Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 9/12/11

Increased cow slaughter in the Southern Plains isn’t the only impact severe drought is having: Heifers and breeding cows shifted to other regions may help accelerate herd expansion already occurring in northern regions of the country, one analyst predicted.

“Drought liquidation may have an impact on beef herd culling in other regions for the remainder of the year,” Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Derrell Peel wrote in the university’s Cow/Calf Corner newsletter.

He noted that beef cow slaughter in regions outside the drought area rose over the past eight weeks, even though forage conditions in most of the rest of the country have ranged from very good to average.

 Therefore, that increased slaughter is likely not the result of poor forage conditions.

However, the movement of drought region cows into other regions may be changing normal culling patterns, explained Peel.  Producers with good forage may be culling early to take advantage of the opportunity to trade out cull cows for young cows from the drought zone or take in lease cows needing a new home.

Additionally, many heifers held for replacement in the drought region have also been liquidated making more replacements available to producers in other regions.

“The availability of heifers and breeding cows from the drought area may help accelerate the herd expansion already in place in northern regions of the country,” he concluded.

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