Winter holidays are upon us, and consumers across the country are decking out their tables to celebrate. But will high food prices put a damper on all that merriment? In this post, we share results from the Gardner Food and Agricultural Policy Survey to unpack how consumers are keeping costs of their holiday meals down. Additionally, particularly relevant to farmers and ranchers, we also discuss consumers’ protein preferences for Christmas meals and whether inflation is affecting these choices.

The Gardner Food and Agriculture Policy Survey is an online survey conducted quarterly. Each quarter, a new panel of approximately 1,000 participants is recruited to match the US population in terms of gender, age, annual household income, and US census region. Results below are from the seventh wave of the survey, conducted in November 2023.

Results

‘Tis the season for inflation

Inflation has been a key topic for much of the last two years. We have explored inflation’s impact previously using results from this survey (e.g., farmdoc daily September 1, 2022, January 19, 2023). The latest update from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that inflation continues to cool. For food prices, the report shows that prices rose 0.2% in the last month and are 2.9% higher now than 12 months ago (BLS, 2023). However, months of sticker shock combined with the increased demands of the holidays, means that not all consumers are feeling so jolly. In this survey, we asked participants who typically celebrate a winter holiday with a meal, whether they expected rising food prices to impact their meal plans. We find that over two-thirds thought their meals would be affected.

Editor's Note- this is an article picked up from the University of Illinois- and offers some great insights into what consumers are thinking as we end 2023.



The Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association is the trusted voice of the Oklahoma Cattle Industry. With headquarters in Oklahoma City, the OCA has a regular presence at the State Capitol to protect and defend the interests of cattlemen and cattlewomen.

Their Vision Statement explains the highest priority of the organization- "Leadership that serves, strengthens and advocates for the Oklahoma cattle industry."

To learn more about the OCA and how you can be a part of this forward-looking group of cattle producers, click here for their website. For more information- call 405-235-4391.

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with the Vice President of Governmental Affairs at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Ethan Lane, about politics impacting the beef industry.

“Everything is in play right now,” Lane said. “Obviously, everyone is watching the debates and watching those races shape up, speculating on the future of the president given his age and some of the ways he engages publicly…,”



During this time, Lane said there is a great deal of uncertainty.

“I don’t know that we are going to get that clarity any time soon,” Lane said. “I think from talking to some of the folks that are engaged in the election process on the ground, there is a lot of focus right now on reaching voters.”

Lane also talked about the election of the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and the work he has been doing to help produce a Farm Bill.

“He didn’t deal this hand of cards,” Lane said. “He simply has to play them and navigate these circumstances.”



Lane said he is hopeful that Johnson’s “brand” of conservatism will settle the conference down and point them in the right direction.

OSU introduces Oklahoma Hydronet to Improve Water Management

Oklahoma State University researchers have partnered with other state and federal entities to improve the management of water resources across the state.

“We’re trying to create a world-class water monitoring network for our state to complement what we already have, which is a world-class meteorological network with the Oklahoma Mesonet,” said Tyson Ochsner, professor of plant and soil sciences in the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

Branded the Oklahoma Hydronet, the monitoring system will measure water stored in soil, aquifers and reservoirs. OSU is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Oklahoma Water Resources Center, the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the University of Oklahoma for the project.

“Drought and flooding are always a problem in Oklahoma,” said Chris Adams, monitoring coordinator with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. “The Hydronet project is about being prepared for those things, so we can see where those water sources are at and plan accordingly. But it will also help us plan for the future.”

Ochsner said whether it is managing droughts and limited irrigation water or trying to predict floods, the state needs better water system monitoring. He said many reservoirs around the state are not currently monitored for water levels.

There is a new blog post out at the Southern Plains Perspective. The Southern Plains Perspective is authored by Clay Pope- who farms with his wife Sarah.  Read Below!

They say history repeats itself—it sure seems that way when it comes to the end of the year and global temperature records. It’s become almost an annual right of passage that with the turning of the calendar we start to hear about how the year-that-was saw some of the highest global temperatures in recorded history and how these subtle changes in the climate resulted in more weather-related damage.

It seems that 2023 has kept this streak alive.

