Month: August 2024

2024 and 2025 Beef Production

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

The latest USDA WASDE report included estimates for beef production in 2024 and 2025. Beef production in 2024 has been significantly higher than many expected coming into the year. 2024 beef production is expected to be lower than 2023, but not as low as was expected.

USDA releases forecasts for beef production each month and have been revising forecasts higher throughout 2024 as cattle supplies and weights are reported. It was estimated last fall that 2024 beef production would be 5 or 6 percent below 2023 totals. But the most recent USDA estimate is Continue reading 2024 and 2025 Beef Production →

Cost Changes

– Matthew Diersen, Ph.D., Risk & Business Management Specialist, Ness School of Management & Economics, South Dakota State University

Will culls be worth even more in 2025?

Cow prices have garnered attention in recent weeks. Price forecasts and projections specific to cull cows are uncommon. However, the Economic Research Service (ERS) provides a quarterly forecast for cutter cow prices at the national level on a live equivalent level (per cwt). The projected price is generally available for one year ahead. The projections for the rest of 2024 are $132 and $122 for the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Then, the projections are $118 and $130 for the first and second quarters of 2025. The forecasts are higher than the observed prices for the past year. The forecasts are not fixed percents of the steer price forecasts, suggesting the ERS is credibly incorporating additional factors or different seasonality assumptions when Continue reading Cost Changes →

Managing Forage to Finish 2024

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension

Time remains to accomplish seedings.

With the drought conditions we have experienced this summer, many livestock producers and haymakers are concerned about the winter to come and how to stretch resources to next spring when the supply of stored forages will be low. Other than doing the rain dance and hoping for yield salvation on third cutting hay, what else can we do to boost forage availability now and through to the spring?

We can practice good management tactics. Those ones that we should be doing every year, but become more critical during times of stress, like now. We can restrict animals from overgrazing areas that we will need later this fall. We can consider reducing the size of the herd while prices are decent at the sale barn and have fewer mouths to feed through the winter. We can start shopping for supplemental winter feed now, because as supply dwindles and the months turn cold, demand will increase and so will costs.

There is limited time left to Continue reading Managing Forage to Finish 2024 →

Be Mindful of Fall Armyworm, Which Could Get Interesting

– Kelley Tilmon, Amy Raudenbush, Andy Michel, James Morris, and Curtis Young, CCA, OSU Extension

Be aware of feeding damage this fall, especially forage crop fields. Photo by James Morris, OSU Extension

Since the extremely unusual fall armyworm outbreak of 2021 which affected forage including alfalfa and sorghum sudangrass, and turf, we have instituted a monitoring program in 14 Ohio counties. Though it’s too early to declare an outbreak, we’re seeing higher numbers in the traps than typical for the last couple of years (see Lep Monitoring report in this newsletter for more details). These moths will lay eggs which will hatch into the first instar, the smallest caterpillars which will grow as they feed. Control is easiest in younger instars. Fall armyworm migrates into Ohio during the latter part of summer and could cause problems into late summer. Unlike the true armyworm that only feeds on grasses (i.e., corn, wheat, forage grasses), the fall armyworm has well over 100 different types of plants upon which it feeds including many grasses but also alfalfa, soybeans, beets, cabbage, peanuts, onion, cotton, pasture grasses, millet, tomato, and . . .

Continue reading Be Mindful of Fall Armyworm, Which Could Get Interesting

Managing Cool-Season Pastures for Enhanced Fall Growth

– Dr. Chris D. Teutsch, University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton

Warm-season annual grasses can provide high quality summer grazing. Photo by Mike Estadt

It seems early to be thinking about stockpiling cool-season grasses for winter grazing, but how we manage pastures now can have a profound impact on fall growth. How closely and frequently we graze pastures this summer can either enhance or reduce our ability to stockpile grass this fall. The objective of this article is to provide some tips that will help to keep cool-season pastures healthy this summer.

Fertilize and lime according to soil test. If you have not already done it, take a soil sample and apply any needed phosphorous, potassium, and lime. Avoid summer applications of nitrogen to cool-season pastures. They are generally not economical since cool-season grasses are not actively growing during the summer months. In addition, they can inadvertently weaken cool-season grass stands by promoting the growth of summer weeds.

Do NOT graze cool-season pastures too closely. Grazing pastures closely during the summer months can weaken cool-season grass stands and promote the growth of Continue reading Managing Cool-Season Pastures for Enhanced Fall Growth →

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Two August Field Days to Explore Barriers and Benefits of Crop and Livestock Integration

Register today!

