Search

Transmission of prices, profits, and more generally, economic well‐being across vertically connected sectors of agriculture have a long history of interest—arguably of most current interest in meat and livestock markets. Disruptions in live animal harvesting, especially from COVID‐19, have corresponded with substantial market adjustment and hence elevated interest in inner‐industry relationships, including from policymakers. This paper's main contribution is assessing how price changes in the U.S. feedlot industry manifest in feeder cattle markets. We use Ricardian rent theory as a framework to quantify price transmission by testing how price fluctuations actually pass through the supply chain versus theoretical expectations. We posit that the capacity utilization of feedlots changes because of market shocks, impacting price relationships. In the empirical model, when feedlot capacity utilization rates are below the 65% critical point, we find that both fed to feeder cattle and corn to feeder cattle pass‐through rates are higher than hypothesized. When feedlot capacity utilization rates are high (>65%), estimated pass‐through rates are lower and not statistically different from Ricardian rent theory. Understanding how prices pass through in the beef industry can help inform policy discussions about beef market competitiveness and promote efficient resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agricultural Outlook (1673-3908) is the property of Institute of Agricultural Information, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

United States cattle producers have various government‐sponsored programs to protect against weather and disease related risks, but livestock risk protection (LRP) insurance is the only program that protects against price risk. However, adoption of LRP insurance is low even though cattle price declines are the primary cause of economic loss, and LRP premium subsidies have recently been increased. Therefore, the objective of this study is to explore how informational nudges about receiving an indemnity payment, LRP contract characteristics, and individual risk preferences affect the use of LRP. Producer survey results were estimated using a Cragg model to determine the factors affecting producers' likelihood of purchasing LRP and the number of head they would insure. Producers were more likely to purchase 100% LRP coverage and would also insure more head at 100% coverage when compared to lower coverage levels. We found providing information on the probability of receiving an indemnity did not impact LRP purchasing decisions. However, counter to expectations, producers were more likely to buy LRP when the randomly provided cattle prices in the survey were successively increasing each month, and if participants considered themselves more willing to take risks in their cattle operation. Results provide insights into behavioral factors affecting LRP participation which could help inform future insurance policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ensure the reasonable and stable price of beef and promote the sustainable and healthy development of the beef market, based on the monthly data of Chinese livestock industry from December 2011 to December 2022, the paper selects corn price, producer expectation, calf price, and national policy to build a VAR model from the perspective of internal transmission and external impact, and empirically tests the influencing factors and degree of beef price fluctuation in China. The results show that corn prices, producer expectations, calf prices, and national policies can affect beef prices. Among them, the corn price has a significant impact on the fluctuation of beef price through the internal transmission mechanism, and the stable contribution rate is about 8%. National policy has a significant impact on the fluctuation of beef prices in China through the external impact mechanism,with a contribution rate of 15%. The price of beef in the early stage significantly affects the market price of beef in the later stage. Therefore, some suggestions were put forward to reduce the feed cost of the beef cattle industry, strengthen the financial support of the beef cattle industry, and improve the market supervision system of beef price fluctuation, in order to provide a reference for stabilizing the beef price and promoting the sustainable development of the livestock industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astylus atromaculatus is a pollen beetle native to South America, commonly found in crop flowers. Experimental intoxication of sheep and guinea pigs by this beetle resulting in fibrinonecrotizing enteritis has been reported. We describe here 6 natural outbreaks of intoxication in cattle associated with consumption of alfalfa (5 of 6) and mixed native (1 of 6) pastures heavily contaminated with A. atromaculatus. The outbreaks occurred during the summer (January–February) of 2023 in Argentina (n = 4) and Uruguay (n = 2), in beef cattle under extensive or semi-extensive rearing systems, with overall cumulative incidence and mortality of 22.3% and 17.8%, respectively. The main clinical signs included acute onset of anorexia, lethargy, hyperthermia, hindlimb weakness, reluctance to move, and diarrhea, for up to 15 d. In 2 outbreaks, sudden death was observed. Eight Hereford, Angus, and/or crossbreed heifers, cows, steers, and/or calves were autopsied. Gross and microscopic findings included multifocal necrosis with fibrinous pseudomembranes in the forestomachs and/or small and large intestines. Fragments or whole specimens of A. atromaculatus were identified in the ruminal content of all animals. Testing for multiple gastroenteric pathogens was negative as