Agricultural News
Market Forces Will Lead to Rebuilding Cow Herd Sooner Rather Than Later, Researcher Says
Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:45:19 CDT
Two years of drought in major cattle producing areas of the United States have caused problems for rebuilding the national cow herd. The U.S. herd now stands at under 30 million head. Dr. Nevil Speer of Western Kentucky University says the drought plays a part, but rising cattle prices are also dictating selling decisions made by producers.
"Whenever you invest in a cow, it's a pretty long-term kind of investment. And so when you begin to add uncertainty and higher costs and then the capital at risk you provide a lot of incentives to go ahead and 'let's market the cows.' And on the other side of that, it's not just the feeder cattle, the cull cow market has been just amazing in the last couple of years. And it's one of those things I always like to talk about: markets work. When you provide enough of an incentive to something, people respond to it. And, certainly, cow-calf producers have responded to that. And cows that are somewhat marginal? They load up the trailer and take them to the sale barn."
Despite high prices to the consumer, Speer says demand has held up quite well. He says that will provide an incentive back to cattle producers to start rebuilding those herds sooner rather than later.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
Speer is one of the co-authors of a report on crossbreeding. You can read his report by clicking here.
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