An example of this was the announcement last week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that 2023 has a an almost 100% chance of being the hottest year ever recorded.  This sounds very familiar to the news that came out last January about how the eight years prior to 2023 had themselves been the hottest on record.

Let’s see—2023 looks to be the hottest year that mankind has recorded so far and the last eight years all rank as the hottest we’ve ever seen. Yep..sure seems like there is a trend here.

Throw into the mix that NOAA announced back in August that 2023 had already set a record for the number of weather-related disasters with a price tag of $1 billion or more and you start to see that the slow, methodical effects of climate change are still marching on.

Certified Ag Dealers Partner with Pro Rodeo Athletes and Deliver Value to Farmers and Ranchers

At the Certified Agriculture Dealership booth at the 2023 National Association of Farm Broadcasters Convention, Associate Farm Editor, Reagan Calk, had the chance to talk with the team about how Certified Ag Dealers are filling the gap between the agricultural buyer and the commercial automotive industry.

Certified Ag Dealerships aim to provide farmers and ranchers with a business solution built around the vehicles they purchase. Knowing the “ins and outs” of farming and ranching, their staff has completed special agriculturally focused training to become a certified business. Only Certified Agriculture Dealerships offer AgPack: a special package of cost saving benefits and partnerships that deliver value only farmers and ranchers can truly appreciate. When buying from a Certified Ag Dealer, farmers and ranchers can realize more than $32,000 in supply savings through their pickup purchases.



The Certified Ag Dealers have teamed up with pro rodeo, creating the AgTruckTrader Pro Rodeo Team to harmonize the worlds of rodeo and agriculture. The team includes bareback rider Leighton Berry, barrel racer Jackie Ganter, bull rider Clayton Sellars, breakaway roper Jordan Jo Hollabaugh, and tie-down roper Taylor Santos.

Beef cow culling normally peaks in the Fall and this year has been no exception to that.  The big surprise is just how big culling has been this Fall given a smaller cow herd.  Several reasons are probably combining to keep culling high.  Drought in many areas, including the South, high cull cow prices, and high hay costs.  Grabbing the high cull cow price today looks better than the future net returns from keeping her for another calf.  

For the year, U.S. beef cow slaughter is 11.6 percent, or 424,000 head, smaller than last year.  But, over the last 6 weeks beef cow slaughter has only been 2.4 percent below last year.  Culling for the week ending November 18th, at 83,200 head, was actually larger than the same week the year before and was the largest week in 2023.  Any week with slaughter over 80,000 head is a big week.  

The national slaughter data masks some regional differences over the last few weeks.  Beef cow slaughter in the South, Region 4 in the federally inspected slaughter data, was 2.6 percent larger than the year before. Drought is likely a factor in culling in this region.  Region 6 slaughter, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, was 8.5 percent smaller than last year over the same period.  Much of the Corn Belt region also had cow culling above a year ago. 

Reduced dairy cow slaughter has kept total slaughter well below last year over the last few weeks which has worked to boost cull cow prices.  The normal Fall decline in price appears to be over with auction prices increasing from about $70 per cwt to $87 per cwt into mid-December.  

Anaplasmosis: An Ongoing Battle

In this week's Cow-Calf Corner, Dr. Rosslyn Biggs talks about Anaplasmosis.

Bovine anaplasmosis is caused by the rickettsial bacteria, Anaplasma marginale. It invades the red blood cells leading to early signs such as fever, anemia, pale mucous membranes, weakness, and loss of appetite. As the disease progresses, excitement, jaundice, incoordination, and death may be seen. Abortions and retained placentas may also increase. It typically takes four to eight weeks following the date of infection for signs to become evident. Signs are most severe in animals greater than two years of age although cattle may be infected at any age. 

Cattle that recover from initial infection become carriers for life. Carrier animals typically do not show clinical signs and serve as a source of infection for unexposed cattle. However, carrier animals under times of significant stress, such as pregnancy, can revert to exhibiting clinical signs.  

Transmission primarily occurs through ticks and biting flies. Wildlife with infected ticks can also play a role in spreading the disease as they travel, transporting the ticks with them. Infected cows may also transmit the agent to their unborn calves. Equipment contaminated with infected blood, such as injection needles used on multiple animals is another common mechanism to transmit the bacteria. Diagnosis is through blood testing.