was testing of A. atromaculatus for cantharidin and batrachotoxin. GC-MS and LC-MS/MS performed on the beetles did not identify any known toxic compounds. Based on the exposure to A. atromaculatus –contaminated pasture, gross and microscopic lesions, and negative results of all testing for multiple gastroenteric pathogens, a diagnosis of intoxication by A. atromaculatus is proposed. Disease caused by A. atromaculatus consumption has not been reported previously in cattle, to our knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most U.S. beef packers with multiple plants now openly employ multi‐plant coordination. Using a Salop Circular City framework that includes negotiated and formula pricing, we demonstrate that multi‐plant coordination leads to wider spreads between downstream beef prices and upstream fed cattle prices if multi‐plant coordination markdowns outweigh multi‐plant coordination efficiencies. Taken together with market concentration, geography and transportation costs, and cattle cycles and related beef packer capacity utilization, multi‐plant coordination helps explain persistently wide farm‐to‐wholesale beef price spreads. We find that, as cattle inventories decline, a multi‐plant coordinator will permanently shut down a plant before the same plant run as a separate profit center will shut down, which is consistent with packer behavior in recent years. We also demonstrate that adding a strategically‐located packing plant, owned by an entrant firm, can narrow price spreads. This framework is important for ongoing policy discussions regarding the structure, conduct, and performance of the beef packing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobials are essential in veterinary medicine to treat and control bacterial disease in animals. Their prudent use in food-producing animals has been encouraged to reduce the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. National and international guidelines for responsible antimicrobial use have been developed as tools to guide and rationalise antimicrobial prescribing decisions by veterinarians and usage decisions by farmers. Yet, there is little understanding of whether these existing guidelines are fit for purpose. Accordingly, this study rigorously assessed 128 veterinary guidelines for antimicrobial use in ruminants in the UK, following established qualitative methodologies. Findings revealed four pertinent themes: validation of the veterinarian as the prescriber, visibility of responsible use realities, vagueness in interpretation and variation in directing behaviour. These themes encompassed the roles and responsibilities of the veterinarian and the realities of prescribing scenarios, alongside concerns relating to the specificity within and variation between guidelines. Resultant recommendations to inform and support the future development of guidelines include establishing species-specific and disease-specific guidelines, expanding guidelines to include disease prevention measures, including definitions to resolve vagueness and promoting congruence in interpretation, encouraging the development of practice-level guidelines to endorse collaboration and ownership, and fostering active working between stakeholders to align priorities and messaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Katerini cattle is an autochthonous Greek breed considered at high risk of extinction, given the uncontrolled introduction of foreign breeds into local herds and the lack of a national program aiming at monitoring cross-breeding in local populations. As a consequence, Greece has committed to international treaties to create the necessary infrastructure and to prepare a national strategy for the development of actions able to protect indigenous genetic resources and agricultural biodiversity and to participate in cooperation networks, both at a national and global level. This study provides information, which may contribute to the rescue and valorization of the autochthonous Greek Katerini breed through the protection and preservation of biodiversity, as well as an increase in the productivity of farmed animals. Local and typical agri-food products (TAP) are receiving increasing interest from consumers, since they are perceived as genuine, healthy and tasty because they are produced under environmentally friendly farming systems. This has aroused a renewed interest among breeders from the inner regions of Italy and Greece toward autochthonous animal populations, such as Greek Katerini and Italian Podolian cattle. Twenty animals were used, divided into two homogeneous groups of ten subjects per each genotype. Animals were fed only on natural pasture and were slaughtered at 18 months of age. Meat from the Katerini young bulls showed a lower a* value, higher moisture and was leaner, and its fat was richer in n-3 fatty acids and had a better n-6/n-3 ratio. Meat from Podolian young bulls was more tender and showed a higher redness value and a significantly greater MUFA concentration. This preliminary study provides a contribution to the local actors and relevant authorities to develop a conservation program for the endangered Katerini breed based on the nutritional and sensorial characterization of its products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the alleged price-fixing cartel in the U.S. beef packing industry, where class action antitrust lawsuits were filed against Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill, and National Beef Packing Company. Topics include the concentrated market structure of the industry, the history of acquisitions among major players, and the impact of alleged anticompetitive supply restraints on fed cattle prices and beef production dynamics.

