Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, offers his economic analysis of the beef cattle industry as part of the weekly series known as the “Cow Calf Corner,” published electronically by Dr. Peel and Mark Johnson. This week, Dr. Peel talks about heifer breeding.

The January Cattle report from USDA-NASS has included the inventory of beef replacement heifers since 1920.  The latest USDA Cattle report pegged the January 1, 2024 beef replacement heifer inventory of 4.86 million head, down 1.4 percent year over year.  However, the latest report revised the initial estimates of the 2023 inventory from 5.16 million head down to 4.93 million head.  This means that the 2024 beef replacement heifer total is down 11.4 percent from 2022. With the revisions, the 2023 inventory, along with the 2024 beef replacement heifer inventory are below 5 million head and are the smallest January 1 inventories since 1950.

Since 2001, USDA has provided an additional breakdown of beef replacement heifers into the number expected to calve (bred heifers) and the residual of heifers retained for breeding.  This emphasizes that the replacement heifer total consists of heifers from two different calf crops: coming two-year-olds that will calve this year and yearling heifers, from last year, in development for breeding (Figure 1).



National Livestock was founded in 1932 in Oklahoma City. National’s Marketing Division offers cattle for sale weekly at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Oklahoma City. The Finance Division lends money to ranchers across several states for cattle production. The Grazing Division works with producers to place cattle for grazing on wheat or grass pastures. 

The newest addition to the National Family is Dakota Moss- and Livestock Risk Services.

National also owns and operates other livestock marketing subsidiaries including Southern Oklahoma Livestock Auction in Ada, Oklahoma, OKC West Livestock Market in El Reno, Oklahoma, and the nation’s premier livestock video sale, Superior Livestock Auction. National offers customers many services custom made for today’s producer. To learn more, click here for the website or call the Oklahoma City office at 1-800-310-0220.

Authorities in Mexico City have announced that the size of the eastern monarch butterfly population that overwinters in Mexico is the second smallest on record. Associate Farm Editor, Reagan Calk, had the chance to talk with Chip Taylor, the founding director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas about factors that impact the monarch population.

In 1992, Taylor founded Monarch Watch, an education, conservation, and research program that focuses on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall migration. Monarch Watch is based at KU within the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research.

Taylor said the monarch butterflies that are still in Mexico City must make it through the rest of the winter before migrating about 800 miles north to Texas. The path the monarchs will be taking north is currently in drought, he added, which means less nectar and water availability, which is essential for their migration.

“Then what we have to have is good timing when they arrive and good numbers,” Taylor said. “If the timing and numbers are good, and the March temperatures are average, the population will grow nicely. If the March temperatures are too hot, which they have been getting too hot lately, then I wouldn’t put any bet on how fast this population will come back.

NCBA Works for Producers to Help in the Event of Animal Disease Outbreak  

At the 2024 CattleCon held in Orlando, Florida, I talked with the President of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Mark Eisele. Eisele and I talked about disease traceability and what electronic identification has to offer for the beef industry.

Our coverage from the 2024 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Orlando is being powered by Farm Data Services of Stillwater.

Eisele runs a cow-calf and yearling operation in the southeast corner of Wyoming on both public and private lands. When asked why he felt the calling to run for NCBA President, Eisele said he wants to give back to those who have made his way of life possible.

One of the big conversations at CattleCon this year was animal disease traceability. If disease made its way into the United States, Eisele said many do not understand the heavy implications.

“It is right on our doorstep,” Eisele said. “We are going to start accepting imports from Paraguay and Brazil which we have fought vehemently but haven’t got accomplished.”

Eisele said if there is an animal disease outbreak anywhere in the U.S., there will instantly be a 72-hour freeze of all livestock.

Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur is back in Oklahoma following a productive week at the NASDA 2024 Winter Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Arthur, who is the President of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, led meetings and discussions about agricultural policies that impact Oklahomans, as well as the rest of the United States.

“Ag policy is incredibly important for all of our farmers and ranchers,” Arthur said. “The chance to sit around the table and carry forward a message from our home states to the federal level will hopefully have a positive impact on ag policy.”

One of the biggest policy priorities discussed at the conference was the passage of a unified farm bill. An updated bill is critical to farmers, the rural economy, and communities of every size. The bill must ensure that farmers have a reliable safety net and consumers have access to safe and affordable food.

“There’s a lot of opportunity in the farm bill to bring priority to ag research and animal health,” Arthur said. “Another big piece that we’ve worked on in Oklahoma is supporting local producers to have more resiliency in the food supply chain.”

In addition to the farm bill, Arthur and NASDA members discussed many other policies including pesticide regulation, food safety, animal health, and farm labor.

Pro Tem Treat Announces Sen. McCortney as Pro Tem Designee

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, today announced the Senate Republican Caucus convened and voted for Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, to be the Pro Tem Designee after Pro Tem Treat terms out of office in November of this year. 

Pro Tem Treat was elected in a special election in 2011 to represent District 47. He has been the leader of the Senate since 2019 and was re-elected Senate President Pro Tem in 2021 and 2023.

“I am proud of my time as a Senator and for my time as the leader of the Oklahoma Senate,” Pro Tem Treat said. “It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve in this position and something I will never forget or take for granted. We’ve been able to achieve a lot of things in my time as pro tem including constitutional carry; protecting women’s sports; creating LOFT as the legislative watchdog; landmark school choice; unprecedented investment in public education; ending abortion on demand; creating record savings; and, ending the Developmental Disabilities Services Waiting List – just to name a few. I still have a lot that I want to accomplish as I attempt to finish strong. I’m pleased that our caucus choose Senator McCortney as the Pro Tem Designee and I’ll continue to work closely with him to help him prepare for this role. I am forever grateful that former Pro Tem Mike Schulz set a great example and did that for me."

FACA Sees Opportunities in New USDA Workforce Development Initiative

The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA) welcomes the launch of a new USDA workforce development initiative aimed at building the next generation of conservation delivery providers.

The Working Lands Climate Corps is a promising opportunity to provide on-the-ground education and training to develop the skillset needed to address natural resource challenges. Climate Corps fellows, working with state and local organizations, will gain the skills needed to provide conservation technical assistance to agricultural producers who are voluntarily making climate-smart investments on their operations. 

FACA appreciates USDA’s commitment to building the next generation of boots on the ground, but we also acknowledge the immediate need for more capacity today. We encourage USDA to continue to prioritize ongoing capacity-building and recruitment efforts. These two efforts are complementary and necessary to build a robust workforce to scale conservation delivery.  

FACA members are united in support of climate policies that are voluntary, market-based and scientifically sound. Learn more about FACA policy recommendations and see the full list of member organizations at agclimatealliance.com.