March 15, 2024

Here’s The Latest News Headlines In Ranching

3 minutes

It’s the Ranch It Up Radio Show Herd It Here Weekly Report! A 3-minute look at cattle markets, reports, news info, or anything that has to do with those of us who live at the end of dirt roads. Join Jeff 'Tigger' Erhardt, the Boss Lady Rebecca Wanner aka 'BEC' by subscribing on your favorite podcasting app or on the Ranch It Up Radio Show YouTube Channel.

EPISODE 20 DETAILS

TEXAS WILDFIRE CATTLE LOSSES RISE; PROCESSORS RISE TO THE OCCASION

Cattle losses from the historic Texas Panhandle wildfire are mounting, as ranchers and ag authorities assess the damage.

The count is at 7,000 head and rising as the cleanup from the Lone Star State’s largest-ever wildfire continues; the Texas Dept. of Agriculture expects to add thousands more to the tally. While that’s a small fraction of Texas’s nation-leading 12-million-head herd, the local effects are devastating.

The losses in Oklahoma are obviously fewer than Texas, but a multitude of donation centers have been set up just over the border in Oklahoma, including that of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Foundation. The link for them is in the show notes along with other organizations rallying together that are coordinating donations like the Working Ranch Cowboys Association, The Texas Farm Bureau, and the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Head to ranchitupshow.com to find their direct links.

WHERE TO DONATE

A number of organizations are working very hard to help manage the donations that are coming in across the country. Here are a few places to look into should you want to donate and assist.

Working Ranch Cowboys Association

https://wrca.org/

@wrcarodeo

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

https://tscra.org/

@tscra

Texas Farm Bureau

https://texasfarmbureau.org/

@TexasFarmBureau

Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Foundation

https://www.oklahomacattlemensfoundation.com/wildfire-disaster-relief

Fire & Smoke Map

https://fire.airnow.gov/

CANADA INVESTS IN ANIMAL DISEASE PREVENTION

Our friends to the north are investing in animal disease prevention. The Canadian government announced an investment of C$1.7 million to Animal Health Canada (AHC) to support its role in preventing foreign animal diseases such as African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

Nearly C$1 million of the funds from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s African Swine Flu Industry Preparedness Program will help AHC coordinate prevention efforts against an African Swine Flu outbreak on Canada’s swine industry.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is contributing nearly C$698,000 to AHC to support efforts over the next two years to boost preparedness for African Swine Flu and Foot and Mouth Disease. The money will fund surveillance data analysis, training, and the development of a vaccine strategy in the event of a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in Canada.

The announcement comes as African Swine Flu continues to spread to new lands. Albania, for example, reported its first case last week, making it the 28th European country to confirm African Swine Flu since it was first found on the continent in 2007.

BEEF PACKER MARGINS IMPROVE BUT REMAIN DEEPLY RED

Despite some improvements, beef packer margins continue to struggle in 2024.

According to the latest Sterling Beef Profit Tracker, packer margins for the week ending March 2 were -$105.69/head, versus a profit of $8.17/head a year ago.

Higher feed costs, meanwhile, contributed to a $1.75/head loss for feedlot margins the week ending March 2, down from a $14.19 profit a week ago (but above early February’s $54.31 loss). A year ago, feedlot margin was a profit of $170.02/head.

Annual projections still have feedlot margins at a $132.75 profit for 2024, down from $264.47 in 2023; packer margins, meanwhile, are currently estimated at a $36 loss this year, versus a flat $0.22 profit in 2023. Again, that is according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker.