PBS Ag Live Answering Montana Ranching Questions

We hear about reduced inventories in beef cattle – what are the facts?

PBS Ag Live Answering Montana Ranching QuestionsGary Brester of the College of Ag has shared some of his research findings with Ag Live. To learn more about PBS’ Montana Ag Live program, visit their website. Submit your questions to be answered by MSU experts in future columns by emailing [email protected].

Inventories are, indeed, down in the US…increased support of crops has had some producers leaving cattle; even though cattle prices are up, a producer doesn’t see increased payoff until that cow is sold, but increased hay prices come long before that – some producers just can’t wait until day of sale; the age of producers is increasing; and technological changes haven’t helped cattle producers the way they might have helped crop producers (GPS, for example, has changed crop practices for many).

In the hog industry, structural change has almost eliminated hog cycles and cattle may be going the same route –a highly technological market has the power to change contracting practices or help establish alliances that haven’t traditionally existed.

In the US, if you compare numbers from 1999 to 2013, we have gone from about a 130 million head to just under 90 million…while Argentina has stayed at about 50 million, Australia is steady at  around 30 million and Canada is about 15 million.  Of that group, only the US has reduced numbers, but we are also the largest producer so that has ramifications worldwide.

Montana Ag Live Column is provided in cooperation with Montana PBS and Montana State University. To learn more, contact Dr. Gary Brester at MSU,

PBS Ag Live Answering Montana Ranching Questions

Montana Ranching FAQ | Cattle Industry Trends

PBS Ag Live Answering Montana Ranching QuestionsQ: Are there trends in the cattle industry that Stock growers should know?

A. Gary Brester, MSU Ag Economist, shared some current research findings with us – these are preliminary and he will share the entire report when it is finished – but there were about 80 M cattle in US in 2011 – down from an all-time high of about 130 M in the late 1970s. The good news is that domestic demand is a little stronger today than in previous years, and foreign demand is also increasing – they have more money and their populations are growing (don’t hold your breath, this is slow growth).

But there are supply declines –drought in the past 15 years in various parts of the US has increased the price of hay. Also, ethanol policy has increased the price of feed grains…so folks are planting more grains in what were once hay fields. Studies are showing that there are also reductions in the availability of public and private grazing lands and, with higher productivity our cows are bigger so they require more feed. Livestock is labor intensive and labor costs have increased. The livestock industry has improved its production, but fewer outside inputs are decreasing access to supplies.

Odd thing to watch here – technology has enabled the crop producers to produce more efficiently (GPS, for example, lets them know where to spray more efficiently), but there is no comparable technology boost in the cattle industry. Also, crop subsidy programs make raising crops a bit less risky, and with no comparable program for cattle, producers are opting for crop production.

So, cattle production is down from its heyday for a variety of reasons, but rising feed costs, smaller availability of grazing lands, and higher labor costs are factors. On the up side, demand is rising. Stay tuned for the full report that Dr. Brester will be sharing soon.

Want to submit a question? Send an email to [email protected] or use our contact form.

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Montana Ranching FAQ | Copper Deficiency in Cattle

PBS Ag Live Answering Montana Ranching QuestionsWhat questions do you have about ranching in Montana? We’re teaming up with Montana PBS’ Ag Live program to bring you the answers. The Ag Live program from Montana PBS teams up with experts from Montana State University Extension to discuss everything from pesticide use and agricultural techniques involved in ranching and the cattle business. We ask that you submit questions to [email protected]. These questions will be answered by PBS and MSU Extension, then published in our monthly Digital Newsletter.

Q: The hair coat on my black cows is turning red. My veterinarian said something about minerals. Can you help me?

A: The first visible sign of a copper deficiency in cattle is often a bleaching of the hair coat, which may result in a change to a red/brown color in black-haired cattle. Copper deficiencies may result from a primary deficiency, where copper itself is deficient in the diet, or from a secondary deficiency, which can result when dietary concentrations of copper are adequate, but absorption of copper is limited by the interference of other minerals, such as molybdenum, sulfur, or both. High dietary iron can also reduce copper absorption.

Copper is a critical mineral in the immune and reproductive systems, so if an imbalance is suspected, it is important to investigate further. Samples of forage (grazed pasture, hay, etc.) should be sent to a laboratory for a full mineral screen to determine whether a primary or secondary deficiency is at hand. Once results are obtained, an alteration to the mineral supplementation plan may be in order. Your local county Extension agent can help you with forage sampling, analyses, and interpretation of results.

This week’s question was answered by Rachel Endecott, MSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist.

Related information:

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Montana Ranching FAQ | Feeding Cows For Cold Weather

PBS Ag Live Answering Montana Ranching QuestionsWhat questions do you have about ranching in Montana? We’re teaming up with Montana PBS’ Ag Live program to bring you the answers. The Ag Live program from Montana PBS teams up with experts from Montana State University Extension to discuss everything from pesticide use and agricultural techniques involved in ranching and the cattle business. We ask that you submit questions to [email protected]. These questions will be answered by PBS and MSU Extension, then published in our monthly Digital Newsletter.

Q: During the recent cold spell, my cows were eating me out of house and home! Is there a rule of thumb about how much extra feed cows should get during cold weather?

A: The range of temperatures where cattle (or other mammals) don’t have to expend any energy to maintain body temperature is called the thermoneutral zone. When it gets warmer than the upper critical temperature, cattle have to use energy to cool down. When it gets colder than the lower critical temperature, cattle have to use energy to warm up. You might be wondering, “what is the lower critical temperature?” Like any good animal science question, the answer is, “it depends!” In this case, it depends on hair coat and weather conditions (see table).

Estimated lower critical temperatures for beef cattle. From Beef Production and Management Decisions (Field, 2007)

Coat Description Critical Temperature
Summer coat or wet 59° F
Fall coat 45° F
Winter coat 32° F
Heavy winter coat 18° F

With a summer hair coat, or a wet (to the skin) hair coat at any temperature, the lower critical temperature is quite warm at 59° F. On the other hand, the lower critical temperature for a cow with a heavy winter coat is 18° F. When a cow is experiencing cold stress, the major effect on nutrient requirements is an increased need for energy, which generally indicates the total amount of feed needs to be increased. A simple rule of thumb (more detailed information is available) is to increase the amount of feed 1% for every degree of coldness below the appropriate lower critical temperature.

For example, let’s say you have a 1200-pound cow with a winter hair coat. It’s currently 20° F with a 15 mph wind and you normally feed 24 pounds of hay per day. The effective temperature with the windchill is 6° F, and the appropriate lower critical temperature is 32° F. Subtracting 6 from 32 yields 26, so the amount of hay needs to be increased by 26%. This would be just over 6 pounds of additional hay for a total of about 30 pounds.

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