In January, the USDA reported the U.S. beef cow herd stood at 31.2 million, up 3.5 percent from 2016. While these results were widely reported and published, the purpose of this article is to step back and consider the recent trends in the U.S. beef cow herd.

An opportunity to be a part of the exploding $2.5 billion Chinese beef import market was met with initial excitement and enthusiasm from the American beef industry, but experts say it will be a long, slow road.

For years now, cattle producers have been closely following the drama surrounding the definition of “Waters of the United States,” commonly referred to as WOTUS.

As many producers are aware, the U.S. beef industry has been in expansion mode wherever forage resources will allow and where beef production can outcompete alternative land uses. While there is much debate on where cows will go, there is also some mobility as we see cows leave drought-stricken (or flooded) areas and eventually some come back.

In light of volatility in commercial fertilizer prices, integrated crop and livestock operations are increasingly recognizing the value of manure as fertilizer.

Dr. Ron Gill, Texas A&M, says preconditioning encompasses management of calves for 30 to 45 days or more after weaning.

Hospital pen management is not only a necessity but often dictates therapeutic outcomes, whether it is successful or not.

Burke Teichert, ranch consultant and speaker says, “One of the biggest determinants of ranch profit is the cost of developing or acquiring herd replacements.” Replacement heifers are important to ranch profitability and need to be successful cows that stay in the operation for a long time.

“If it takes more than two sentences to describe your cattle to a buyer, plan on getting discounted,” said Tom Brink, CEO of Red Angus Association and a past president of J&F Oklahoma Holdings, the cattle procurement and ownership arm of Five Rivers Cattle Feeding.