🇺🇲 Family Farms Still Dominate in U.S.

Sexed Semen Sync, NWS Emergency Funds and Mixed Markets from Ranching.com by CattleMax

December 18, 2024

Ranching.com is your weekly dose of trending news, seasonal tips, and community content put together by our team of ranchers.

NEWS

🇺🇲 Family Farms Still Dominate in U.S.

🇺🇲 Family Farms Still Dominate in U.S. - The USDA's 2024 report on U.S. farms reveals that family farms dominate production, with large-scale farms leading in many commodities. But financially, small farms and non-family farms face higher risks, relying on credit and off-farm income.

⚖️ Legalities of Direct Beef Sales - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has launched an online course to help producers understand the legal and economic aspects of direct beef sales. The course covers topics like processing, risk management, labeling, marketing, and meat quality, with a certificate of completion available.

🧬 Sexed Semen Sync - The 60/40 Sync Program, presented by Kenny Wells at the BIF Symposium, uses sexed semen to balance maternal and terminal breeding goals. It helps producers create quality replacement heifers while maximizing terminal calf value, improving herd efficiency and sustainability.

💰 Three Ps of Inventory - Kenny's "three Ps" of herd expansion—profit, pasture, and patience—provide insight into the USDA's upcoming Cattle Inventory report. Despite high profits and ample hay supplies, the 2.5% decline in beef cow inventories for 2024 was unexpected.

🆘 NWS Emergency Funds - On Dec. 13, USDA’s APHIS announced $165 million in emergency funding to combat New World screwworm (NWS) infestations in the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. The funding supports eradication efforts to prevent economic losses and protect animal health.

󠁵󠁳󠁮󠁤󠁿📈 Mixed Markets - Cattle markets showed mixed trends, with fed cattle prices rising and feeder cattle surging due to favorable weather and border issues. However, January feeder futures declined, facing technical risks. Beef production remained steady, and cow slaughter decreased.

🐄 Healthy Cows, Healthy Calves - James Davison emphasizes that a healthy cow is crucial for weaning healthy calves. He advises producers to focus on rumen health, year-round supplementation, and careful planning. Proper nutrition boosts colostrum production, improving calf health and overall efficiency.

RANCHING KNOW-HOW

The Power of a Decision

The 2024 Trust In Beef Sustainable Ranchers Tour highlights key decisions from award-winning ranchers that have significantly impacted their operations. These decisions focus on soil health, herd management, cover crops, rotational grazing, and data-driven practices to enhance sustainability and profitability.

New World Screwworm, Water Belly, Cold Weather

In this episode of BCI Cattle Chat, experts and guest host Dr. Todd Gunderson discuss the New World Screwworm, answer a listener's question about urolithiasis (water belly), and Dr. Dustin Pendell offers cold weather bookkeeping tips.

RANCHING AROUND THE WORLD RECAP
CATTLE COMMUNITY
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

Robert Collier

READER POLL

Is your family/ranch involved in direct-to-consumer beef sales?

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LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

In what ways do you work to generate positive PR for your ranch?

27.6%: Social Media

20.6%: Farm Visits

19%: Community Involvement

13.8%: Other (please list)

19%: None of the Above

THOUGHTS FROM VOTERS
Social Media

  • “In addition to social media, we also own childcare facilities, and during the summer, we take school-aged children out to the ranch to experience being outdoors and learn about cattle. ”

None of the Above

  • “Lack of know how and technical challenges.”