Recent wide spreads between boxed beef cutout values and fed cattle prices have reignited beef cattle producers' long‐held concerns about price discovery. The recent concerns have led to policy proposals meant to increase negotiated trade volumes in the cash market. We determine how volume, day of the week, sex, grade, weight range, and other factors impact price ranges in the negotiated cash market. We find many factors, in addition to sales volume, can impact price ranges. The analysis provides insight into current policy proposals, and we discuss the need for more detailed data for precise answers to current policy questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock Mandatory Price reporting, enacted to increase market transparency, has been in place for more than 20 years. However, immense structural change in cattle and beef markets has challenged market information over that time. Large variation present in cattle transaction prices, especially those in the Formula purchases category, on any given day has made traditionally United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)‐reported weighted‐average prices less meaningful. Using nearly 6 years of The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 transactions data from USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS), we demonstrate use of hedonic modeling to facilitate price reporting. While the models show promise to provide useful information, they reveal substantial weaknesses associated with current transaction information collected by USDA from packers. We offer suggestions for improved data collection which would make hedonic modeling of transactions prices a more valuable tool to increase usefulness of reported market prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field pea production in North Dakota has increased significantly over the past 20 yr with hectares planted increasing by more than 68% over that period. With the increase in supply of field peas, there is interest in evaluating whether using field peas in beef cattle finishing rations is economical compared with commonly used ingredients such as corn DDGS. This 2-yr study was conducted to a) determine the economic potential of field peas relative to corn DDGS in growing heifer diets, and b) identify price points for competitive utilization of field peas as an alternative to corn DDGS in growing heifer diets. Each year, 162 heifers were kept in six dry lot pens and fed isocaloric and isonitrogenous corn DDGS-based or field peabased total mixed rations in the fall and winter. Heifer performance data analysis considered the fixed effects of diet (corn DDGS or field peas), season (fall and winter), and diet x season interaction. Economic evaluation of feed costs for each total mixed ration (TMR) was based on the 2-yr average measures of dry matter intake (DMI) and total body weight (BW) gain. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to calculate relative total cost of feeding field peas versus corn DDGS for a number of combinations of prices of corn DDGS and field peas. Heifer final BW, total BW gain, and daily BW gains (ADG) were not impacted (P > 0.05) by diet when 0.33 kg. d-1 and 0.48 kg. d-1 of corn DDGS and field peas were incorporated into corn DDGS-based and field peas-based TMR, respectively. Seasonal differences in heifer performance showed greater (P < 0.001) DMI in winter relative to fall and greater (P < 0.001) total BW gain and ADG in the fall relative to winter. The relative value of field peas was mainly driven by amount of field peas incorporated into diets and price of field peas relative to corn DDGS. Overall, for a base-case average price of $325 MT-1 for corn DDGS, the breakeven price for field peas was equal to $231.15 MT-1, which was 36.8% less than the base-case price of $366 MT-1 for field peas, and 71% of the base-case price of corn DDGS. Conversely, for the base-case price of field peas of $366, the breakeven price of corn DDGS was equal to $514.60 MT-1, which was 58.3% more than the base-case price of $325 MT for corn DDGS and 140.6% more than the base-case price for field peas. Results show that there are economic benefits of including field peas in cattle rations when there is excess field peas production available at competitive prices and offer useful economic information to the field pea processing industry about the range of prices that beef cattle producers can afford to pay for field peas relative to corn DDGS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The improved crop varieties and inorganic fertilizers played a key role in bringing the revolutionary change from insufficient to surplus food grains production. In the era of self-reliant in food grains production, the noxious impacts of long-term sole application of inorganic fertilizers on natural resources are being observed critically and climate vagary and its threat to agriculture sector makes such studies of prime importance. The present study was undertaken with a hypothesis to substitute the inorganic N (either partial or fully) with farm yard manure (FYM) in at least one crop under rice-wheat system. The experiment was conducted in a two-factorial randomized complete block design with different levels of FYM (0, 10 and 30 t ha− 1) in each crop to study the yield, soil health, quality, profitability and sustainability with a comparison to recommended dose of conventional inorganic fertilizers (CIFs). In all treatments, green manuring was done through the incorporation of Sesbania aculeata (Willd.) Pers crop prior to rice translating. The results of pooled analysis of seven-year data (2013–2014 to 2019–2020) revealed that application of 30 t ha− 1 FYM produced statistically similar (p > 0.05) rice yield but with a decline of 19.21% in wheat yield as compared to CIFs. The continuous application of FYM @30 t ha− 1 increased organic carbon content of soil to 1.24% in the upper soil layer which was 74.6% higher than that under CIFs. The substitution of CIFs with FYM brought significant (p < 0.05) increase in available N, P and K in the top layer of the soil. The available N was significantly higher (p < 0.05) along with slight improvement (p > 0.05) in organic carbon in the top layer of the soil under control treatment associated with Sesbania aculeata (Willd.) Pers incorporation over CIFs. The application of 30 t ha− 1 FYM produced similar net return and wheat equivalent yield as with CIFs. However, benefit-cost (B:C) ratio in CIFs (2.16) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those with FYM application (1.75–1.90) due to increase in transportation and labour cost in handling bulky FYM. The substitution of CIFs with FYM produced statistically similar sustainability value index (SVI) which indicates the similar stability of rice-wheat system and its sustainable nature as with CIFs. The results of present study suggest that CIFs can be substituted by green manuring + FYM application @30 t ha− 1 in rice crop under rice-wheat cropping system without any penalty on crop productivity and profitability while providing the multifarious benefits on soil health, which has been deteriorated through intensive cultivation of rice-wheat system, and overdosed and imbalanced inorganic fertilizers application in Indo Gangetic plains. Further, assured premium price of organic rice can escalate the adoption of such alternative fertilizers; however, high cost of FYM amidst declining cattle, increased transportation and labour cost in handling bulk volume of such fertilizers seems to be challenging factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beef is one of the most important in Mexico, because it provides many benefits and nutrients to the body, it is rich in zinc, which helps with skin healing and to create hemoglobin and iron. The objective was to quantify the sensitivity of the demand for beef cattle in three states of Mexico, using a double logarithm regression and annual information from 2000-2020. The regressor variables were cattle price, pig price and income per person. The results showed an inelastic effect on price at -0.21, -0.16 and -0.04, on income (0.24, 0.58 and 0.05) and on pig price (0.07, 0.52 and 0.11). It was evidenced that in the State of Mexico, the income and price of cattle had a significant effect; In Mexico City and Jalisco, the income and price of pork had a major impact on the behavior of beef consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upheaval wrought on the U.S. beef industry by the global COVID-19 pandemic carried with it several lessons that might help improve resiliency should there be a reoccurrence. First, the futures market for fed cattle fell well before cash prices, which sent a signal to market cattle early, and those who did so benefited. Second, the decline in futures anticipated the closure of slaughter plants and provided an opportunity to purchase and store beef primals in anticipation of future scarcity. Third, the beef industry has ways of slowing or stopping the pipeline of animals destined for feed yards and can "store" these animals in background feeding facilities or on pasture or rangeland. Producers who waited to sell feeder cattle benefited from higher feeder cattle prices once the processing facilities reopened. Fourth, cow slaughter plants responded to the pandemic and subsequent scarcity of labor much better than large fed-cattle plants. Cow plants are not as sophisticated and complex as fed-cattle plants. This relative simplicity may help explain the superior performance of these plants during the crisis. Sixth, the academic work on the value of building smaller plants as a response against concentration provides mixed results—these plants require more labor per animal and can be even more susceptible to labor scarcity. Seventh, the observed increase in boxed beef prices, even as fed cattle prices fell, demonstrates the risk-mitigating impact of producer ownership of downstream activities in the value chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock markets influence income generation for producers, but also accessibility and affordability of highly nutritious animal‐sourced foods for consumers. Despite their importance, the functioning of livestock markets in lower‐income countries is poorly understood and rarely studied compared to more developed countries. This study analyzes wholesale cattle markets in Ethiopia using a uniquely rich large‐scale dataset covering both prices and cattle characteristics in 39 markets (in both highland and lowland areas) over a 10‐year period, and hedonic regression models structured to understand both cattle price formation and seasonal and secular price dynamics. We show that cattle prices are influenced by a wide range of factors, including proxies for meat quality, religious fasting practices, climate‐based seasonality but also climate shocks and availability of grazing land, competition from animal traction services, and rising consumer incomes. However, the implied effects of these factors are often significantly different in highland mixed crop‐livestock areas compared to agro‐pastoralist lowland areas, emphasizing the dualistic nature of cattle markets in Ethiopia. The analyses help inform the systemic challenges that Ethiopia will need to overcome to meet rising demand for beef products in the face of sustained income and population growth, as well as the adverse effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) began publishing formula base price information in August 2021. Considerable variation in the types of cattle priced via formula has raised questions about the level of base price transparency that can be gleaned from formula base price reports. This study employs 6 years of transactions to estimate hedonic models assessing the capability of existing data to describe variation in formula base prices. Results suggest factors beyond those reported to USDA AMS by packers influence base prices. We offer suggestions for improved data collection to make hedonic modeling of base prices more effective for reporting market information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determine optimal stocker strategies based on calving season, herd size, and the number of days of retention before marketing weaned calves. We estimate a hedonic pricing model for feeder cattle and incorporate this into a simulation model that considers the variability of cattle prices and feed costs. The profit and utility-maximizing decision for fall calving herd would be to retain weaned calves for 150-day postweaning. The producer marketing spring-born calves would