US cattle industry hit by severe droughts

Jul 16, 2024

Drought conditions strain beef cattle production and market prices

By Farms.com

The US beef cattle industry is facing critical challenges due to increasing drought severity, as reported by Paul Beck from Oklahoma State University. His findings indicate a significant shift from the historical wet conditions that supported beef cattle production in the late 20th century to more frequent and severe droughts affecting the industry today.

Beck’s analysis highlights a disturbing trend of drought periods drastically reducing beef cattle numbers, exemplified by the notable decreases in 2011-2013 and again in 2021-2023.

These reductions are closely tied to the natural drought cycles and their impact on feed availability and water resources.

In response to these challenging conditions, the industry has seen fluctuations in beef cattle numbers, with temporary recoveries followed by further declines.

As of the latest data, the US is managing a beef cow herd of about 28.2 million, well below the required numbers to adequately supply feedlots, which Beck estimates at around 32.3 million head.

The shortfall in cattle numbers has led to increased prices for feeder cattle and has forced changes in production practices, such as extending the days on feed and reducing the weights at which cattle enter feedlots. These adaptations are necessary to cope with the reduced availability of grazing land and other resources.

Beck's report underscores the broader implications of these droughts, not only on the cattle industry but also on the overall agricultural productivity and the economies of rural communities dependent on beef production.

The study calls for a reassessment of current practices and strategies to enhance resilience against ongoing climate challenges.

Video: US Soy: Pig growth is impaired by soybean meal displacement in the diet

Eric van Heugten, PhD, professor and swine extension specialist at North Carolina State University, recently spoke at the Iowa Swine Day Pre-Conference Symposium, titled Soybean Meal 360°: Expanding our horizons through discoveries and field-proven feeding strategies for improving pork production. The event was sponsored by Iowa State University and U.S. Soy.

Soybean meal offers pig producers a high-value proposition. It’s a high-quality protein source, providing essential and non-essential amino acids to the pig that are highly digestible and palatable. Studies now show that soybean meal provides higher net energy than current National Research Council (NRC) requirements. Plus, soybean meal offers health benefits such as isoflavones and antioxidants as well as benefits with respiratory diseases such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

One of several ingredients that compete with the inclusion of soybean meal in pig diets is dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS).

“With DDGS, we typically see more variable responses because of the quality differences depending on which plant it comes from,” said Dr. van Heugten. “At very high levels, we often see a reduction in performance especially with feed intake which can have negative consequences on pig performance, especially in the summer months when feed intake is already low and gaining weight is at a premium to get them to market.”

Over the last few decades, the industry has also seen the increased inclusion of crystalline amino acids in pig diets.

“We started with lysine at about 3 lbs. per ton in the diet, and then we added methionine and threonine to go to 6 to 8 lbs. per ton,” he said. “Now we have tryptophan, isoleucine and valine and can go to 12 to 15 lbs. per ton. All of these, when price competitive, are formulated into the diet and are displacing soybean meal which also removes the potential health benefits that soybean meal provides.”