Month: April 2025

Springtime Decisions

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

Pasture condition and recovery should be apparent by now.

Spring is finally here in Ohio! With it being spring, that means it is time for grazing, but also the time for decisions to be made. We are at that point now where we are going to find out how pastures are going to come back after last year. I know some people are tired of hearing about the drought from last year. A question that may start to focus around pastures is whether we do something with them or not. April is one of the months that we can plant a wide range of different forages. Then after April, you have to wait till August to plant, unless you plant summer annuals. Some things you may want to look at this spring are pasture conditions, soil fertility, grazing management strategy, and your infrastructure.

A lot of these points that I mentioned are very intertwined with one another. Pasture condition and soil fertility can go hand and hand. When you look at your pasture’s condition, the first thing I would recommend is Continue reading Springtime Decisions →

Spring pasture management; Plan now to optimize the entire grazing season

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

Grazed early last fall with short rest compared to long recovery. 1500 lbs. total dry matter per acre and 3250 lbs. per acre before first grazing.

I’m glad that May has finally arrived.  For me, it’s been a wet and somewhat stormy spring so far.  If you haven’t done it already, it’s a really good idea to walk your pastures before grazing them for the first time.  You can use your ATV if you prefer, but I’d rather see you walking and observing closely rather than taking quick glances and a joyride.  It wouldn’t hurt to take some pictures to compare current conditions to other time periods.

First, assess how much new growth is actually present in each paddock or field.  The amount can be deceiving unless you actually step into it.  Ideally, take a yardstick with you and measure the average height of the new forage.  For most cool-season forages, I like to see at least eight-to-10 inches of growth prior to grazing.  I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but it’s important to Continue reading Spring pasture management; Plan now to optimize the entire grazing season →

Investing in Herd Expansion: Time Value of Money and Opportunity Cost

– James Mitchell, Ph.D. and Ryan Loy, Ph.D., Assistant Professors & Extension Economists, Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness, University of Arkansas

What motivates heifer retention?

The decision to rebuild the U.S. cowherd is based on profitability—not just current prices. According to the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC), cow-calf returns in 2023 and 2024 are estimated at $252 and $443 per cow, respectively. At the same time, a common concern among producers is the cost of heifers. For example, USDA-AMS data show 2024 bred heifer prices from the Missouri Show-Me-Select sales averaging over $3,000 per head, a 26 percent increase compared to 2023. Before investing in replacement heifers, whether by buying or raising your own, producers should evaluate the investment over the heifer’s entire productive life on the operation.

Whether you’re spending revenue from calf sales or borrowing, the dollars used today to grow the herd have a cost. Buying bred heifers at Continue reading Investing in Herd Expansion: Time Value of Money and Opportunity Cost →

Larger Carcasses and More Prime

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

Fed cattle weights continue to push higher amid tighter supplies. As shown on the chart below, fed cattle dressed weights have increased over time. Technological advances in raising cattle as well as genetic advances have allowed the sector to produce more beef per head. The chart above shows there have been a few years of declining weights and some strong seasonal patterns within years; but, the general trend is increasing cattle weights over time.


Larger weights over the past year have boosted beef supplies to offset fewer head processed. The total head processed (including fed cattle, culls, and calves) in 2024 was 3 percent below 2023. However, beef production in Continue reading Larger Carcasses and More Prime →

Prices Continue to Pop

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

Prices remain volatile yet strong!

Pop as in a champagne cork not a balloon! There have certainly been some fluctuations in prices, especially in the futures market, over the last couple of weeks due to tariff announcements and recession fears, but cash fed cattle prices have rebounded quickly.

Five-market weighted average (price weighted across all grades) fed steer live prices averaged $205.19 per cwt on April 8th, bringing the average price for that week down to $207.70. Price quickly rebounded to over $212 per cwt. Fed cattle prices had averaged over Continue reading Prices Continue to Pop →

Revisiting Custom Grazing

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing Field Specialist, OSU Extension (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Considering the cost of stockers, custom grazing may be an alternative to consider.

