🐂 Rebuilding the herd... or not?

Wolves in Court, BLM's Balance and Tagging Tiffs from Ranching.com by CattleMax

October 02, 2024

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

Did you catch our new referral program? Find all the Ranching.com rewards you can win when you share our newsletter with friends, family, and coworkers. See all the details on the scroll!

NEWS

🐂 Rebuilding the herd... or not?

🐂 Rebuilding the herd... or not? - America's beef cattle inventory is declining, driving prices to record highs, but herd rebuilding will be slower than in past cycles due to previous droughts and market volatility. Many ranchers are hesitant to expand, with increased production costs and uncertainty influencing their decisions.

🏆 Quality Counts - Beef producers are responding to a self-reinforcing dynamic: more marbling leads to higher consumer demand and increased market supply, without diminishing premiums. Unlike past trends, the industry now has pricing power, with quality—especially marbling—driving profitability and consumer satisfaction.

🐺 Wolves in Court - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has appealed a federal court decision that maintains protections for gray wolves in the Lower 48 states. They argue that wolves are no longer endangered, advocating for state management instead. Environmental groups oppose this move, citing concerns over incomplete recovery.

🌾 BLM’s Balance - The BLM's updated plan for the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument could affect grazing allotments, aiming to balance conservation with public trail access. Comments are accepted until October 10.

🔄 Tagging Tiffs - The debate over electronic identification (EID) in livestock traceability isn't new, but while some producers express concerns about USDA's shift to EID tags, the tagging requirement is not fundamentally changing. Most producers see the value in a traceability system, with 65% supporting it in recent surveys.

RANCHING KNOW-HOW

Breeding Soundness Exams

As fall calving season begins, it's crucial to consider breeding decisions and ensure your herd bulls are in top shape. Veterinarian Kirk Ramsey emphasizes the importance of a Breeding Soundness Examination (BSE) for successful breeding. Discover how a thorough BSE can prevent costly surprises and enhance your herd's productivity.

Emergency Assistance for Livestock

The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) is now offering crucial financial support for producers facing losses due to disease and adverse weather. Learn how dairy producers impacted by H5N1 can benefit from expanded assistance and protect their livelihoods in these challenging times.

CATTLE COMMUNITY
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
❝

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other."

Walter Elliot

READER POLL

Which predators serve as the biggest threat to your livestock operation?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

What are your feelings on the traceability requirements going into effect November 5?

30.3%: Optimistic

7.9%: Nervous

36.8%: Opposed

17.1%: Indifferent

7.9%: Unsure

THOUGHTS FROM VOTERS

Optimistic

  • “Traceability is coming, more consumers want to know that there is some form of accountability regarding their meat comes from.”

  • “If it is used sensibly for traceability of bio security concerns, great! I choose to be optimistic, but as is with most things, if the government has their hand in, it will be a giant mess up. The metal idea tags were never really traceable. They ‘could’ be traced, but I’d of like to have seen them go through their mess of paperwork to find a 7/8/9/10 year old cows’ origins. The government makes their system too complicated, underfunded and technologically obsolete.”

Nervous

  • “It understand it from an epidemiological standpoint but it also seems like the opportunity for government intervention/overreach in an atmosphere of increasing resistance to animal agriculture.”

Opposed

  • “I have been using my own traceability system for 50 years. Now, the government has reinvented the wheel, so to speak. Let’s now consider how many government programs actually improve anything. It will be just another added cost of production. ”

  • “This will lead to a black market for beef. Most producers do not want Uncle Sam knowing how many head they profit on yearly.”

Unsure

  • “I'm not moving across state lines so it doesn't look to affect my small operation - I see the need to be able to trace disease, as long as the government does it responsibly. They already have a lot of control over other species- so I still have mixed emotions on it. The need is there- but they just keep making it harder to do anything on a small homestead.”