Month: November 2022

Making EPDs Understandable

– Jason Duggin, Dylan Davis, and Pedro Fontes, University of Georgia Beef Team

EPDs were designed to use in the comparison between two individual animals.

Expected progeny differences (EPD) are essential tools in the beef industry. Thus, it is important to understand their basic usage in beef herds. By utilizing the following key steps, EPDs can be readily understood. Let’s overview the following three steps to better understand how to use them effectively.

Continue reading Making EPDs Understandable

Cow and Heifer Slaughter Implications for Cattle Inventory

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

We are approaching the end of 2022 and are getting a more complete picture of beef cow and heifer slaughter and its implications for future supplies. Through October 29th, heifer slaughter is up about 5 percent in 2022 as compared to a year ago. Beef cow slaughter is approximately 13 percent higher than a year ago. Combined, approximately 765,000 more beef cows and heifers were processed in the first 10 months of 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021.

Trend lines are often useful for forecasts of all types. Shown in the graph above is a regression trend line that was estimated by LMIC using the relationship between beef cow/heifer slaughter and the prior year’s inventory. For 2022, this relationship would be the number of beef cows and heifers slaughtered this year relative to the total inventory of beef cows on January 1, 2022. Or put differently, it is how Continue reading Cow and Heifer Slaughter Implications for Cattle Inventory →

Lower Retail Beef Prices

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

The October Consumer Price Index (CPI) was released last week to a lot of headlines given the importance of the latest inflation numbers. Retail beef prices are included in the CPI and beef is one of the items that has been below a year ago and falling further. Two average retail beef prices are reported: Choice beef and the All Fresh beef. The Choice beef price is an average beef price of USDA Choice quality grade. The All Fresh includes fresh beef of any USDA grade. They both represent a number of different cuts.

The Choice beef retail price was reported to be $7.42 per pound in October. That was 6.1 percent below the record high of $7.90 per pound in October 2021. The Choice beef price was below a year ago for the third consecutive month. The All Fresh average retail price was $7.25 per pound, about 4 percent below a year ago. Prices are typically compared to a year ago because many items exhibit a seasonal trend and beef is no exception. Summer grilling tends to boost ground beef and some steaks. Fall and colder weather tends to boost roasts. And the rib primal gets a boost at the holidays. Over the last 5 years, on average, Choice and All Fresh beef prices tend to peak seasonally during May and June. This year, both exhibited fairly Continue reading Lower Retail Beef Prices →

Are You Still Grazing?

– Chris Penrose, Professor and Ag & Natural Resource Educator, Morgan County

I still am but I am not sure how much longer. My goal is to make it well into December then stop feeding most of the cows hay in early March. I started to stockpile some of my fields in August and everything was going great and growing through September. I even tried a technique that has been used on the east coast to lightly graze well stockpiled fields while there is still time for regrowth. The principle behind that is to stimulate new growth on the stockpiled grass that has slowed down. I took the cattle off the field around the first of October assuming another month of growth but guess what? Grass does not grow much when you get no rain. I actually had one of the best forage growing seasons I can recall until October, so I do have plenty of hay. The way things are going, I will likely start feeding hay by the end of November. When you farm, things rarely go as planned.

I do have a nice, stockpiled field on fairly level ground (for Morgan County, Ohio) that I will save until early March and place my spring calving cows there. My goal is to feed no more hay and have a nice, thick sod for the cows to calve on.

At this point, what can we do to help get us through the Continue reading Are You Still Grazing? →

Doc, how do I use a modified live vaccine in my cows?

– Dr. Lee Jones, DVM, Associate Professor, Department of Population Health, Food Animal Health and Management, Tifton Diagnostic and Investigational Laboratory

I’ve gotten several calls this fall asking about using modified live virus (MLV) vaccines in beef herds. Though modified live virus vaccines have been around for years and have been approved for use in adult cows for about 20 years there’s still a lot of confusion about using them.

First, I need to explain what is meant by MLV vaccines. The vaccines that contain Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVD types 1 and 2), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis or also bovine herpesvirus type 1 (IBR), Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) and parainfluenza 3 (PI3) come in 3 types – modified live, killed or combination (chemically altered). When we refer to ‘modified’ live or killed we are referring to virus vaccines. Not 7 way Clostridia (also called ‘blackleg’) or pinkeye vaccines or other bacterin or toxoid type vaccines. While there is a live bacteria vaccine for respiratory protection, it’s the virus part of the vaccine that causes the controversy. All MLV require mixing and they are clearly labeled on the front of the box MODIFIED LIVE VIRUS. The virus in these vaccines is alive and replicates in vaccinated animals causing a mild version of the disease. That’s how MLV vaccines work.

Why the controversy?

