Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is back talking with the Director of Supply Management and Analysis at Certified Angus Beef, Paul Dykstra, about his perspectives on building back the cow herd.
Dykstra says building back the cow herd will not be an easy process as many replacement heifers are not being kept back, at least for now. There is not a large number of cows to generate replacement heifers to begin with, Dykstra added.
“The ability of your average cow-calf operator to go out and really bite off on a large purchase of replacements may not be as great as it was at some other time. Just a number of things that will probably slow that rebuilding, but perhaps that is a healthy pace as well.”
Better genetics are expected to come into play in the next herd rebuilding, Dykstra said, which will benefit many regions.
“We have got a great set of genetics across the board that have continually been improved, and consequently, we will up the ante when it comes to the end product when it is all said and done,” Dykstra said.
More quality, Dykstra said, can mean more demand for beef.
“We know that if the supply is there keeping those price spreads a little bit in line, we can continue to add more customers as end users both domestic and international,” Dykstra said.
Once customers experience Certified Angus Beef, Dykstra said it is hard to drive them away.
“They know that the product is worth the premium,” Dykstra said. “That is really, to me, the perfect scenario for U.S. beef.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
