Cattle Market Update
From Steve Kay, editor and publisher of Cattle Buyers Weekly. Catch a roundup of each week’s cattle-market activity every Friday afternoon! View the market review now!
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Price forecasting part II
Ranching's economics are changing. Preliminary data suggest the cost of running a beef cowherd has increased 15-20% in the last two years. Altered production...
Heifer economics: part 1
Fall calf prices peaked in 2005, and the current beef-price cycle is expected to trend lower as the cycle plays out. Thus, measuring and controlling heifer-replacement...
A financial early-warning system
Like canaries placed in a mine to provide early warning of danger to workers, there are three herd business management tools that ranchers should consider...
Part IV analyzing 2006 performance
By the time you read this, you'll likely be working on your 2006 ranch income taxes and pondering your ranch's 2006 business performance...
Good accounting Part III
Last month, I suggested ranchers look to their on-ranch accounting systems to answer two key business-management questions...
Good accounting Part II
Last month, I summarized how some ranchers are being let down by their on-ranch accounting systems. This month, I'll focus on good accounting and how...
Bad accounting Part 1
Today's ranch businesses are dramatically different from those of years ago. Previously, profit margins were such that the more beef you produced, the...
The perfect beef-cow-lease
The 2002 and 2006 droughts have stoked interest in beef-cow leases, as drought-impacted ranchers seek to lease their cows to operators with grass and...
Planning prices revised upward
Prices continue strong for cow-calf producers. As of late August, the 2006 drought has had little impact on cattle prices, and drought-induced early weaning...
What's a fair cow share lease?
As the nation's drought expands and worsens, I get more calls on the economics of moving a cow herd to another ranch for feeding over the next year. Typically,...
Calculating gross income accurately
Most ranchers don't accurately calculate the gross income of their beef cow herds. A correct economic analysis should be based on the accrual-adjusted...
UCOP will tell your story
A statistical analysis of my Northern Plains 1990s beef cow Cost & Return Database suggests weaning weight explained only 20% of herd-to-herd variation...
Planning prices for future markets
This article is the last in my series on how to make the cattle cycle work for you. Readers should now understand the 10- to 12-year cattle cycle and...
Weathering the cycle's end
We know a typical cattle cycle lasts 10-12 years. We also know cattle inventory cycles are the fundamental factor behind beef-price cycles. Such random...
Today's strong bred cattle market
The U.S. bred female market is very strong. In mid February, some 2-year-old Montana heifers sold for $1,650/head. Given that today's calf prices aren't...
4 winning market strategies Part V
The key point in this five-article series has been that once a rancher believes in cattle cycles, he can make the cycle work for him. The net result is...
Working the Cycle-- Part IV
This month, I'll share a management strategy ranchers can use in making the cattle cycle work for them. This is a strategy high-profit ranchers taught...
Working the cycle Part III
In the November issue, we discussed the cattle cycle and its 10- to 12-year cyclical nature. I suggested that if a rancher fights the cattle cycle, it...
Cattle/beef price-cycle relationship Part II
All experienced cattlemen know cattle prices go boom to bust and back again that's the cattle cycle. In fact, cattle and slaughter numbers, and cattle...
Working the cattle cycle Part I
My lectures of the last decade have focused a lot on the cattle cycle and its resulting beef price cycle. My key message has been that if you fight the...
The economics of culling cows
While most producers direct energy toward marketing steer calves, few do the same for marketing cull cows. Ten years of economic analyses for Northern...
Six steps to an optimal marketing plan
By now, most of you are pondering marketing your 2005 calves. Thus, I'll share my most recent planning price projections and the management implications...
Cost control is in the details Part III
Benchmarking is comparing your beef cow herd's production, financial and costs of production measures to those from a set of benchmark herds. Last month,...
What benchmarking can tell you
Let's look at what benchmarking the act of comparing a beef cow herd's production and financial measures to those of a set of benchmark herds can tell...
Profiting on 2005 calves Part I
Now is the time to think about generating the maximum possible profit from your 2005 calves. It begins by fully analyzing the production of your 2004...
From Our Columnists
Jim Gerrish Poses A Question: “Why Do You Make Hay?”
Do you ever stop and think what your primary objective is for making hay? Providing winter feed is the most common...
Costs & returns: Part V: managing the ranch
Given current economic pressures, it’s imperative that ranch managers work to increase profits from their beef cow-calf herds...
Understanding PAMTA antibiotics in cattle production
The Preservation of Antimicrobials for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) was introduced in the...
