Even with drought and high input costs putting pressure on beef cattle inventory throughout the U.S., the market outlook is positive over the next several years, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist.

“Current beef cow numbers nationally are way down and economists are expecting calf prices to be high over the next three to five years,” says Jason Cleere, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist. “Drought has caused a lot of producers to reduce their cow herd size. I think we are also pretty positive from a beef demand standpoint. Consumer demand, both domestic consumption and export markets, continues to to be strong. Overall, things are looking really positive for the beef industry here on out.”

These issues and more will be covered at the 2011 Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, sponsored by AgriLife Extension and scheduled for Aug. 1-3. The annual event is one of the largest beef education workshops in the country, attracting more than 1,300 cattle producers.

The general session on Aug. 1 will feature a cattle market outlook by Brett Stuart, economist with CattleFax.

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