The latest USDA-NASS Cattle on Feed (COF) report pegged April 1 feedlot inventories at 11.96 million head – 102 percent of last year and a record April level for the data series, which started in 1996.

1. Corn will be king (again)

The USDA Prospective Plantings report was released at the end of March and showed estimates of corn regaining the crown from soybeans as the crop with the most planted acreage in the U.S. Prospective corn planted area is estimated at 92.8 million acres, which is 4 percent or about 3.66 million acres above last year.

Most readers follow politics “a moderate amount,” according to a recent Progressive Cattleman online poll.

USDA-AMS estimates U.S. beef production for the year to date to be down 1 percent year over year. Total cattle slaughter is up 0.7 percent so far this year over last year.

Burger King recently announced the launch of its “Impossible Whopper,” a plant-based alternative to the traditional Whopper advertised as “All Whopper. No beef.”

The Senate voted unanimously last week to block the Green New Deal that has recently caused quite a stir in the agricultural community. The Green New Deal received 57 “no” votes and zero “yes” votes.

With a slight majority, most Progressive Cattleman readers only do the “bare minimum” or no work on Sundays.

There are many things on our checklist as we recover from the historic March floods and blizzards. As we move forward, producers need to know the basics of the Livestock Indemnity Program and how this program may provide financial assistance to help cover livestock losses. Below is a brief description of the Livestock Indemnity Program with the steps you need to take to make a claim with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).

The March Cattle on Feed report brings the feedlot data up to date and back on schedule following the federal government shutdown. February feedlot placements were 102.2 percent of last year.