The week of Sept. 6, the Brazilian government announced the discovery of several atypical cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly referred to as mad cow disease.

Yeah, you heard it right. I see producers who would divorce their spouse before shipping their cattle.

There are many opportunities ahead for the U.S. cattle industry, CattleFax CEO Rancy Blach told attendees at the 2021 U.S. and Global Protein and Grain Outlook Seminar at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention and Tradeshow in Nashville, Tennessee. 

After two years of liquidation due to pressure from drought conditions, the industry is headed into shorter beef supplies over the next three to four years, CattleFax analyst Kevin Good told attendees at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Cattle Industry Convention and Tradeshow in Nashville, Tennessee. “The U.S. beef cattle herd is undergoing liquidation. Beef cow slaughter is up 10 percent. There are less replacement heifers and more heifers going to the feedlot.”

We often hear about the pros and cons of retained ownership of calves post-weaning. I Googled it and got 1.5 million hits, so it is a popular subject. Much of the debate revolves around the following:

No producer wants to doctor an animal, but it is part of raising them. A producer can have the best vaccination program and biosecurity in the county, but sooner or later an animal is going to get sick and need to be treated.

Probably the most frequently asked question I am getting relates to how much the drought is adding to herd liquidation in 2021. It’s a difficult question for several reasons.