prefer to sell these calves at weaning. The results are being utilized by extension to aid cattle producers in reducing their feed costs and increasing their profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because dairies across the United States have rapidly adopted breeding to beef breed sires, the use of beef semen has increased dramatically in recent years. The objective of this survey was to gather information about the use of beef semen by dairy producers in the Northeast United States to generate beef × dairy cattle for beef markets. The survey was conducted using the services of the Center for Survey Research at the Pennsylvania State University—Harrisburg campus. Respondents had two options for returning their responses: 1) mail the paper survey to CSR in the postage-paid business-reply envelope included in the mailing, or 2) complete the survey online via an open-access web survey link. A total of 669 surveys were received and a final number of 617 surveys were included in the responses based on completeness and validity of the responses. Because of the broad electronic distribution, a true response rate cannot be calculated. Of these, 463 (75.0%) were completed via returned paper survey, and 154 (25.0%) were completed via web, between November 9, 2021 and February 16, 2022. Of the 617 respondents, 539 were from Pennsylvania. Due to the large variations in returned survey copies by state, results are reported without state separation. Across all respondents, 69.7% reported milking 100 or fewer cows and over 90% of collected responses reported Holsteins as the predominant dairy breed in the Northeast. Only 18.8% of the respondents did not currently, nor plan to, breed with beef semen. Deciding which beef bulls to use on Northeast dairy farms was primarily based on the recommendation of the semen sales representative (54.5%) and the price of the semen purchased (42.3%). In addition, 89.7% of respondents cited using Angus genetics in their beef bull selections. However, there was no difference in reported profitability of crossbreeding between respondents who indicated using other beef breeds vs. those who indicated just using Angus (P ≥ 0.19). In conclusion, using beef sires on dairy females, regardless of the breed of beef sire, adds value to the resulting progeny from dairy farms in the Northeast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was to study the effect of the proportion and particle size of NDF in full grain diet on growth performance, apparent digestibility of nutrients, serum biochemical indexes and feeding behavior of Guanling cattle. Thirty two (18 ± 2)-month-old Guizhou Guanling cattle were selected and randomly divided into four groups, with eight cattle in each group (half male and half female), and eight cattle in each replicate. Cattle in each group were fed with different full price pellet feed: Fine low NDF full price pellet feed (pellet diameter 5.0 mm, NDF 40%, LL group), coarse low NDF full price pellet feed (pellet diameter 10.0 mm, NDF 40%, HL group), fine high NDF full price pellet feed (pellet diameter 5.0 mm, NDF 45%, LH group) and coarse high NDF full price pellet feed (pellet diameter 10.0 mm, NDF 45%, HH group). The pre-test was 14 d, and the formal test period was 90 d. The results showed that ADG and ADFI in HH group were significantly higher than those in LL group and LH group (P<0.05), and F/G in HH group was significantly lower than those in LL group and LH group (P<0.05). The apparent digestibility of OM in HH group and HL group was significantly higher than that in LL group and LH group from the 35~41 d of the trial (P<0.05). The apparent digestibility of OM in HH group and HL group was significantly higher than that in LL group (P<0.05), and the apparent digestibility of NDF was significantly higher than that in LL group and LH group at the 83~89 d of the trial (P<0.05). The apparent digestibility of feed N in HH group was significantly higher than that in LH group and LL group (P<0.05). The duration of food intake in HL group was significantly longer than that in LL group and LH group (P<0.05). The time and times of rumination in HH group were significantly higher than those in LL group and LH group (P<0.05). The belching times of LL group were significantly higher than those of HL group and HH group (P<0.05). The diarrhea rate and fecal score of cattle in HH group and HL group were significantly higher than those in LL group and LH group (P<0.05). The study indicates that the NDF level in the full price pellet feed is 45% and the feed particle size is 10 mm, the economic benefits and health status of beef cattle can be better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acid profile, physicochemical composition, and carcass traits of 32 young Nellore bulls were assessed following the supplementation of Acacia mearnsii extract at levels of 0, 10, 30, and 50 g/kg of total dry matter (DM) in a completely randomized experiment with four treatments and eight replicates. Adding 50 g/kg DM of condensed tannins (CT) from Acacia mearnsii in the bulls' diet reduced DM intake, average daily gain, and meat lipid oxidation (P ≤ 0.05). The pH, centesimal composition, collagen, and meat color indexes of the longissimus muscle were not altered by the addition of Acacia mearnsii (P > 0.05). Cooling loss increased (P = 0.049) linearly. Including Acacia mearnsii in diet reduced the Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF, P = 0.018) of longissimus muscle of the bulls. The concentration of C16:0, C17:0, C24:0, t 9,10,11,16–18:1, c 9 t 11–18:2, C18:2 n –6, C20:4 n –6, 20:5 n –3, 22:5 n –3, and 22:6 n –3 in the muscle increased due to the addition of Acacia in the diet (P ≤ 0.05), with the highest muscle concentrations caused by the addition of 10 to 30 g Acacia. c 9–18:1 and t 16–18:1 reduced linearly. ƩSFA, ƩBI, Ʃ cis – and ƩMUFA, Ʃ n –3, Ʃ n –6, and ƩPUFA (P ≤ 0.05) quadratically increased at higher concentrations of addition of Acacia , above 30 g /kg DM. It is recommended to include Acacia mearnsii extract up to 30 g/kg total DM in diets for young bulls as it improves CLA, PUFA and TI and reduces lipid oxidation. Acacia mearnsii extract as source of CT at 50 g/kg DM negatively impacted the young bulls performance. • 50 g/kg DM of Acacia mearnsii extract in