Month: March 2024

Cows Without Crowns

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension (originally published in Progressive Cattle)

Do you ‘kick the crutch’ from the unproductive ones?

Spring calving season is an important time for culling decision making. Cows that have been treated well but lack in performance should be evaluated at this time.

Set Excuses Aside

This winter I had the opportunity to attend the American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting and Conference in Mobile, Alabama. It is my favorite agricultural conference to attend because inspiration for developing better farm systems come together from producers, academics, industry, and extension in the same space on an equal platform. From the start, I was looking for the idea for the article you are reading now, and it didn’t take long to find.

The first speaker of the conference was Dr. Will Carter who operates a veterinary clinic with his wife, Dr. Monnie Carol Carter, and their centennial family farm raising beef cattle. They were recently honored as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Producers of 2023. In Dr. Carter’s presentation he shared that one of the first lessons they learned and implemented in regard to the cattle was how critical it is to choose and keep cows that thrive in their system and to get rid of those that do not. He stated that in the spring they “kick the crutch out from under their cows” and see who can run in the system. I liked that analogy, and it reminded me of Continue reading Cows Without Crowns →

Surging Cull Cow Prices

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

Cull cow prices have surged in recent weeks, along with calf and feeder prices. Southern Plains auction prices for 85-90 percent lean cows jumped from $85 per cwt to $105 per cwt over the last two weeks. National average cutter quality cows hovered around $100 per cwt.

Cull cow prices tend to increase seasonally until about May-June. Higher prices are normally supported by seasonally declining cow slaughter into early summer and grilling season demand for ground beef. Dairy cow slaughter remains well below a year ago even with struggling milk prices. Dairy culling tends to decline to seasonal lows in mid-year. Weekly beef cow slaughter has remained below a year ago.

Fewer cows available are certainly boosting live prices. Tighter supplies of cow beef are boosting the meat market. Since the first of the year, cow beef production has been about Continue reading Surging Cull Cow Prices →

Act Now to Control Poison Hemlock

– Dr. J. D. Green, Extension Weed Scientist, Dr. Megan Romano, UKVDL Toxicologist, Dr. Michelle Arnold, Ruminant Extension Veterinarian

With temps reaching the 60’s its a good time to apply 2,4-D ester to poison hemlock.

During the early summer, the presence of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is more evident. Although this plant is often seen along roadways, abandoned lots, fencerows, and other non-cropland sites, in recent years it has expanded out into grazed pasture lands and hay fields. Poison hemlock is toxic to a wide variety of animals including man, birds, wildlife, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and horses. It contains several neurotoxic piperidine alkaloids; the two major ones are coniine (major alkaloid in the mature plant and seed) and the more toxic gamma-coniceine (predominate in green, vegetative growth). These alkaloids cause muscle paralysis by acting as a neuromuscular blocking agent, resulting in two major effects: 1) rapid, sometimes fatal effects on the nervous system and 2) they are teratogenic agents, meaning they are known to cause birth defects when consumed during certain times of gestation. Cattle seldom choose to eat poison hemlock unless no other forage is available or it is incorporated in hay, silage, or the seeds in grain. A commonly asked question is Continue reading Act Now to Control Poison Hemlock →

Weekly Livestock Comments for March 8, 2024

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

FED CATTLE
Fed cattle traded $2 higher compared to last week on a live basis. Prices were largely $185 to $186 on a live basis and $292 to $294 on a dressed basis.

The 5-area weighted average prices thru Thursday were $185.15 live, up $1.84 compared to last week and $293.22 dressed, up $2.82. A year ago, prices were $165.22 live and $265.43 dressed.

Could $200 live cattle prices be in the markets near future? It depends on what a person considers to be “near future”. It is unlikely the $200 price level will be achieved this spring when the grilling season kicks off. Additionally, the futures market is not pricing in anything near that level through August 2025, which is the furthest out live cattle contract being traded. Though such a level is possible, the Continue reading Weekly Livestock Comments for March 8, 2024 →

2024 Cattle Prices Hit New Highs

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

Cattle markets through the first two months of 2024 have built upon the strong prices from 2023 and pushed even higher. Cattle auction prices are at or above record levels across all categories. The chart below shows average weekly prices for three weight categories of steers in Mississippi from January 2011 through March 8, 2024. Average prices during the first week of March 2024 were up 33 to 47 percent above year-ago levels depending on weight range and were roughly 80 percent above March 2022 levels.

