Hay Shortage

Hay in the mid-west is very short due to the drought. This is making Producers make decisions about what to do with their calves and cows. With hay being short and it costing a arm and a leg if you can get it you want to make sure that is is going into the highest producing animals. This might be a good time to look at culling a few more cows or weaning your calves a little earlier. Another option is to send your calves to a backgrounding or feed yard at a lighter weight.

High corn prices putting pressure on cattle market

The droughts of that have come about this year will put a lot of pressure on the cattle market. Mainly because of the corn crop. with corn being the main ingredient in livestock feed and the shortage driving prices to record highs it makes it hard for the producer to make a living. last years drought in the southeast region left a lot of producers sending cattle to other Midwestern states that were not quite as dry, where as this year all of those state experienced a drought. So where can we send the cattle now? With grass in short supply this may leave no choice but to send calves straight to the feed lot and with corn also in shirt supply at record prices it does not seem like there is a good answer.