At the 2024 Cattlemen’s Congress in Oklahoma City, I had the chance to catch up with the Executive Vice President of the American Hereford Association, Jack Ward, about all things Hereford.

“Our fiscal year ends in August, and so we came out of that year with our registration cow inventories kind of, very similar year-over-year, from a financial standpoint. Very healthy,” Ward said. “We sold more pounds of Certified Hereford beef.”

The National Junior Hereford Association has also seen growth in 2023, Ward added. In national AHA membership, Ward said there was growth year-over-year, and there was also an increase in prices for Hereford cattle.

“Hereford breeders are an incredible group of folks because they are such good cattlemen,” Ward said. “They are good stockmen. They understand the importance of breeding cattle, from a genetic standpoint, that are strong. They understand technology, whether that be ultrasound or genomics, and because they are good stockmen, they understand what kind of cattle fit their environment and what their customers want and need.”

Beef cattle producers are unique, Ward said, because they make their own decisions on a daily basis, and the success of their operation relies upon those decisions. In the next few years, Ward said he believes there will be a continued focus on capturing commercial data to help boost genetic reliability and potential.



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The latest report from the latest Purdue University/CME Group Ag Barometer indicates that U.S. farmers’ inflation expectations have subsided while overall producer sentiment changed little.

The December barometer recorded a reading of 114, just one point lower than in November. Both sub-indices of the barometer, the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future Expectations, mirrored this slight decline, settling one point below their respective November figures at 112 and 115. Notably, farmers’ inflation expectations for the upcoming year were markedly lower than those reported a year ago for 2023. This month’s Ag Economy Barometer survey was conducted from Dec. 4-8.

Farmers reported another improvement in their farms’ financial performance during the month of December. The Farm Financial Performance Index saw a 2-point increase compared to the previous month, marking a continued positive trend. Since late summer, the index has climbed 11 points, and at year-end, it was 21 points above the low point for 2023, which occurred in May.

“The shift in farmers’ perception of financial performance during the fall quarter corresponds with USDA’s (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s) more optimistic 2023 farm income outlook released in late November, which was $10 billion higher than their previous forecast,” said James Mintert, the barometer’s principal investigator and director of Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture.

Tim Swanson of CHS Agronomy Emphasizes Making a Plan for the Growing Season

Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Intern Maci Carter is visiting with CHS Agronomy product manager Tim Swanson about some of the latest innovations and opportunities in crop protection and nutrition.

CHS Agronomy supplies crop nutrients, crop protection, and specialized agronomy products and services to agricultural cooperatives and retailers across North America.

“Nitrogen stabilizers are really starting to tick up with the high prices,” Swanson said. “Growers really just want to manage the investment and make sure that fertility is available for that growing crop.”

Swanson said using a stabilizer is key to getting the most out of a nitrogen investment.

“Don’t look at fertility as just a one-crop-thing,” Swanson said. “Spread that over five or six years.”

When it comes to making the best decisions in the growing season, Swanson said a good place to start is to look into what worked well the year prior, and where corrections need to be made. Making plans for the season can be difficult at times, Swanson said, due to variability.

Their presence at Cattlemen’s Congress has grown significantly from the third Congress to the fourth Congress- and producers who are cheerleaders for Speckle Park are excited about to tell fellow cattle producers about this relatively young breed. Cory Ducherer and Janice Harasymchuk are both from Saskatchewan Canada and are at Cattlemen’s Congress to support American producers who have brought almost twice as many animals this year as last.

Ducherer is actually a Charter member of the American Speckle Park Association that was formed in early 2021. Cory and his family have been involved with the breed in Canada since 1995 and have always been major advocates for the merits and advancement of the breed. His ranch, River Hill, has been involved in the establishment and development of the breed in many countries all over the world, including the United States.

Janice Harasymchuk is the current President of the Canadian Speckle Park Association and is an “At large” board member for the ASPA. They both visited with yours truly after the Speckle Park Junior and Open Show on New Year’s Day. Listen to that conversation by clicking on the Blue Button below.



Ducherer tells Hays that the breed originated from Canada and was bred from Black Angus, Shorthorn and British White Park bloodlines. Speckle Park has had a closed herd book since 2006 and that was when they were recognized as a Breed. Ducherer and other Canadians have spread the breed across their country and beyond- into Europe, the United States, Australia and even to South America.

How Deworming Directly Impacts Profitability with Merck’s Dr. Grant Crawford

In this episode of Beef Buzz, I am talking with Grant Crawford of Merck Animal Health about the value of deworming. Dr. Crawford is an Associate Director for Cattle Technical Services at Merck.

“If you look at all of the different animal health technologies available for cattle, the one that provides the biggest return for anything on grass, whether it is a cow-calf pair or a stocker animal, the biggest return comes from deworming,” Crawford said. “It makes some sense, because worms primarily live on grass. Once cattle are out on pasture in the summertime, they are picking up worms.”

Among other things, Crawford said worms can cause irritation in the gut and decrease feed and nutrient intake in cattle.

“It predisposes cattle for more sickness and can slow down growth as well,” Crawford said.

Crawford emphasized “strategic deworming,” which is worming not set to a particular calendar date.

“We pick the key times of the year when we can get the biggest bang for our buck out of dewormers,” Crawford said.

Sustainability, Innovation, Reputation and Exports Drive Dairy Checkoff 2023 Milestones

Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy checkoff program, recently announced significant outcomes in 2023 on behalf of America’s dairy farmers and importers.

“This past year, we built on our collective successes while defining the next chapter of the checkoff’s history,” said Barbara O’Brien, president and CEO of Dairy Management Inc. and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, a voluntary organization that works across the dairy value chain to foster collaboration and progress to advance U.S. dairy’s interest. “ASPIRE is the acronym for our strategic areas of focus (Sustainability, People, Innovation, Reputation, Exports) and staffs at local, national and international levels have worked together to deliver meaningful results and ensure funders see a whole new level of transparency and accountability for their investment.”

4 County Beef Seminar Coming up January 17th

ATTENTION CATTLEMEN and WOMEN!

You won’t want to miss this great opportunity! Make sure to RSVP by Monday, January 15th, to secure your spot! Call our office if you have any questions.

4 County Beef Seminar coming up Wednesday, January 17th, from 9 am to 12 pm at the Custer County Fairgrounds, 1738 US Hwy 183 in Clinton Oklahoma.

There will be several great speakers on hand with Topics including cattle marketing and futures, cow/calf nutrition, and risk management.

Derrell Peel, OSU Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

Marty New, OSU Extension West Area Livestock Specialist

Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, DVM, Beef Cattle Extension Specialist



Lunch will also be served, but please RSVP So they will know how many to feed. You can RSVP by calling the Washita County OSU Extension Office at (580) 832-3356