick biological feedback from what they are consuming. This allows them to seek what may have the highest energy or nutrient that they need. The cows even know “washy” grass usually only “appears” better than the hay and will balance their diet if needed.

It also can provide some feedback to items that might be harmful so they recognize that it shouldn’t be consumed. This is particularly true when Continue reading Reduce the turning wheels, let the livestock do the harvest! →

Why Invest in Pregnancy Determination?

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

A recent question that crossed my path was, what is the biggest cost in a cow-calf operation?

The typical answer is the cost of feeding animals including pasture, hay, and supplemental feed. However, this question that has been asked several times throughout my years at the University, made me do a little more thinking. What is one of largest costs for an individual animal?

The answer to that is failure to wean and market a calf. This may come in the form of failure to conceive, abortion, or calf dying prior to marketing. Regardless of the reason, failure to market a calf out of a cow every 12 months can become expensive and will cost more this year than last year as prices continue to increase. This is an important topic as the spring calving season will soon begin and as the breeding season for fall calving cows is ending.

Producers should consider investing in pregnancy determination and marketing females that fail to calve.

Another question, can a Continue reading Why Invest in Pregnancy Determination? →

Strategically Using Pregnancy Diagnosis to Identify Nonpregnant Cows

– Pedro L. P. Fontes, Extension Beef Reproductive Physiologist, UGA Department of Animal and Dairy Science; A. Lee Jones, Associate Professor, UGA College of Veterinary Medicine; Tammy W. Cheely, Glascock, Hancock and Warren Counties Extension Coordinator, UGA Extension Office; Savannah Tanner, Emmanuel County Agriculture & Natural Resource Agent

Reproductive tract of a pregnant (left) and open (right) cow.

Pregnancy diagnosis is an important part of reproductive management in productive beef cow–calf operations. Keeping a nonpregnant cow on the farm for an entire year has negative economic implications because she accrues the same cost of a pregnant cow, but without generating income. With the move toward more efficient operations and inclusion of artificial insemination (AI) and other reproductive technologies in cattle production, abstaining from pregnancy diagnosis may no longer be economically viable or practical. Establishing a pregnancy diagnosis program allows for the detection of cows that are not pregnant and allows producers to make management decisions to increase reproductive efficiency, such as culling of infertile females or resynchronizing females that are open.

Open cows decrease profitability as they use similar resources as pregnant cows without producing a marketable calf to justify these costs. In a hypothetical well–managed beef cattle operation with 100 brood cows exposed to a 75–day breeding season, we can expect pregnancy rates at the end of the breeding season to range between 85 and 95%. If we consider cow cost in this operation to be $700 per cow per year, and final pregnancy rates to be 90%, this operation is spending an extra . . .

Continue reading Strategically Using Pregnancy Diagnosis to Identify Nonpregnant Cows

 

What price values do live cattle futures and feeder cattle futures actually represent?

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

A question was asked recently about the differences in live cattle futures and feeder cattle futures and what those prices actually represent.

The feeder cattle futures price represents an 800 pound Large/Medium frame, #1/#2 muscled steer. For more perspective, feeder cattle futures prices are the expected price of the CME Feeder Cattle index, which are actual cash sales of steers weighing 700-899 pounds in a 12-state region (TX, OK, KS, MO, IA, NE, SD, ND, WY, MT, CO, NM). Thus, the March feeder cattle contract price should be really close to the CME FC index, which means the futures price and actual cash prices are in line.

Live cattle futures represent steers and heifers ready to be harvested. Thus, cattle who are ready to exit the feedlot and be sent to a slaughter and packing facility. Based on the live cattle contract, the price should represent steers or heifers grading 70% Choice and 30% Select or higher with a Yield Grade 3. Every steer must weigh 1,050-1,500 pounds and heifers weigh 1,050-1,350 pounds based on contract specifications.

Corn Acreage Down More Than Expected in Prospective Plantings Report

– Dr. Kenny Burdine, Extension Professor, Livestock Marketing, University of Kentucky

Last Thursday, USDA-NASS released their Prospective Plantings report, which serves as an initial estimate for planting intentions for major crops in the US. Given the war in Ukraine, drought in much of the US, rising input costs, and high crop prices, last week’s report was especially of interest for the agricultural sector. Given that feed costs were already at extremely high levels, the cattle sector was also likely paying more attention to this report than usual.

In terms of implications for cattle markets, the estimate for acres to be planted to corn is the number that will garner the most attention. Most expected corn planting to be down in 2022, largely due to increased input costs relative to beans, but the magnitude of the estimated drop was larger than anticipated. Estimated corn planted acreage was down by nearly 3.9 million acres compared to 2021, which is a little more than 4%. Total area anticipated to be planted to principal crops was virtually flat, with soybeans picking up about 3.8 million acres. From my perspective, this report primarily speaks to how sensitive Continue reading Corn Acreage Down More Than Expected in Prospective Plantings Report →