Beef Herd Expansion On Hold

With record high calf prices in 2011, a growing export market and a strong domestic consumption of beef products, most reports indicated there would be an expansion of the U.S. cow herd. Even though moisture conditions in the southern states have improved, it has not been enough to encourage retention of heifers or purchase of breeding age cows.

We are all familiar with the drought conditions throughout the Midwest. Last year the northern plains was a good source of hay shipped to the south. However, this year is a different story. Although hay yields of this area are maybe a quarter to a third of last year, yields in parts of southern North Dakota are less. Hay prices are digging deep into the profits of cattlemen of Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa and South. These conditions are forcing some producers to sell cows in order to have enough pasture for others and minimize winter feed costs.

Cow slaughter has been ample the past three months. This could possibly mean fewer cows available during the normal fall and early winter months when cows are normally culled.

The current 50 year drought of the Midwest has resulted in a big “hit” on calf prices which have dropped more than $35/cwt. since early June. Some market experts believe a further significant price drop of feeder calves will not happen. An improvement in moisture conditions in the south will enhance fall and winter grazing which could push calf prices above current levels.

Even with favorable moisture conditions, it will take two to three years to recover from this major disaster. During a recovery, demand for all classes of cattle will be high.

Tree of the Week

Ornamental Crabapples are a group of small flowering trees used for landscape plantings. They are valued for their foilage, flowers, fruits, and variations in form and size.

In most environments flowering crabs will reach 15-25 feet in height and they will have a similar crown spread. They tend to prefer soils that are a bit on the acid side of the pH scale, however, most seem to accept the alkaline levels typical of this area.

Like most other trees, they prefer well drained, moist soils but they do have some tolerance to drought situations, depending on parentage of the hybrid.

Many people think of crabapple as being messy because of the dropping small sized fruit. However, there are several cultivated hybrids with fruit less than a quarter inch in diameter which make good food for birds.

I think most people value flowering crabapple for its flower color which can be white to pink to red, depending on the variety. Varieties such as Adams, Centzan, Centurion, Indian Majic, Indian Summer, Selkirk and Red Splendor produce rosy-pink flowers and small, cherry-red retentive, non-messy fruit. Beverly, Glen Mills, Hunter Gem and Donald Wyman produce white flowers, small purplish-red fruit and purple foilage. Spring Snow produces white flowers and no fruit. Canary produces white flowers and pea-sized, non-retentive yellow fruit. Cardinal, Purple Price, and Thunderchild produce rosy-lavender flowers, small purplish-red fruit and purple foilage.

Besides the messy large fruit of some varieties, the downside of flowering crab is susceptibility to fireblight. However, in some varieties there is some resistance due to an anti-bacterial substance found in the leaves.