the diet reduces growth performance in bulls. • Young bulls feeding on Acacia have less subcutaneous fat • Meat lipid oxidation activity reduces due to cattle's increasing acacia intake. • cacia mearnsii in the bulls' diet up to 30 g/kg DM improves CLA and PUFA in the meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our climate in North America has shifted to what appears to be a dry cycle reminiscent of the 1930s and 1950s. There are predictions of extended periods of drought and other climate perturbations interspersed with short periods of respite. Drought conditions in the High Plains and Southeastern U. S. in 2011 and 2012 resulted in destocking of cow-calf operations leading to shortages in feeder cattle supplies and record prices in 2015 and 2016, but these high prices were short lived with rapid rebuilding of the cowherd and return to stable cattle numbers. The drought that started in areas of the High Plains in 2021 and intensified throughout the region in 2022 and 2023, has again resulted in massive culling and destocking of the cowherd. Today the U.S. beef cowherd, estimated at just over 28 million cows, is the lowest since 1961. Relief from the low cattle numbers is not in sight because heifer retention numbers are also the lowest since 1950. The reduced cow numbers limit the potential calf crop and available feeder cattle supplies, but the issues can be more intrusive and have long term implications. Data from multiple cowherds in Northwestern Oklahoma (R. Prather, DVM; Ellis County Hospital, Shattuck, OK) shows reductions in AI and overall pregnancy rates as body condition decreases after timed artificial insemination and during natural service breeding in range cows. There are also indications of reduced fertility of replacement heifers retained from these cows in the subsequent year following nutritional and heat stress during pregnancy. Decreasing body condition of cows during late pregnancy decreases the volume and concentration of immunoglobulins in the colostrum, leading to long term health consequences on the offspring. With limited forage resources, calves tend to skip the stocker phase of production and enter feedlots for finishing at younger ages and lighter bodyweights. Research has shown that feeding younger calves decreases performance and body weight at slaughter and produces lighter fatter carcasses. Cows maintained on western rangelands with limited hay feeding are much more susceptible to changing forage conditions than cows maintained in more intensive operations in the eastern U. S., but mature weight of cows is increasing in all regions of the U. S., effectively increasing stocking rates and reducing resilience. Research in Arkansas showed that smaller cows weaned heavier calves and produced more weaning weight per hectare than larger cows during dry years with limited forage availability. Pasture and livestock management plans and nutritional intervention need to be in place in a timely manner to prevent swings in cattle numbers and negative impacts on long-term productivity of feeder calves in response to drought and other climate stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural is the property of Sociedade Brasileira de Economia e Sociologia Rural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many cattle producers and producer organizations are concerned that the live cattle negotiated market has become too thin. The percentage of live cattle procured through direct negotiations has declined below 20%, while the percentage procured through formulas has increased to more than 60%. Most formulas are based on directly negotiated cattle prices. Proposed legislation mandating that a larger percentage of live cattle be procured through negotiations represents a market intervention. We show that live cattle futures prices are good proxies for negotiated cash prices, while being less restrictive for meeting proposed cash cattle procurement percentage requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apple pomace is a solid waste derived from the apple processing industry. To foster sustainability, the apple processing industry must implement the circular economy model of biorefinery and treat apple pomace as a valuable source of apple seed oil. For the first time, this study dealt with the design, economic, and potential environmental impact assessment of biodiesel production from apple seed oil obtained from apple pomace. An Aspen Plus® and WAR® software were used to evaluate the designed biodiesel production. The main production steps were the supercritical CO2 extraction, the methanolysis of apple seed oil, the methanol recovery, and the biodiesel separation. The production facility was assumed to process 24 tons of apple seeds daily. The total capital and production costs were 1.26 US$ million and 2.82 US$ million, respectively. If revenues from selling apple seed meal as cattle feed were included, a biodiesel price could be 0.39 US$/kg. The process was environmentally friendly when apple seed meal was not treated as waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: cattle; livestock; mortality; GLM; risk based pricing EN cattle livestock mortality GLM risk based pricing 219 243 25 08/26/22 20220701 NES 220701 1 Introduction The agriculture sector plays a key role in developing economies. More importantly, as climate change is exuberating cattle mortality and morbidity, it is therefore essential that insurers explore developing index-based livestock insurance and alternative risk transfer mechanism like CAT-Bonds as well as parametric insurance by utilizing satellite images, the Internet of things (IoT) and sensor-based data on the risk characteristics of the animals, as well as weather-related parameters. Furthermore, these authors report that better animal rearing methods, such as maintaining regular cleanliness of cattle shelter facilities, adequate and balanced nutrition, and timely cattle-health management, significantly reduce cattle mortality. Because we want to estimate the probability of cattle mortality for each risk factor, and the cattle mortality data has a binary response (0/1), the binomial distribution was chosen to model the expected mortality rate. [Extracted from the article]

