The beef sector was the dominant story of 2024 for the High Plains Journal.
Farmers and ranchers dealt with drought conditions in much of the Plains, which curtailed expansion of the nation’s cowherd.
At the same time, beef prices stayed at record prices. Bottom lines were also squeezed with higher interest rates for most of the year and higher feed costs. Pictured above, Kelly Bruns talks his top 5 heifer choices during the Beef Empire Days Live Show June 4 in Garden City, Kansas. (Journal photo by Kylene Scott.)
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel said that the lasting effects from the drought and subsequent herd culling have driven cattle prices to extreme highs and cattle numbers to sustained lows in an April story by Field Editor Lacey Vilhauer.
Columnist Jerry Nine provided his perspective on the big increases in February.
“Last week most feeder cattle auctions had a big increase in price with feeder cattle $6 to $12 per hundredweight higher and calves $10 to $20 per hundredweight higher. We sold several 600-pound steers over $3 a pound and topped at $306 per hundredweight.”
Readers took note of a strain of avian influenza occurring in dairy cattle in early spring in herds in Texas and Kansas, and later cases were found in Colorado. Migratory birds appeared to be the source of the infection, in a story in HPJ in March.
Veterinarians and animal caregivers first reported seeing decreased feed intake and milk production in affected dairy cattle. Federal officials have continued to monitor cattle and later in the year began testing procedures on farms.
Field Editor Kylene Scott noted in an April story that states were quickly addressing the virus.
No dairy workers experienced any life-threatening illness. Scott was regularly filing updates in the aftermath.
David Murray reported in November that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about 7% of farm workers (eight out of sample of 115) were exposed to H5N1 bird flu outbreaks among dairy cows in Michigan and Colorado and showed evidence of recent infection.
As 2024 comes to a close, the New World screwworm was another malady that caught readers’ attention. Vilhauer and Murray noted the ramifications of the diseases. Vilhauer reported on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service working with Mexico to close the border, preventing cattle and bison from crossing into the U.S. The NWS fly is parasitic, and its larvae are known to burrow into living tissue of warm-blooded animals—usually through open wounds.
Murray noted in a recent World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report that fewer imports from Mexico, even if it is temporary, are likely to drive up feeder prices.
Other noteworthy stories
Colorado voters rejected a special question that could have changed the lamb processing industry. Murray’s story said that about 65% of voters rejected Ordinance 309 in November, which would have closed down Superior Farms, a Denver slaughterhouse that processes about 15 to 20% of the nation’s lamb.
A positive dairy story that was enjoyed by readers was the Blue Sky Farms’ project in Edwards County, Kansas. Scott noted the Twin Circle Dairy near Lewis, Kansas, will be home to nearly 25,000 cows, and construction will be completed in 2025.
One part of HPJ’s coverage was noting the publication’s 75 years, and one of those stories that was remembered was Lacey Vilhauer’s one on mysterious cattle mutilations. Who or what is killing these cattle? First posted in October 2022, the story was included as part of HPJ’s Commemorative Content series.
Tips for heifer development and selection by Vilhauer in January received a lot of attention.
Every cow-calf producer adopts a system of heifer selection and development for his herd. There is no one perfect answer for increasing productivity and profitability, but there are some basic strategies that can improve the efficiency of cow-calf operations.
Rick Funston, reproductive physiologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, spoke about this topic on a recent Oklahoma State University Rancher’s Lunchtime Webinar. Funston made it clear that reproduction is the most important factor in making beef production more profitable.
A project by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to improve the cattle feeding industry caught people’s eyes. Tim Unruh’s story about The Klosterman Feedlot Innovation Center at Ithaca was an example where the $7.2 million center was popular with High Plains readers as Doug Zalesky, director of the Eastern Nebraska Research Extension and Education Center, could bring in feedlot research to meet industry needs.
Hank Klosterman, grandson of the late John C. Klosterman, said his grandfather would have appreciated the emphasis that expands beyond animal science, including business and economics and cattle production. Hank Klosterman honed some of his skills in southwest Kansas and Texas.
Another noteworthy story was filed by Vilhauer, who noted the iconic Oklahoma National Stockyards is now for sale.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
