Month: October 2024

Drought related fencing issues

– Dean Kreager, Licking County Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

Dry soils can create grounding issues.

The drought in this part of the country continues with very little chance of rain in the forecast.  With the shortage of available pasture and hay supplies, livestock may start thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  How secure are your fences?  No one likes to get that wake-up call or knock on the door letting you know you have livestock out.  There are a couple fencing issues that are related to drought to keep in mind.

One of the common problems that result in livestock escapes is the loss in effectiveness of electric fences.  Some animals have a knack of finding a faulted fence.  In wet conditions the problem is often with electrical faults from weeds overtaking fences, resulting in a greatly reduced electrical charge.  In dry conditions, these faults are not Continue reading Drought related fencing issues →

Warm Season Native Grasses; A drought resistant forage?

– Gilbert Randolph, Nick Schell and Jason Jones, Pheasants and Quail Forever

Could warm season grasses solve a summer slump in a ‘normal’ year?

With Ohio experiencing record drought, livestock producers may find themselves in a tight spot when trying to provide forage for their cattle. In the long run, native warm season grasses can offer drought resistant forage during the summer slump when many cool season grasses slow in production.

Traditionally, there has been some concern with the length of time it takes to establish these plantings, but Jason Jones, Ohio Grasslands & Grazing Coordinator for Pheasants Forever, Inc. and Quail Forever says that these native grasses such as big bluestem, switchgrass, eastern gamagrass, indian grass and others can Continue reading Warm Season Native Grasses; A drought resistant forage? →

What are the opportunities associated with producing Waygu beef?

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

Specialty beef marketing is generally producer specific.

What are the opportunities associated with producing Waygu beef? Is this an avenue to consider for beef producers? Should beef producers avoid this business?

My answer to these questions is, does a bear poop in the woods?

There are cattle producers in Tennessee and all regions of the country that have been successful marketing Waygu beef. In like manner, there have been producers who have managed to mess up marketing specialty beef as bad as Continue reading What are the opportunities associated with producing Waygu beef? →

On-feed Inventory Remains Steady with No Sign of Significant Heifer Retention

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

Largely in line with expectations, Friday’s Cattle-on-Feed report estimated October 1 feedlot inventories virtually unchanged from last year. On-feed numbers continue to run very close to 2023 levels despite the fact that the cowherd and calf crop are smaller. The combination of high cattle values and lower feed prices continue to encourage longer feeding periods. Increased live cattle imports are also a contributing factor and will be discussed in a bit more detail later.


September placements came in a bit higher than expected, running 1.9% below the same month last year. While placements have bounced around a lot this year, they have tended to Continue reading On-feed Inventory Remains Steady with No Sign of Significant Heifer Retention →

The cow feed dilemma: Do I find more feed, or reduce the need?

– Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Do I find more feed, or reduce cow numbers? Photo: Ted Wiseman

In the face of what has become a drought of historical proportion throughout much of the state, cattlemen are enjoying fed cattle, calf, and cull cow prices that range in the vicinity of historical highs. Facing a drought induced shortage of quality feed, the resulting dilemma Ohio cattlemen face is whether to find the feed necessary to maintain the herd, or reduce herd size and the potential for another substantial payday next year?

To put it more succinctly, over the years it seems any time I’ve had conversation about a feed shortage, friend and former colleague Ed Vollborn responded by simply saying, “Increase the feed or reduce the need.”

Sounds simple enough but there’s lots to consider. It begins by looking at opportunities for increasing the feed.

While many have been feeding hay since mid-summer, for the time being that needs to Continue reading The cow feed dilemma: Do I find more feed, or reduce the need? →

The Asian Longhorned Tick and Theileria Orientalis Ikeda – What have we learned in the last 2 years?

– Dr. Michelle Arnold – DVM, MPH UK Ruminant Extension Veterinarian

Figure 2: Asian longhorned ticks on the ear of a cow that died due to anemia from the massive tick infestation (Photo courtesy of the UKVDL).

