Livestock Market Economist Derrell Peel Believes 2024 Cow Herd Numbers Could Be Lowest Since 1961

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am back visiting with Oklahoma State University livestock market economist, Derrell Peel about beef cow herd numbers.

In January of 2023, the beef cow herd number issued by the USDA was at 28.9 million head. This number is a 4 percent drop compared to January of 2022.

Looking back to 2019, the beef cow herd number was at 31.8 million head. The predicted beef cow herd number for January of 2024 is sure to be lower than a year ago.

“I think the beef cow herd, on January 1 of 2024 will be down at least 2 percent, and I am really thinking it is going to be more like 2.5 percent on a year-over-year basis,” Peel said. That could mean a total of just over 28 million beef cows in the US.

Based on the continued rates of slaughter and feedlot placements, Peel said it only makes sense that there will be a large drop in numbers.



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Terrain’s Cody Barilla Breaks Down Global Influence of Wheat Price in Oklahoma

At the recent National Association of Farm Broadcasters conference in Kansas City, Farm Director, KC Sheperd, had the chance to visit with the Grain and Oilseed Analyst at Terrain, Cody Barilla. Sheperd and Barilla talk about a global wheat update.

Barilla said Terrain is a team of research analysts that serve Farm Credit Associations such as American Ag Credit, Farm Credit Services of America, and Frontier Farm Credit.

“We specialize in the portfolio that those farm credits loan against, so there are grain analysts, beef analysts, dairy analysts, and we cover all of the commodities that our farm credits support,” Barilla said.

Regarding Oklahoma’s hard red winter wheat, Barilla said the market has been on a downhill slide since July. Looking at the global fundamentals, Barilla said things are fairly tight.

“When you look at the U.S., even with the short crop we had in Kansas, Oklahoma, the Southern Plains, we still had an uptick in stocks-to-use here in the United States,” Barilla said. “So, if we backtrack a little bit, we had market opportunities through the summer until we hit about that time frame where the grain corridor in Russia and Ukraine when they canceled that safe corridor.”

US Dairy Loses in USMCA Dispute with Canada

In a setback for U.S. dairy industry, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) dispute settlement panel upheld Canada’s dairy quota administration practices. On this past Friday- the panel announced that Canada was not obligated to make further changes.

An earlier panel ruled in January 2022 that Canada had improperly restricted access to its market for U.S. dairy products. In response, Canada made what the US Dairy industry believes were insufficient changes to its dairy tariff rate quota (TRQ) system, resulting in an outcome that still fell far short of the market access the U.S. expected to receive under USMCA.

To address that shortcoming, the U.S. brought a second case to challenge the changes that Canada instituted. In this second dispute initiated by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) under USMCA regarding Canada’s administration of its dairy tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), the United States refined and expanded its 2021 claims that Canada is not meeting its dairy TRQ administration commitments under the agreement. In the first dispute, Canada was challenged by the previous USMCA panel over the minimum percentages of quota the government was allocating to Canadian processors.

In response, Canada immediately updated its rules resulting in even higher quantities of quota being allocated directly to Canadian processors. The United States consequently initiated this second dispute under the agreement, arguing that Canada unfairly limits quota access; that quota allocations are calculated in a manner that favors Canadian processors; that requirements are imposed on quota applicants that intentionally disadvantage importers; and that Canada’s reallocation procedures prevent quotas from filling. The panel’s report disagreed with all U.S. claims.

The National Milk Producers Federation and the US Dairy Export Council- as well as the House Ag Committee leadership reacted to the USMCA Dispute panel ruling- you can read about their disappointment by clicking on the blue button below.

At the recent National Association of Broadcaster’s convention, Farm Director KC Sheperd had the chance to visit with the American Farm Bureau Federation Vice President of Communications, Terri Moore. Sheperd and Moore talk about the Farm Dog of the Year contest and the Ag Innovation Challenge.

Moore said the Farm Dog of the Year contest has connected pet lovers who may not know about agriculture to the farming and ranching community.

The Farm Dog of the Year contest celebrates farm dogs and the many ways they support farmers and ranchers in producing nutritious food for families and their pets across America. Farmers are invited to submit nominations for the 2024 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest, supported by Purina.

The grand prize winner – Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year – will win a year’s worth of Purina Pro-Plan dog food and $5,000 in prize money. The winner will be recognized at a Farm Dog of the Year award ceremony at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in January 2024. Up to three regional runners-up will each win $1,000 in prize money.

Agriculture Future of America (AFA) and National FFA Organization Partner to Strengthen the Future Agriculture Talent Pipeline

In the dynamic landscape of American agriculture, two powerhouse organizations, Agriculture Future of America (AFA) and the National FFA Organization, recently made their partnership official – signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during AFA’s Leaders Conference in November. The MOU cements a bond that has existed for many years and underscores a shared commitment to developing and empowering the next generation of agricultural leaders.

“Many generations of AFA students and alumni have grown up in their local FFA chapters,” says Scott Stump, CEO of the National FFA Organization. “This MOU is a logical next step in what has long been a mutually beneficial friendship between our two organizations. AFA and FFA have similar goals and values regarding the role of school-based agricultural education. We are excited to work hand in hand with AFA as we continue to foster engagement and leadership in agriculture and retention in agriculture career fields.”

The National FFA Organization plays a pivotal role in inspiring more than 945,000 FFA members across 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to become involved in agriculture and related fields. FFA programs focus on premier leadership, personal growth and career success and are instrumental in fostering the next generation of agricultural leaders.

Biden-Harris Administration delivers $1.5 million for rural Oklahoma education in 2023

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced today that USDA has invested more than $1.5 million in education support services in rural Oklahoma communities in 2023.

During the past fiscal year, Rural Development has funded 22 projects throughout the state totaling $1,560,665 that has been delivered to rural public schools in Oklahoma. These projects helped fund items that supported busses, school cafeterias, computer technology, equipment to support educational programs, energy efficiencies and more. These funds were obligated under the Rural Development Community and Facilities Loan and Grant program.

This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. Rural areas including cities, villages, townships and towns including Federally Recognized Tribal Lands with no more than 20,000 residents according to the latest U.S. Census Data are eligible for this program.

“As we near Thanksgiving, I am beyond thankful that our President is committed to supporting our rural schools and providing our underserved communities with a helping hand that is certainly not a handout,” Corn said. “As I have traveled across Oklahoma speaking to our educators, principals and superintendents, the message back to me has been resounding that the programs the Biden-Harris Administration delivers are essential to the very survival and success of our educational services we provide in rural Oklahoma.”

OSU’s Giving Tuesday Efforts to Focus on OSU Student Farm

The Oklahoma State University Student Farm grew more than 54,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables in 2023 for Oklahomans facing food insecurity.

The farm’s dedicated effort to address local hunger issues is the primary focus of the OSU Foundation’s Giving Tuesday campaign, which falls on Nov. 28 this year. The project’s multi-disciplinary approach to real-world education embodies the university’s land-grant mission of teaching, research and Extension.

“The OSU Student Farm has received an overwhelming response from students eager to learn in an outdoor environment where crop research and community engagement are the foundation of a sustainable food production operation,” said OSU President Kayse Shrum. “The university’s efforts to leverage its historic strength in agriculture while teaching students and serving residents benefits everyone involved.”



In its first year of operation on three acres, two managers and a small team of OSU student workers and volunteers planted and harvested cool-season crops and common summer varieties such as cucumbers, broccoli, lettuces, zucchini, yellow squash, spaghetti squash, tomatoes, green beans, okra, sweet corn, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, spinach, onions and pumpkins.