Agricultural News
OCA Annual Summer Ranch Tour Goes International in 2016
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 21:01:50 CDT
Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, recently led a group of Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association members south across the border to take a closer look at both culture and agriculture in Mexico. The Oklahoma cattle producers visited ranches and feedlots from Veracruz on the Gulf Coast up to Mexico City.
The group learned about the limitations Mexican cattle producers face in terms of the kind of cattle best suited for the country's tropical climate. Peel says the Zebu/dairy cross often used as the basis for Mexican cattle limits the genetic opportunity for beef quality and quantity. Despite the challenges, Peel says the Mexican cattle feeding sector is still quite progressive.
"One of the things I think producers were impressed by was the fact that there's a growing, very modern, very technologically advanced feeding industry developing in those tropical regions," he says.
Peel says trade between Mexico and the United States has evolved significantly over the last few years.
"For many, many years, of course, the U.S. has been a recipient of Mexican cattle exports. That was augmented about 20 or 25 years ago with Mexico becoming a significant destination for U.S. beef exports," he says. "Most recently, Mexico has become a significant producer of boxed beef and is now a significant global trader, with the U.S. being the predominant destination for Mexican beef exports."
As a result, Peel says we will probably begin to see changes in the flow of Mexican cattle that have historically crossed into the United States.
"They're being retained now - and are likely to continue to be retained - in Mexico for domestic production," he says. "So the focus may shift more toward the meat flows and a little bit less from the cattle flows that we've seen in the past."
Listen to Peel talk more about the OCA tour and the Mexican beef industry during the latest Beef Buzz.
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.
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