Simultaneous spikes in global prices of many agricultural commodities in recent years have induced an interest in quantifying the degree of synchronisation of these movements. We suggest a conceptual framework explaining why temporally varying price synchronisation may happen and propose the concordance index for the empirical measurement of the incidence, symmetry and permanence of synchronisation. We establish that the index generates insights into time series dynamics which are complementary to those obtained from cointegration analysis. We illustrate the approach with an application for the co-movement in cyclical components of pig and cattle prices in three Latin American countries. The findings reveal moderate synchronisation levels which show asymmetric instabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article uses actor network theory and the field of market studies to take a processual and relational approach to the alternative/mainstream food duality. Questions about how food systems or products make claim to be of the alternative or mainstream, and to what consequence, underpin the study. Analysis traces the making and shaping of two market versions for male dairy calves, a by-product of the dairy industry, often treated as ‘waste’ in the UK. Analysis focuses on the assemblage of actors, the breaking of matters of fact and shaping and communication of concerns, and at actions. Contrary to many approaches to the alternative, focus is paid to overlap between systems, knowledge and actors and simultaneous development of two products. From this, the ethicality of the mainstream, the continued duality and its consequences are discussed. Beyond seeing mainstream/alternative as co-constituted constructs, the two are symbiotic, mutually supportive and implicated in the circuit of culinary capital. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent years, livestock farming has been in the spotlight. Meat production is blamed for the pollution of aquifers and rivers, as well as for the large amount of water required to feed livestock. This has highlighted the need to find alternative feeding systems for cattle breeding able to reduce food/feed competition. In this context, the present study compares the water footprint (WF) of conventionally fed beef versus beef fed with vegetable by-products from the local agri-food industry. Twenty-four entire male young bulls were reared under the Ternera de Navarra Protected Geographic Identification (PGI) in the town of Azoz, in Navarra, Spain. Twelve calves were fattened on a diet based on vegetable by-products and fodder and grain to complement the ration (VBP diet) and the remaining animals were fattened with a traditional diet based on concentrate and straw (conventional or control diet). Once the fattening was finished and animals were slaughtered, the results showed a larger green, blue and grey WF in terms of m3 per beef cattle for conventionally fed animals compared to those fed with VBP. However, when looking at the efficiency, the results were mixed. Conventionally fed cattle exhibited lower green and grey WFs but a higher blue WF compared to VBP-fed cattle, with values of 9955 l/kg, 1577 l/kg and 1731 l/kg versus 10,147 l/kg, 1457 l/kg and 1831 l/kg of carcass beef, respectively. This means that a by-product-based calf diet can reduce blue water use. However, further research is needed on the indirect water pollution associated with animal-fed crop production. [Display omitted] • Circular economy actions and solutions need to be environmentally assessed. • Conventionally fed beef uses more water than vegetable by-product fed beef in terms of m3/beef. • Vegetable by-product fed beef increases blue water efficiency (l/kg). • Vegetable by-product fed beef may raise N water pollution per kg, but requires further study. • Beyond efficiency, total basin-specific water footprint assessments are needed, considering scarcity and pollution levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The semi-arid mulga lands of the Southern Rangelands of Western Australia experience frequent droughts. Maintaining a profitable animal grazing enterprise whilst preserving rangeland condition requires selecting an appropriate stocking rate and herd structure. We construct and apply bioeconomic models of beef enterprises for the semi-arid Southern Rangelands of Western Australia, to assess the profitability and relative riskiness of three different livestock production systems and three different stocking rates when exposed to different frequencies of drought. We construct bio-economic models of herd structures that separately focus on producing either: (i) 200 kg heifers and 210 kg steers (ii) live export of 340 kg heifers and 380 kg steers, or (iii) 500 kg heifers and 560 kg steers for local slaughter. The models are applied to assess the financial and production resilience of each herd structure for three different stocking rates, given the incidence of drought and various price scenarios. Comparing the three herd structures, option (iii) produces more kilograms of beef at an equivalent grazing pressure and recovers fastest from drought. Considering cattle prices over the 7-year period ending in 2021, live export and slaughter production systems generate comparable financial returns to graziers' actual reported results. Under two different scenarios of future prices, option (iii) provides the most profitable outcome. Applying a stocking rate that is 66% of a recommended stocking rate allows use of residual rangeland feed (known as 'haystack') during drought, generates greater profit, and produces a more stable herd size and income. Not matching the haystack with the longest modelled drought reduces the grazier's average annual profit by $172,000. The optimum herd structure identified in this study targets the production of 500 kg heifers and 560 kgs steers for local slaughter, and relies on a conservative stocking rate that leaves enough haystack to increase resilience if ever consecutive droughts occur. In the Southern Rangelands of Western Australia, there are financial and environmental merits in a herd structure that produces heavy steers and heifers for local slaughter yet is underpinned by conservative stocking rates. [Display omitted] • Semi arid beef production in Australia is prone to drought. • Bioeconomic modelling reveals drought resilient