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

There has been much discussion about beef cow slaughter this year. Dry weather, rising input costs, and strong cull cow prices are resulting in large numbers of beef cows leaving cow-calf operations and moving into the beef system. It has actually been somewhat surprising that cull cow prices have remained as high as they have given beef cow slaughter levels. Certainly, some of this strength in prices is due to strong demand, but dairy cow slaughter is an often overlooked component of cow slaughter and I wanted to discuss that in a bit more detail this week.

As of January 1, 2022, the USDA estimated there were a bit over 30 million beef cows, and just under 9.4 million dairy cows, in the US. While inventories of both fluctuate though the years, it is very common for there to be 3 to 3.5 times as many beef cows in the US as there are dairy cows. However, because the dairy cow herd gets culled more harder than the beef herd, dairy cow slaughter typically accounts for around 50% of all cow slaughter. One way to illustrate this would be to consider Continue reading →

– Dean Kreager, Licking County Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator

With spring easing its way in, thoughts are moving toward improving the pastures that may not have performed as you hoped.  You may wonder if re-seeding or overseeding might be the answer.  Like most questions we receive in Extension, my first response would be “It depends”.  There can be benefits with re-seeding, especially if improved varieties of forages are used.  The first question to answer is, have you maximized your management with what you have available?  In previous articles, many of us have talked about the importance of soil testing.  That is a crucial first step.  If the pH is not in the correct range, or there is a shortage of phosphorous or potassium, then re-seeding is probably going to give disappointing results. Another question to consider, is the pasture being overgrazed?  This can occur easily and there are likely management options that will help alleviate the problem.  Re-seeding an overgrazed area will most likely not help.

If you feel you have done all you can with what you have and want to go ahead with re-seeding or overseeding, then let’s consider your Continue reading →

You’re invited, register today!

The University of Kentucky Agricultural Economics Department is partnering with the Kentucky Beef Network to offer a virtual Backgrounder/Stocker Profitability Conference over three consecutive evenings beginning on March 22, 2022. Each session will begin at 7:00 pm Eastern time and run until 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. and Ohio and other neighboring state’s cattlemen are invited to participate.

Find more details for each session, and registration information linked here.

– Mark Sulc, OSU Extension Forage Specialist

In light of the present armyworm concerns, if a hayfield is close to having enough growth for harvest, cut it as soon as possible!

Authors Note: Since preparing this article last week, a severe fall armyworm outbreak has developed across Ohio. Here are some comments about managing hayfields in view of this fall armyworm outbreak:

If the hayfield is close to having enough growth for harvest, cut it as soon as possible. If there are large numbers of fall armyworms present (more than 2 to 3 per square foot) and they are ¾-inch or larger, they will “cut” the entire field for you while you sleep another night or two. So be aware of what is in your hayfield! Be sure to read the accompanying article in this issue on the fall armyworm and how to scout for it and manage it.

If your hayfield is not quite ready for harvest, scout it now and continue to scout it every couple of days for fall armyworm presence until you do cut it. Be prepared to make a rescue treatment.

If an established hayfield has already been damaged by fall armyworm, cut it down and salvage what you can or . . .

Continue reading Autumn Forage Harvest Management

– Kenny Burdine, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Kentucky

I decided to shift gears a bit this week and dive into a topic that often comes up when I visit with producers in extension settings. I am often asked whether I think it pays for a cow-calf operator to castrate bulls and sell steers. Castration is not without cost as it requires time and facilities and does stress calves for a period of time. Like so many management decisions, there are an infinite number of ways to examine this topic and there is more to consider than economics alone. But, it is a good question and one for which a livestock economist should be able to provide some perspective.

When examining historical prices, it is difficult to argue that there is not a price advantage to selling steers. Sure, there will be times when a group of bulls will outsell a group of steers, but I view those times as the exceptions, rather than the norm. Sometimes those exceptions may be due to quality or lot size differences. Other times it may be as simple as a buyer needing to fill out a load of bulls and bidding the price of a group up beyond what would have been expected. But, going back to January of 2010, there has not been a single month when the average price of 550 lb bulls exceeded that of Continue reading →

Heifers retained this year will impact the economic performance of the herd for at least the next decade!

A six part presentation series discussing management strategies surrounding Beef Heifer Development has been posted on-line in the OSU Extension Beef Team Resource Library page.

Most beef producers replace 10-20% of their mature cows each year with heifers. The unique challenge that each cow/calf producer is faced with is that they are anticipating the future biological and economic performance of their herd for perhaps the next decade when replacement heifers are selected. Thus, each management decision made during the development phase of a beef replacement heifer will impact profitability for years to come.

In the six video presentations housed on the Beef Heifer Development page, OSU Extension Beef Specialist Steve Boyles details management strategies and considerations as replacement heifers are bred for, selected, developed, bred themselves, and ultimately re-bred for the first time.

The series of video presentations as well as the written PDF versions can be reached at your leisure directly through the Beef Heifer Development page.

– Justin Sexten, Ph.D., Director, CAB Supply Development

Spring calving herds, depending on rainfall and temperatures, may be weeks or months away from weaning. For many operations, that will bring the challenge of feeding weaned calves for a short transition period. That’s when nutrition is critical to end-product quality, because it influences both marbling development and calf health, which in turn also affects later quality grade. You may find local forages in short supply if your herd has had to deal with hot, dry weather this summer. One of the few “opportunities” that presents is evaluating alternative forage feeding strategies that may otherwise go untried.

You have to weigh the possible benefits as well as cost for any forage. Although many consider forage relatively inexpensive on a per-pound basis, it’s virtually always the most expensive per Continue reading →