Items: Livestock
Prospects for Winter Backgrounding 2023-2024
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor and Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Oct. 30, 2023
After several years of cattle selling at frustratingly low price levels, continued herd liquidation has led to tight supplies and much higher calf prices in 2023. While markets have pulled back in recent weeks, calves and heavy feeders are moving at prices $50 to $70 per cwt above what was seen a year ago.
Dairy Margin Coverage Provides Some Help in Challenging Milk Market
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Jul. 28, 2023
Dairy producers continue to struggle with decreasing farm-level milk prices and high feed costs. For the first five months of 2023, the US All Milk price averaged $21.16 per cwt, which was more than $4 per cwt lower than the first five months of 2022. In fact, US All Milk dropped below $20 per cwt in May for the first time since October 2021.
Highlights of the 2022 Kentucky Equine Survey
By Jill Stowe | Professor
Published on Jul. 28, 2023
The University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Horse Council, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, recently collaborated on the 2022 Kentucky Equine Survey.
Stocker Outlook for 2023
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Mar. 30, 2023
Spring has officially arrived in the Commonwealth, which always brings questions about stocker profitability. Calf prices typically increase seasonally as we move into spring, but have increased at a larger-than-normal rate since the end of 2022.
Bale Grazing Grant Comes to Kentucky and Beyond
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Mar. 30, 2023
“Bale Grazing: A Practical, Low-Cost, and Environmentally-Sound Management Strategy to Winter Beef Cattle”, is a NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant that has been funded for six states – Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri, Virginia, and New York (see figure 1). The grant started in 2022 and will end February 2028.
Cow-Calf Profitability Estimates for 2022 and 2023 (Spring Calving Herd)
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor,
Jonathan Shepherd | Extension Specialist,
and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 28, 2023
The purpose of this article is to examine cow-calf profitability for a spring calving herd that sold weaned calves in the fall of 2022 and provide an estimate of profitability for the upcoming year, 2023. Table 1 summarizes estimated costs for a well-managed spring-calving cowherd for 2022. Every operation is different, so producers should eva
U.S. Beef Cow Herd at Lowest Level Since 1962
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 2, 2023
USDA-NASS released their January 1, 2023, cattle inventory estimates on the afternoon of January 31st. There was really no question that the beef cattle herd had gotten smaller; it was really just a question of how much smaller it had gotten.
Summer Stocker Outlook for 2022
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Mar. 31, 2022
Driving through the Commonwealth it is clear that spring has arrived and we are seeing signs of pastures growing. Stocker operators are starting to place calves on pasture, which typically pushes calf prices to their seasonal highs. As of late March, calf prices have increased by more than $20 per cwt from their lows last fall.
Cow-Calf Profitability Estimates for 2021 and 2022 (Spring Calving Herd)
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor,
Jonathan Shepherd | Extension Specialist,
and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 28, 2022
The purpose of this article is to examine cow-calf profitability for a spring calving herd that sold weaned calves in the fall of 2021 and provide an estimate of profitability for the upcoming year. Table 1 summarizes estimated costs for a well-managed spring-calving cowherd for 2021. Every operation is different, so producers should evaluate
Beef Cattle Numbers Continue to Decline
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 22, 2022
USDA-NASS released their January 1, 2022 cattle inventory estimates on January 31st. Beef cow slaughter was significantly higher in 2021, so expectations were for continued contraction of cattle inventory. The USDA report confirmed that and provided some perspective on the magnitude of these decreases.