herd structures and stocking rates in the Southern Rangelands. • Producing heavy steers and heifers for local slaughter at conservative stocking rates provides resilience to drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demand for beef products grows in the Chinese market, understanding consumer preferences for beef, especially those related to quality labelling, is essential. The recent agreement between China and the European Union to promote Geographical Indications (GIs) provides a new insight into preferences for beef with quality labelling. This paper assesses consumer preferences for beef products with GIs and other attributes. A nationwide survey is conducted including 1210 respondents in China by a choice experiment attributing GI label, 'green', 'hazard-free', and 'organic' labels, feeding regimes (grain-fed, grass-fed), country of origin (China, Ireland, Australia, Brazil), and price (30, 40, 80, 100 ¥/500 g). The random parameter logit model with error component reveals that Chinese consumers have a significant preference for grain-fed beef and domestic beef, and they are willing to pay a premium price for GI-labelled beef compared with other attributes. The interaction between GIs and country of origin is included to indicate the positive price impact of GIs on imported beef products. Demographic factors such as place of residence and occupation are found to affect consumer preferences for GIs. • Geographical indications are appealing to Chinese beef consumers. • Geographical indications increase the preference of consumers for imported beef products over domestic beef products. • Willingness-to-pay for geographical indications are affected by place of residence. • Chinese consumers prefer grain-fed beef. • The effectiveness of geographical indications is influenced by product origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper evaluates the colour range obtained at the current stage of development of the industrial cross-breeding in dairy and beef cattle breeding in the agricultural sector. A definition is given for simple and complex colours of the skin and hair coat of cattle. The peculiarities and specifics of the different characteristics of the cattle species were studied. Proper industrial cross-breeding is the basis for the optimization of technological processes in cattle breeding. It allows to gather certain information needed to make optimal decisions, to release significant food resources and reduce the cost price of cattle production. The conducted descriptive and retrospective analysis shows that the problems are solvable when guidelines are drawn on how to maintain an onetype, colour model of the obtained crossings, using different systems of cross-breeding. Breeding by colour of the hair coat should be balanced by selection on other economic and physiological traits. The elite, purebred cattle breedscrossings, realize quality, vital and functional crossings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses challenges faced by cattle producers and ranchers that can lead to stress, anxiety and substance abuse. It mentions animal welfare as one of the issues of livestock caretakers where it discusses studies which shows link between animal care and positive mental health, discussed role of extension economists which include business planning, income security and risk management; and other discussed other points.

The large-scale diversion of crops into mandates-driven biofuels since early 2000s, has raised concerns about impacts of biofuel policies on food prices. This study examines crude oil-corn-livestock dynamic linkages from January 1987 until December 2019 in Ontario, Canada. A significant structural break is identified in March 2011 as biofuel policy impacts become fully implemented and splits the three-decade period into pre- and post-break sub-periods. A nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) approach is employed since it allows prices to be tied by asymmetric relationships both in the short- and long-run. The NARDL model bounds test results indicate that crude oil and corn prices have a long-run connection with livestock prices in both sub-periods. In the post-break period, corn price has an asymmetric effect on cattle price in the long-run, with negative shocks in the corn price leading to a greater intensity on the cattle price than positive shocks. The presence of short-run asymmetry is evident in the impacts of crude oil price on both cattle and hog prices. However, the above asymmetric effect is insignificant in the pre-break period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the end of 2020, prices for most major agricultural commodities had rebounded sharply from COVID-19-related disruptions. However, cattle prices have only recently reached pre-pandemic levels. The sluggish recovery in cattle prices was reinforced by major winter storms in early 2021, which resulted in significant losses to affected producers, and a May 2021 cyberattack on meatpacker JBS S.A., which caused significant production delays. Together, these disruptions have limited the industry's ability to recover from the pandemic and, alongside changing weather and consumer preferences, could have longer-term effects on the economic outlook for cattle producers. Cortney Cowley examines long-term pressures and prospects for the U.S. cattle sector. Going forward, U.S. cattle production faces three key pressures that may affect profitability: vulnerabilities along the supply chain; extreme weather conditions, particularly drought; and shifting demand from U.S. consumers. Although these pressures may shape cattle production in decades to come, growing international demand for U.S. beef--especially from emerging market economies--offers some prospects for industry profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of COVID-19 on meat and poultry supply chain and the relative wholesale prices of beef cuts in the U.S. Topics include how the changes in the relative value of different cuts within a beef carcass impact the profitability of that carcass for beef packers, distributors, retailers and food service and how consumers face retail prices of different beef items including filet Mignon and the relative spread among those prices may influence their beef buying decisions.