The current prices exceeded the price records previously set during Fall 2014. Cull cow prices have similarly risen and are up roughly 25 percent over the past year and up 40 percent over two years ago in Mississippi. the current cull cow prices are near the spring 2015 peak.

Feeder cattle supplies are the tightest they have been in a decade and are expected to Continue reading 2024 Cattle Prices Hit New Highs →

Intersection of Innovative, Intriguing, and Insanity

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman)

Consider spending some of the additional income dollars on improved genetics.

January through March is what we in Extension call “Meeting Season.” While in most cases I am teaching at the meetings I attend, I often learn several things about beef production from producers and other speakers that often fall into one of three categories: Innovative, Intriguing, or Insanity.

Let’s start with the innovative. Farmers are some of the most innovative people I know when it comes to creative solutions to a given problem. As they say, “necessity is the mother of Invention.” Cattle handling facilities are some of the first things that come to mind in this area, functional handmade solutions to a common issue. Discussions about whole herd management, logistics, trial and error, I really enjoy these conversations.

Intriguing – These are the things that I go back to the office and take a deeper look at. These are often statements made from other presentations at meetings that are often cutting-edge precision technology, advancements in genetics, risk management, and farm economics. These are the most Continue reading Intersection of Innovative, Intriguing, and Insanity →

Nevil Speer, “We’ve yet to see the high.”

Dr. Speer sees continued tight supply and strong demand!

The Commodity Marketing Strategies program was hosted recently in Wooster by Ohio State University Extension in Wayne County. One of the featured speakers was Nevil Speer, beef industry consultant based in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

After the program, OSU Extension Beef Field Specialist Garth Ruff sat down with Dr. Speer to discuss beef cattle inventory, feed supply, beef demand, and the economics of the beef cattle industry as he sees it into the foreseeable future.

Linked here in its entirety is that conversation.

 

Managing Pastures for Calving

– Jordan Penrose, Ohio State University Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Gallia County

Anything that reduces stocking density will reduce field pugging and mud.

As the winter season continues for us and spring is fast approaching, it is time for spring calving. For some calving season has started and for the rest who calve in the spring, calving season is starting soon. Since the start of the year here in Ohio, we have seen a wide variation of weather conditions. We have cold and warm temperatures, rain and snow, and we have also been muddy. Most people here in Ohio, calve outside on pastures, and that can be tough on the pastures. You must consider a lot when it comes to calving pastures, like the field conditions, where is the water, how far is away is the field from your facilities if you need to get a cow in a better place to assist her, and whether you are feeding hay or are the cows on a stockpiled field.

Trying to manage your pastures can be difficult no matter the time of the year, but when it is winter and early spring it can be more difficult. During this time Continue reading Managing Pastures for Calving →

Spring’s coming . . . is your pasture ready?

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

Stand evaluations are usually worth the time. Do you have enough clover?

It is approaching the time of year in which you start seeing signs of spring. I start watching for any new green growth emerging slowly from the leftovers of last year. In my neck of the woods, it seems a bit earlier than normal but that can turn on a dime.

I like to walk over the pastures in the late winter or early spring for a number of reasons. First of all, to check plant density, diversity and soil cover. If there was extra soil disturbance in the past few months, it might mean that we have small gaps in the perennial plants that could give way for optimistic weeds to surface. Now is a good time to try Continue reading Spring’s coming . . . is your pasture ready? →

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January Placements Above Expectations, but Total On-feed Inventory is Dropping

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

The feeder cattle market has been on a run since late 2023. For perspective, I am writing this on March 1st and the March CME© feeder cattle futures contract has increased in value by more than $25 per cwt since the first of the year. As has been the case a few times since last fall, the most recent cattle on feed report did cause the market to stumble a bit. But by the end of last week, a good portion of that had been recovered.


Total on feed inventory has been running above year ago levels since fall of 2023. This has occurred despite the fact that feeder cattle inventory is considerably Continue reading January Placements Above Expectations, but Total On-feed Inventory is Dropping →