December 20, 2022 | Vol. 15 : No. 12
It’s no secret that today’s consumer expects more than ever before. A panel of beef industry experts agreed: Cattlemen are already doing plenty of things right. The challenge, they said, is connecting consumers with ranchers so they are both reassured. During the 2022 Angus Convention, beef industry experts discussed ways producers can meet rising expectations.
I have always believed no single factor has a bigger effect on the profitability of an operation than that operation’s bull power.
We’ve all heard animal breeders tell us that 85%-90% of the genetic improvement observed in a beef herd is the direct result of sire selection. While this is certainly true, your bull power has ramifications that go beyond genetics. It tends to play a big role in marketing, and it is a pretty good indicator of management, as well.
October beef exports totaled 125,466 metric tons (mt), up 8% from a year ago. Export value was $929.8 million, down 3% from the large total reported in October 2021. In the first 10 months of 2022, beef export value increased 18% from last year’s record pace to reach $10.05 billion — topping $10 billion in a single year for only the second time. January-October export volume was 1.25 million mt, up 4% from a year ago.
December 6, 2022 | Vol. 15 : No. 12
Female cattle slaughter (i.e., heifer and cow slaughter) remains huge and a big contributor to the year-over-year increase in overall slaughter. In October, commercial cattle slaughter was estimated at 2.902 million head, up 52,000 head, or 1.8%, from a year ago. In the last three months (August‐October), cattle slaughter was up almost 350,000 head, or 4.1%, compared to a year ago.
Commercial cattlemen are challenged by cost-of-gain increases, saturation of the market with black-hided cattle and tight supplies. How can they stay profitable? Panelists of AngusLinkSM’s Capturing Value session hosted Nov. 5 during the 2022 Angus Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, addressed that question.
Cow-calf producers who still have calves are in the process of deciding whether to sell or retain weaned calves. This decision must consider both the cost to put on the additional weight (total amount, quality, cost of feed resources, etc.) and the expected price received when cattle are sold at higher weights (at current and future basis-adjusted prices). The difference between these two is profit, but only on the additional weight gained. Positive values indicate profits could be made by retaining feeder cattle this fall.
This edition’s theme is “Frequently Asked Questions,” so we thought we’d change up our sidebar to direct you to all the stories within a little differently.
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