Latest News From Beef - General

The Bureau of Land Management will soon implement a new rule to identify areas of public lands that need restoration and develop a strategy accordingly. What could go wrong?

“If we step back and look at what that means for farmland, we're taking our energy production system from highly centralized production facilities and we have to distribute it,” says David Muth.

Six wolf depredations of cattle have been confirmed in Colorado from reintroduced wolves.

Cattle and hog feeders find dramatically lower feed costs compared to last year with higher live anumal sales prices. Beef packers continue to struggle with negative margins.

What’s your context? One of the 6 soil health principles we discuss in this week’s episode is knowing your context. What’s yours? What is your goal? What’s the reason you run cattle?

Colombia has restricted the import of beef and beef products coming from U.S. states where dairy cows have tested positive for H5N1 as of April 15, according to USDA.

When a solid home, tornado shelter or basement may be miles away, and you’re caught in a severe storm, keep in mind these on-farm severe weather safety tips.

The value of good management has never been higher. Well managed cow-calf operations can concentrate inputs into short time frames focused on critical control points of production.

Kansas State University dominates the national Meat Animal Evaluation contest for the fourth year in a row.

Historically low current US cowherd inventories and limited evidence of heifer retention indicates the robust markets we currently enjoy should be sustained for at least the next couple of years.

The Meat Institute said properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the CDC to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection.

A third column grappling with some of the baffling claims regarding international trade. The focus here is specifically on the noise surrounding the imports of live cattle.

The livestock industry needs a comprehensive, cohesive plan to address the virus. Producers, their employees and veterinarians need clear answers and support from U.S. agricultural leadership, moving forward.

Recently we were reminded of the devasting impacts of Mother Nature during the wildfires that destroyed parts of Oklahoma and Texas. There is a lot to learn from such events so we can be better prepared in the future.

A lone juror stood between rancher George Kelly and innocent. “It is what it is, and it will be what it will be. Let me go home, okay?”

APHIS announced it has shared 239 genetic sequences of the H5N1 avian flu virus which will help scientists look for new clues about the spread of the virus.

Industry trade associations have "downplayed the impact imported cattle and beef have on the U.S. cattle industry," claims R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard, in a response to a column by Drovers' contributing editor Nevil Speer.

New six-part video series explores the cattle-grazing carbon cycle and the role of cattle in mitigating climate change.

American Wagyu Association names Jerry Cassady as new Executive Director effective May 1.

Promoting mental health involves fostering supportive environments, reducing stigma, providing access to care and resources and encouraging self-care. Here's how The Maschhoffs is helping their employees manage stress.

This growing beef-on-dairy health problem is costing packers two major things – time and money.

Cash cattle markets edged lower and while wholesale beef and futures markets were mixed. Cattle on Feed totals were up for the seventh consecutive month and placements lower than expected.

While the heifer percentage in feedlots remains above the average of the past ten years, the decline from January to April is an encouraging sign that heifer feeding is perhaps slowing.

High prices are a welcome change for cattle producers, but it’s important to remember that higher prices mean mistakes cost more than when prices are low, says a University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist.

A new study debunks plant-based meat analogue product claims to be healthier for your diet than real meat.

U.S. agriculture reduced greenhouse gas emissions through voluntary conservation efforts and market-based incentives.

The advent of timed AI protocols became a game-changer in allowing professionals, like AI technicians or veterinarians, to breed many females effectively and quickly.

One of the industry’s leading collaborations between Purina Animal Nutrition and Zinpro helps optimize cattle performance.

Innovative Livestock Services, Inc., announces leadership change for the company that represents eleven feedyards

The award honors farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.

More than 200 meat and poultry plants were recognized by The Meat Institute at the 2024 Environmental, Labor and Safety+ Conference in New Orleans for their positive environmental impact efforts.

Kevin Lynch shares the pros and cons of multispecies grazing as well as what beginners need to consider in Season 7, Episode 16 of the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast.

Donation intake closing as distribution continues for AgriLife Extension-operated Animal Supply Points.

Over the past five weeks the combined Prime and Choice carcasses harvested totaled 84.7%, a six percentage point increase over the September low of 78.7%.

Cattle and hog feeders are benefitting from dramatically lower grain and feed costs this year while live animal sale prices are higher. Profit margins for both species have doubled in the past month.

Do America's trade policies push ranchers out of business? That's a protectionist's view, but there's no evidence suggesting ranchers “displaced” by beef imports – nor being unduly damaged in the marketplace.     

One of the most important decisions cattlemen and cattlewomen face today is how to engineer their selection and mating program to add value to their next calf crop.

Steve Swaffar encourages producers to be prepared to plant cover crops in a wet year if they are looking to increase ground cover and extend days spent grazing.

It’s not sharks, wolves, or bears that kill the most people—it’s wild pigs, and the numbers are trending up.

Thanks to a reader's observation, another county has been added to our list of those with more than 50,000 beef cows.

Horn flies are a small black fly that feeds on the back, sides and belly of cattle and are the most common fly in beef cattle. Economic losses begin when fly populations reach 150-200 per animal.

Carcass weights have trended heavier for over 60 years with steer carcass weights increasing by an average of 4.0 pounds per year, up over 240 pounds from 660 pounds in the 1960s to over 900 pounds in recent years.

Declining cattle futures provided leverage for packers to collect inventory with softer bids.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought coverage is now at its lowest level since spring of 2020, but USDA's topsoil moisture map shows it's still extremely dry in areas of the west and too wet in the east.

Negotiated cash cattle prices moved lower again under pressure from sinking futures markets. The red-hot hamburger market kept pushing most utility cows higher.

Manipulating the reproductive process of your cow herd can result in shorter breeding and calving seasons with more calves born earlier in the season resulting in an older, heavier, more uniform calf crop when you wean.

Individual identification of cattle is important for many reasons, making it possible to identify a number of important management aspects.  

Fertilization requires the ability to use increased forage growth in a timely manner. That's more important for stockers than cow-calf operations as excessive early pasture growth is more efficiently used by mature cows.

Research indicates multiple animal performance benefits linked to earlier castration (birth to 3 months), including shorter initial weight loss periods, lower disease susceptibility, and higher post-weaning ADGs.

Cherry County Neb. remains the U.S. County with the most beef cows, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. South Dakota has seven counties ranked in the Top 33 while Texas has five.