Beef Buzz News
Beef Cow Herd Will be Smaller in 2022
Tue, 28 Dec 2021 08:38:05 CST
Before the global pandemic crippled the U.S. beef supply chain, the U.S. beef cow herd reached its highest number in about 10 years, with nearly 42 million beef cows. No one knew the next two years would see a backlog of fed cattle smothering cattle prices from the top down. On top of that, drought is dominating cattle country. Cattle production is a long game and producers only have a handful of ways to respond to upside-down cattle numbers.
Derrell Peel, extension specialist for livestock marketing at Oklahoma State University, has been monitoring the U.S. beef cow herd. Today, he discusses beef cow herd projections for 2022 with Ron Hays, senior broadcaster of the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network.
“Crunching through the numbers, I think the drought added around 300,000 head more beef cows to the beef cow slaughter total than we would have had otherwise,” Peel said. “Of course, we do not know for sure what would have happened in the absence of drought impact.”
The USDA is set to release the first of its biannual U.S. Cattle Inventory report in Jan. 2022. That will give Peel solid figures.
“We know that from a slaughter standpoint, beef-cow slaughter has been significantly above previous-year levels,” Peel said. “And we are not quite sure what happened with heifers. We had plenty of replacement heifers at the beginning of 2021, but we also know drought conditions forced a lot of producers to switch those heifers into the feeder supply channel.”
Peel guarantees the U.S. beef cow herd is smaller. In all, folks can count on U.S. cattle numbers continuing to tighten as we move through 2022, he added.
If the drought persists in the southern Great Plains, which is expected during a La Niña weather pattern, Peel said depending on how the spring growing season goes, producers may be forced to make management decisions early in the year.
Right now, wheat pasture is suffering significantly, according to Peel.
Click on the LISTEN BAR below to hear more from Ron Hays and Derrell Peel as they talk about the latest USDA Cattle on Feed report, what those numbers mean for the U.S. beef cow herd and how producers can mitigate risk during uncertainty.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is 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.
Listen to Ron's conversation with Dr. Peel here.
right-click to download mp3
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Beef News
Certified Angus Beef Consumers Want to Know Ranchers' Stories Thu, 27 Jan 2022 10:58:18 CST
Decades in the Making, Certified Angus Beef is Expecting to Have a Great Year Wed, 26 Jan 2022 09:52:24 CST
Feedback from the 2022 Cattlemen's Congress is Fantastic Tue, 25 Jan 2022 11:10:12 CST
Higher Than Expected Placements Provide Slightly Bigger Cattle on Feed Number Than a Year Ago Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:37:53 CST
The Importance of Good Cattle Handling Skills with Dr. Stephen Boyles Fri, 21 Jan 2022 09:55:28 CST
WOTUS Revision Could Include Big-Ticket Climate Change Policy from Biden Administration Thu, 20 Jan 2022 10:40:48 CST
NCBA's Scott Yager Hopeful EPA Will Pay Attention to Its Own Advisory Committee on WOTUS Wed, 19 Jan 2022 12:01:14 CST
American Hereford Association's Focus Includes Consumer Education in 2022 Tue, 18 Jan 2022 11:08:52 CST
American Hereford Association Focusing on Genetic Improvement in 2022 Mon, 17 Jan 2022 12:16:02 CST
See How the Angus Link Program Puts Money Back into Your Pocket Sun, 16 Jan 2022 16:30:08 CST
Why Maine-Anjou Cattle are Popular In and Out of the Show Ring Thu, 13 Jan 2022 18:32:42 CST
OSU's Derrell Peel Talks Latest on Beef Exports and Previews Cattle Inventory Report Wed, 12 Jan 2022 12:41:10 CST
Clint Rusk on the Sometimes-Underestimated Value of Charolais Beef Tue, 11 Jan 2022 11:19:28 CST
How the American Simmental Has Changed Over the Last Couple Decades Mon, 10 Jan 2022 11:33:01 CST
BQA Seminar at Cattlemen's Congress Taught the Importance of Cattle Handling Skills Fri, 07 Jan 2022 11:31:26 CST
American Angus Association Off to a Great Start at 2022 Cattlemen's Congress Thu, 06 Jan 2022 07:10:41 CST
Hereford Breed is Well-Represented at Second Annual Cattlemen's Congress Wed, 05 Jan 2022 14:25:02 CST
Lyons-Blythe Says Cattle Producers Must Take Part in Sustainability Conversation Tue, 04 Jan 2022 11:58:05 CST
Cattle Producers Help Shape the Sustainability Conversation as Part of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef Mon, 03 Jan 2022 11:35:54 CST
Counting Down the Hours Until 2022 Cattlemen's Congress Fri, 31 Dec 2021 08:32:00 CST
NCBA Continues to Work to Increase Transparency, Fairness of Cattle Markets Thu, 30 Dec 2021 11:33:41 CST
NCBA Continues to Protect Cattle Producers from Funding Build Back Better in 2022 Wed, 29 Dec 2021 11:31:58 CST
Beef Cow Herd Will be Smaller in 2022 Tue, 28 Dec 2021 08:38:14 CST
The U.S. Will See a Decrease in Beef Production in 2022 Says OSU's Derrell Peel Mon, 27 Dec 2021 12:22:22 CST
Make Plans to Attend Cattlemen's Congress if You're in the Cattle Business Thu, 23 Dec 2021 10:41:06 CST
2022 Cattlemen's Congress: It is Going to Be Huge! Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:44:16 CST
Protect the Harvest is Working to Protect Agriculture in the U.S. Tue, 21 Dec 2021 10:54:08 CST
LMA's Chelsea Good Says Fed Cattle Price Dictates Price Discovery from Top Down Mon, 20 Dec 2021 10:26:05 CST
Animal Activist Groups Blame Animal Agriculture for Climate Change and Pandemics Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:31:43 CST
Activity Increases Among Animal Rights Extremist Groups Since Pandemic Began Thu, 16 Dec 2021 11:20:14 CST
OSU's Derrell Peel Breaks Down October U.S. Beef Export Numbers Wed, 15 Dec 2021 10:22:09 CST
NCBA's Tanner Beymer Says Most Cattle Industry Groups Back Cattle Contract Library Bill Tue, 14 Dec 2021 10:19:12 CST
NCBA's Tanner Beymer on U.S. House of Representatives Passage of LMR and Cattle Contract Library Act Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:29:41 CST
U.S. Beef Exports Hits Annual Record-Value Levels in October Fri, 10 Dec 2021 09:59:14 CST
Katelyn McCullock says Fourth-Quarter Cattle Prices are Contraseasonal Thu, 09 Dec 2021 14:49:32 CST