MLV vaccines can cause abortions if used in pregnant cows or heifers and can delay . . .

Continue reading Doc, how do I use a modified live vaccine in my cows?

Posted by at Posted in Health

September Beef Exports are Lower Compared to Last Year

– James Mitchell, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Arkansas

Last week USDA-ERS published the meat international trade data for September. There was a noticeable decline in September beef exports, totaling 275.78 million pounds or 5.7% lower year over year. September beef imports totaling 258.33 million pounds were 9% below year-ago levels. Declines in beef exports and imports were expected.

Beef imports this year have been below 2021 since June. Beef imports from Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, and ROW were all down double-digits in September. Imports from Australia and Mexico were both down 4%. Imports coming from Canada increased by 7% in September. Despite declines in Continue reading September Beef Exports are Lower Compared to Last Year →

Corn Price and Dry Distiller Grain Price Relationship

– Brenda Boetel, Professor, Agricultural Economics, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

Corn price and Dry Distiller’s Grains tend to move in the same direction. There are years where this is the exception, including 2017 and 2020. When examining weekly Kansas City corn price data and 10% Dry Distillers Grain price data from May 2006 to March 2022, the correlation between the two prices series is 0.86, indicating DDG and corn prices tend to move in the same direction.

A regression analysis using the data was conducted to find which price series indicated a relationship with DDG. Weekly high protein Kansas soybean meal price, Kansas corn price, a weekly variable indicating seasonality and a variable indicating year were included in the analysis. The model showing the best fit, with 81% of the DDG price variability explained included all the variables. The results indicate that when Kansas City corn price has a 1% change, the Kansas DDG price will change by 0.77%. Therefore, a $0.10 change in 2021 Kansas City corn price per bushel results in a $1.82 change in Kansas DDG price per ton. These results are similar, although slightly less variable, to what Michael Langemeier found using the Central Illinois prices.

Looking forward into 2023 to determine Continue reading Corn Price and Dry Distiller Grain Price Relationship →

Water – The Most Important Nutrient

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension

At a recent East Central Grazing Alliance pasture walk in Noble County I was invited to speak on the broad topic of water for livestock. Hopefully by now we all know that water is the most important nutrient for all living organisms and without water, production agriculture today would look very different.

Water Quantity

One of the first discussion points regarding water, is quantity – how much water do we need for animals to perform at optimal levels? Do we have enough flow rate from our source to maintain several animals drinking at once, and is our drinking tank large enough?

Water requirements for beef cattle depend on body weight, stage of production (gestation vs. lactation), and temperature.

Generally, cattle will consume 1 gallon of water per 100 pounds of bodyweight during cooler weather and nearly twice as much on hotter days.

Springs are handy sources of water especially in Eastern Ohio. However often spring developments and drinking troughs are in undesirable locations in our pastures, valleys, or lying wet spots. Even though additional infrastructure is required, consider installing a Continue reading Water – The Most Important Nutrient →

Carefully Manage Each of the Forages You Have

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

Grazing stalks allows needed deferment of pastures and is decent feed.

Whether we like it or not, weather has a significant impact on forages and forage-based systems and most life. I won’t revisit this year’s weather, except to just say that rainfall does quite often balance itself out. That doesn’t mean it would be the way we prefer it, but wet spells are usually eventually balanced out with dry spells and that is what happened in my neck of the woods this year. While the extremely dry autumn created one of the most perfect harvesting seasons we’ve seen in a while, it wasn’t as perfect for fall forage growth.

Dry weather kind of has a way of sneaking up on you. I was enjoying the ability to get some things done without interruptions of rain and realized at one point – hey, it’s getting pretty dry! October is normally still a decent forage growth month though the rate is certainly slower. When it is exceptionally dry new growth pretty much comes to a screeching halt and Continue reading Carefully Manage Each of the Forages You Have →

Livestock Trailer Rollover Training Held for First Responders

– Andrew Holden, Extension Educator, Agriculture & Natural Resources, The Ohio State University Extension

Impetus for this training was a livestock trailer rollover that happened last year in Trumbull County

On a sunny October Saturday, over 20 Northeast Ohio first responders gathered at the Bloomfield Livestock Auction facilities to receive training on traffic emergencies that involve livestock hauling. The three-hour training was organized by the Ohio State Extension Office of Ashtabula County and taught by Ashtabula County Extension Educator, Andrew Holden, and Ohio State University Beef Specialist, Dr. Stephen Boyles.

The event was generously sponsored by the NE Ohio Farm Bureaus, Nationwide Insurance, and Mark Bruns Agency. Fire departments from Ashtabula, Trumbull, and Geauga Counties, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were all represented at the training.

The training came about in response to a livestock trailer rollover that Continue reading Livestock Trailer Rollover Training Held for First Responders →