Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A farm’s best plan when it comes to rebuilding the cattle herd after drought may have a lot to do with how deeply it had to cull, according to the Beef Cattle Research Council study. The study drew information from 17 farms registered with the council’s cow-calf production network from Western Canada […] Read more
Economics of herd rebuilding depend on cull rate, study finds
Retaining heifers works best if culling wasn’t too severe, but economies of scale are key
Beef Farmers of Ontario ask for curb on cull sales
BFO concerned over processing 'backlogs'
Updated, April 15 — Ontario’s cattle producer organization is asking members to consider delaying sales of cull cows until market conditions “normalize.” Beef Farmers of Ontario’s board on Thursday published a memo to beef and dairy cattle producers, asking them to help “prevent a further surge in cull cows in the market” — especially of […] Read more
Will feeding open cows cost — or make — you money this winter?
Use an online calculator and pencil in your numbers before deciding to preg check this fall, says beef economist
Reading Time: 3 minutes Preg checking your cattle is important — but it’s hard to know if you should cull open ones now or feed them through the winter. Beef economist Kathy Larson of the Western Beef Development Centre doesn’t always recommend feeding open cows. “It’s a costly venture, particularly when we have tight feed supplies,” she said. “In […] Read more
After the culling comes the marketing
Reading Time: 2 minutes Once you’ve decided on what cows to cull, you need to decide whether to sell them immediately, leave them with the herd in anticipation of increased cow prices, or separate and feed them a higher grain diet before sale. That decision is based on factors such as expected price changes, feeding costs versus potential weight […] Read more
U.S. burger demand a boon to New Zealand dairy farmers
Wellington| Reuters –– Supersized U.S. demand for burgers is a godsend for New Zealand farmers struggling with weak dairy prices but now earning good money for cows sent to slaughter for beef. Years of low cattle supplies have kept U.S. beef import prices near a record high of around $3 per pound hit last September, […] Read more
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