September 2021 Cattle Projections
Posted: September 9, 2021 | Written By: Heidi Doering-Resch, Form-A-Feed
September 2021 Cattle Projections
Cattle numbers for the month of September are a little up and down due to some up and down calf prices as well as a little softening of the live cattle board. Grain prices have also hit some softening but not all are following this trend. Distillers continues to be a volatile market with prices increasing as plants are able to dry and rail-dry distillers grains for export. Feedlot operators in drought and hailed-out areas are also looking to contract-up more product so demand has increased as well. Corn prices have softened as we near harvest time but these drops in price may not carry over to cheaper cattle for long as we continue to see a lower number of calves in the cow/calf cycle. As we look at the coming year and cattle numbers, it’s important to understand that there are also some nice loads of Holstein or Holstein crosses available many times throughout the year if pens become available and native cattle aren’t an option to feed or get hard to find. If you have concerns about how to best start these cattle please feel free to reach out to your local Form-A-Feed representative and they will be able to assist you.
The native cattle calf run has been spread out due to the drought in our feeding areas. Many feedlots are now just getting a feel on their silage and forage needs to feel secure about bringing cattle into their grow yards. Some last minute wind and hail storms has made for some interesting harvest and budget changes to some areas. Remember to ask your nutritionist about ways to help you be sure you are still gaining the most value out of these storm damaged crops, and making sure they are safe to feed. Form-A-Feed has value-tested products for both field time application and for those moments when feed quality is in question. Be sure to test this years corn for both nitrates and mold/yeast as our regions have been so diverse in the amount of rain and storm damage seen.
As always, the cattle that perform the best and maximize their pounds to gain continue to be the ones making money. Continue to ask questions about how to best manage the group of cattle in your care. As we enter a time when both weights and quality will start to decline, its important to continue to not get complacent. New technologies both nutritionally and technologically are making it easier to produce more pounds with less resources; Let your local Form-A-Feed representative talk to you about what might work best for your scenario.
As we enter into harvest season please be sure to stay safe, remember to be resilient in checking bunks and cattle and don’t forget to take time to be gracious and thankful that we have another opportunity to feed out the genetics we have worked so hard to excel and produce.