Items: Livestock
Summer Stocker Outlook for 2021
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Mar. 28, 2021
After a tough couple weeks in February, it is looking a lot more like spring in Kentucky. Spring means stocker operators are looking to place calves on pasture for summer and is the time of year when we typically see our seasonal highs in the calf market.
Cow-Calf Profitability Estimates for 2020 and 2021 (Spring Calving Herd)
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor,
Jonathan Shepherd | Extension Specialist,
and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 25, 2021
The purpose of this article is to examine cow-calf profitability for a spring calving herd that sold weaned calves in the fall of 2020 and provide an estimate of profitability for the upcoming year. Table 1 summarizes estimated costs for a well-managed spring-calving cowherd for 2020. Every operation is different, so producers should evaluate
Liquidation of the U.S. Beef Herd Continues, but at a Slower Pace than Expected
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 2, 2021
USDA-NASS released their January 1, 2021 cattle inventory estimates on the afternoon of Friday, January 29th. The U.S. beef cow herd was estimated to be down by 0.6%, which was a smaller decrease than most had expected.
The Kentucky Beef Book
Published on Feb. 1, 2021
Cattlemen in Kentucky have an opportunity to participate in the most rigorous educational programming in the United States.
Class I Pricing Continues to be a Major Challenge for Kentucky Dairy Producers
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Oct. 29, 2020
When it comes to dairy policy, the headliner from the 2018 farm bill was the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program, which replaced the Margin Protection Program (MPP) from the 2014 farm bill. Another change got much less attention, but has turned out to be extremely impactful over the last several months.
The Chicken or the Egg? The Untold Story during a Pandemic
By Jordan Shockley | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Aug. 25, 2020
Most people are familiar with the age-old question, which came first, the chicken or the egg? During a nationwide pandemic, which left the grocery shelf first, the chicken or the egg? While consumers across the country began "panic buying" during the onset of COVID-19, all protein sources were limited. The food industry's just-in-time supply
Sacred Cows and Stocking Rates
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Jul. 28, 2020
In May 2019, I was on a farm visit east of Lexington with a few county agents and NRCS specialists. Our goal was to help a cattle farmer who had about five years of experience come up with a long-run plan for improved infrastructure (water, fencing, etc.) as well as guide him in the short-run to improve the profitability of the farm.
Locally Produced Beef and Coronavirus Impacts
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor
Published on Jun. 29, 2020
The Coronavirus has had major impacts to the beef supply, as well as other meats in this country since mid-March. Short-term demand for beef has increased, but major bottlenecks in processing have limited supply and have generally had negative impacts on the conventional beef industry. Unlike the conventional beef segment, Kentucky beef produc
Cattle Markets Continue to Chase Stability
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Jun. 29, 2020
From my perspective, the headline for the cattle market would have to be about the ramp-up of slaughter. At its lowest point this spring, federally inspected cattle slaughter was running 35% below 2019 levels. Last week, federally inspected cattle slaughter was within 2% of 2019 levels and within 4% of the weekly peak in late March of this yea