With stocker cattle bringing record prices and interest relatively high, there is less profit to be made by the cattle backgrounder in 2025. As already margin operators, backgrounding cattle in this day requires some form of risk management. The outlay of cash at the start of the grazing season is significantly greater than it was even in 2024, as 500-pound steers have been trading in the upper three-dollar range.

If backgrounding calves this summer doesn’t make economic sense, pasture owners may look for custom grazing opportunities as a way to manage forage and generate some income. As the grass is now growing, I have had a couple of questions regarding custom grazing operations and Continue reading Revisiting Custom Grazing →

Effectively Using Summer Annual Grasses

– Jennifer Tucker, Ph.D., University of Georgia, Department of Animal and Dairy Science

Summer annuals can help extend the grazing season.

Finally, as I write this in mid-April, Mother Nature has given up her hold on Winter, and Spring has arrived in Georgia! Looking out onto our green cool-season grasses and seeing our livestock happily grazing provides the welcome realization that we have once again survived the cold of winter and have truly moved onto greener pastures. However, it’s never too early to be focused on the next potential forage stressor in our region – the dog days of summer. In Georgia we are no stranger to the long, hot, intense days of summer and the impacts we see on forage availability throughout the grazing season. We are fortunate that much of our state has some very hardy, prolific, perennial forage options, but even in the most extreme droughts bermudagrass and bahiagrass can have difficulty surviving for the long haul. In order to protect our perennial forages for long-term stand life, there are times that we should evaluate alternative forage options to allow our permanent stands to rest and recover. The first key to drought management is preparedness and being prepared means having the right tools ready when needed. Planting summer annual forage grasses is yet another tool in our toolbox to help extend the grazing season and provide forage during environmental stressors.

Why Use Summer Annual Forage Grasses?
When looking for a short-term temporary pasture alternative, summer annuals prove to . . .

Continue reading Effectively Using Summer Annual Grasses

Virtual Beef School, session 4; Heifer Development and Implementing Genomic Testing on Your Farm

Don’t miss this last session!

With feeder calf values at historical highs, now is not the time to save or improperly develop a replacement female that in coming years simply isn’t going to improve the overall productivity of the herd. With that thought in mind, session 4 of this year’s virtual Beef School will focus on properly selecting and developing only those heifers that fit the goals of the herd.

If you’re contemplating saving and breeding replacement heifers now or in the future make plans to join us during next Wednesday’s fourth and final session of this year’s Virtual Ohio Beef School. We’ll explore the use of genomic testing on your farm to aid in the seedstock selection process, and the proper development of those heifers that are selected and retained.

If you still need to register in order to receive free log-in details, visit: go.osu.edu/beefschool25.

Buckeye Tick Test Laboratory is now open for business

The Lab can test ticks for anaplasmosis and theileria

The Buckeye Tick Testing Laboratory at Ohio State University is up and running and now ready to accept samples!

The tick population, the number of tick species, and the associated tick-borne diseases in people and animals are rapidly increasing across the Buckeye State. Ohio now has six medically important tick species. These include blacklegged ticks, American dog ticks, lone star ticks, gulf coast ticks, Asian longhorned ticks, and brown dog ticks and each carry one or more pathogens that could be harmful to humans and/or animals (note: pathogens are germs that can cause illness).

The Ohio State University Buckeye Tick Test Laboratory is addressing this critical situation by offering cost-effective tick-borne pathogen testing for the general public with test results within 72 hours. After receiving the Continue reading Buckeye Tick Test Laboratory is now open for business →

April Cattle on Feed Points to Higher Placements, but fewer Heifers

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

USDA released the April Cattle on Feed report on Thursday April 17th. The Thursday release was due to the 18th being Good Friday. Monthly Cattle on Feed reports estimate inventories for feedlots with capacity over 1,000 head, which represents over 80% of total on-feed inventory in the US. As of April 1, total on-feed inventory was estimated at 11.6 million head, which was 1.6% lower than last April. Feedlot inventories have been running below year ago levels since November 2024 and are likely to stay that way for a while as calf crops have been getting smaller.

March marketings were 1% higher than 2024, which was very close to pre-report estimates. The number that garnered the most attention was March placements, which came in 5% higher than last year. While most analysts expected Continue reading April Cattle on Feed Points to Higher Placements, but fewer Heifers →