When faced with a pandemic in the feedlot sector, we are forced to turn to utilizing feedstuffs that are available.

The U.S. marketing year average corn price for 2019-20 is projected to be $3.60 per bushel. In contrast, the forecast for the 2000-21 marketing year is only $3.20 per bushel. This large decline in corn prices leads to several questions: Why have corn prices declined so sharply? What factors could keep corn prices at their current levels? And, what is the impact of lower corn prices on feed costs?

A webinar hosted by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Iowa Beef Center informed cattle producers about feedlot considerations amid the pandemic focused on managing feedlot rations without using ethanol co-products.

Compared to the decline seen in the beef industry during the 1980s and 1990s, red meat has been taken off the health hit list, and lean red meat is now in the good graces of our local family practitioner.

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Circle to the left, eight hands around!

The last few winter seasons we’ve experienced have not been easy for grasslands. Winters dotted with ice, followed by a dry summer, often led to the death or significant decrease in forage yields across the country.