Over the last 50 years, both crop and livestock production systems in the U.S. have become increasingly specialized and separated. A two-year Ohio State project has partnered with 31 working Ohio farms to examine the economic, ecological, and social impacts of specializing or integrating these farming systems. During this event attendees will consider soil health results and other on-farm data from our two-year study, join in discussion with study participants about the benefits and barriers to integrating crop and livestock systems, and hear about specific strategies or issues from area farmers.

There is no cost to attend, but registration is required to receive the meal provided during the event. This project is supported by a grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Two options to attend “Exploring Crop and Livestock Integration: Barriers and Benefits”

  • Wayne County (Rittman, Ohio), Thursday, August 22, 2024,  4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Register at: go.osu.edu/IDEAS24
  • Darke County (Versailles, Ohio), Wednesday, August 28, 2024, 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Register at: go.osu.edu/IDEAS2024

Low Dairy Cow Culling Boosts Cow Market

– David Anderson, Ph.D., Professor and Extension Specialist – Livestock and Food Product Marketing, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University

Even though dairy cow slaughter popped higher during the last two weeks of data following the short fourth of July week, dairy cow culling continues well below last year.  Reduced dairy cow culling is likely to continue the rest of the year, even though culling may increase seasonally.  It’s normal for dairy cow slaughter to climb seasonally after early July.  Overall, reduced dairy cow culling is coinciding with low beef culling and is further boosting prices.

Over the last 8 weeks dairy cow culling is 18 percent smaller compared to the same period last year.  Dairy cow slaughter is reported by region and major dairy states are included in each region.  Regions 9 and 10 include California, Arizona, Idaho, and Washington.  Region 2 includes New York and region 5 includes Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Regions 4 (Southeastern states), 6 (Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana), and 3 (Virginia and Pennsylvania) include Southern states.

Over the last 8 weeks, the Continue reading Low Dairy Cow Culling Boosts Cow Market →

Weekly Livestock Comments for August 9, 2024

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

At midday Friday, the Choice Select spread was $14.68 compared to $16.86 a week ago.

FED CATTLE
Fed cattle traded $1 to $2 lower in the South compared to last week. Price in the South were mainly $186 to $187 and $193 in the North on a live basis. Dressed trade was mainly $304 to $305.

The 5-area weighted average prices thru Thursday were $191.43 live, down $3.25 compared to last week and $304.60 dressed, down $5.11 from a week ago. A year ago, prices were $188.41 live and $297.06 dressed.

Cattle feeders are sure to be upset with the anchor that live cattle futures have become as they have not only brought the higher price movement to a halt, but rather the ship appears to be taking on water. There is not much that can be done in the near term other than hope and pray the higher live cattle futures trade today will have follow through next week and will translate to higher prices in coming weeks. Unfortunately, there is no way Continue reading Weekly Livestock Comments for August 9, 2024 →

Fall Forage Management

– Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension

Every ton harvested removes approximately 12 pounds of P2O5 and 49 pounds of K2O.

The fall is a critical time in our yearly forage management calendar. Regardless of how the growing season has progressed, your fall management practices will set the stage for getting the next spring off on the right foot. In this article, we will give some recommendations on soil fertility, fall planting of new alfalfa stands, and when to take the last forage harvest for the season.

Your soil fertility program is far and above the most critical component of your alfalfa management. While current weather conditions and harvest timing will most influence the quality of a single cutting, a well-balanced fertility program will ensure that the plant has the available resources to perform within its environment. Again, the goal is to . . .

Continue reading Fall Forage Management

What defines a weed?

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

Ironweed is a pasture weed but is also a good pollinator plant.

What defines a weed?  The most fitting definition is simply a plant out of place.  For instance, pigweed in a garden is typically unwanted and considered out of place.  Similarly, a volunteer corn plant in a soybean field might be seen as a weed, since it disrupts the desired crop.  In a pasture setting, defining a weed can be nuanced, often requiring careful consideration of its impact on the ecosystem, its usefulness, desirability of the livestock present, and its compatibility with desired vegetation.

A weed can sometimes be beneficial to a pasture system when it aligns with the grazing preferences of livestock and does not overly compete with other desirable perennial vegetation.  For instance, certain weeds may provide additional forage options during different seasons or conditions, supplementing the diet of grazing animals.  Moreover, they can contribute to Continue reading What defines a weed? →