In late June 2022, the UKVDL received a yearling Hereford bull for necropsy with a history of “symptoms of pneumonia.” At necropsy, the sclera (white of the eye), mucus membranes, and fat were yellow. Serologic (blood) testing for Anaplasma sp. was negative and PCR testing for Anaplasma marginale was also negative. A sample of spleen submitted to the Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services (ViTALS) was positive for Theileria orientalis. Further genotyping confirmed the genotype as Ikeda. This was the first known case of “bovine theileriosis” diagnosed in Kentucky, a tickborne disease caused by the protozoon blood parasite Theileria orientalis Ikeda. Theileria sporozoites (the infective stage) are primarily transmitted to susceptible cattle through the bite of an infected Asian Longhorned Tick (ALHT). In 2022, ALHT had been identified in 16 states, including Kentucky, and the list has now grown to 22 states and Washington DC (Figure 1). While cattle deaths in KY due to theileriosis have been limited in number, they continue to occur, especially as Continue reading The Asian Longhorned Tick and Theileria Orientalis Ikeda – What have we learned in the last 2 years? →

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Fewer Cattle, More Beef?

– James Mitchell, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Arkansas

In mid-August, Josh provided an update on U.S. beef production based on USDA’s World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) published that month. At the time, USDA projected a slight decline in beef production for 2024 compared to 2023, estimating a 1% drop. However, two months later, USDA revised its forecast, now expecting an increase in 2024 beef production. The first graph below shows USDA’s forecasts from January 2024 and October 2024, illustrating how projections have shifted significantly over the course of the year.


Despite cattle inventories declining since their 2019 peak of 94.7 million, beef production in 2024 is expected to exceed 2023 levels. USDA’s latest forecast projects a slight increase of 0.1%, bringing total beef production to 27.0 billion pounds. This lag in production response is Continue reading Fewer Cattle, More Beef? →

Cattle Prices Creeping Higher

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

As this is being written October 14, 2024, fed cattle prices have been climbing, slowly, following the market correction that began in late July-early August. After falling from a high of $197.09 to $181.18 per cwt. the 5-market weekly average has climbed back to $186.89 over the last 4 weeks. Prices were in the $188 range later during the week ending October 4th.

Normally, fed cattle prices increase, seasonally, in the Fall. A 10 year seasonal fed cattle price index would suggest that prices increase about 5 percentage points from September to November. Of course, last year was an exception to that when prices declined during the Fall. It’s not unusual for fed cattle prices to hit their high for the year in the Fall but, that would require a faster pace of increase than seen, so far.

Prices continue to creep higher in the face of larger beef production and a Continue reading Cattle Prices Creeping Higher →

Backgrounding Calves

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

Expected profit from backgrounding has recently penciled out at high levels.

Locally, the corn harvest is moving at a rapid pace, and producers have already moved cows into stalks and stubble. While fall has been dry, there was solid forage production earlier in the season, resulting in lower feed costs for much of the region. A few weeks ago, the expected profit from backgrounding, (adding weight to newly weaned calves), penciled out at very high levels. Calf prices have since moved higher, but the relationship among prices suggests more changes are expected in the short run.

Consider a cow-calf producer looking to retain ownership of a calf from November 2024 through March 2025. A steer calf weighing 550 pounds could be fed a corn and hay ration to reach a target weight of 800 pounds. A proxy ration of 15.5 bushels of corn and 1.1 tons of hay would give the weight gain during that timeframe. The weighted average price for 550-pound steers sold in South Dakota last week was $320 per cwt, while corn was $3.60 per bushel and hay was $95 per ton. Thus, the calf was worth $1,760, and the feed was $160 per head.

Backgrounding is not without risk. From a financial perspective, the money Continue reading Backgrounding Calves →

Stocking rates, genetic choices, and their impacts on our forage in pastures

– Dirk D. Dempsey, former Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources Pike County

Proper stocking density is critical to the success of managing pastures.

The amount of dry matter our forage stand can produce for us is a crucial component of building a successful plan for grazing cattle. Understanding which grazing systems are in place within the operation will allow for better optimization of the potential dry matter that cattle consume. Those systems are often called continuous, simple rotational, and intensive grazing. Each system has unique pros and cons, so it is crucial to consider this moving forward. Within these systems, it is a common goal to create a sustainable and long-term pasture that creates optimal forage for cattle but allows for plant regrowth and recovery time to be available once again. When stocking density is typically discussed, we commonly refer to it as under-stocking, where forage is wasted, and in the long term, the pasture will become unproductive with more weeds and woody plants taking form where good grazing plants once were. Overstocking can also reduce Continue reading Stocking rates, genetic choices, and their impacts on our forage in pastures →

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