Fewer cattle and a higher
demand for beef are help
ing send cattle prices
higher, said Dr. Tom Troxel,
associate department direc
tor-animal science for the U
of A Division of Agriculture.
USDA reported the small
est April 1 cattle-on-feed in
ventory since 2004. The 10.8
million head on feed was
3.5 percent lower than last
year and 5.8 percent lower
than the previous five-year
average. It is also about
70,000 head less than what
the trade expected prior to
the report’s release.
The average price for a medium-to-large frame, No. 1 muscle, 475-pound steer calf is $129 per hundred weight.
“That’s an average of $612 per head,” Troxel said. “A year ago the same calf would have sold for $527, or $85 per head less.”
“As the market stands right now, the more weight a cattle producer can put on a calf from grazing quality forages, the more money he or she will make,” Troxel said.
-Column provided by University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Extension Service
News, Pages 12 on 05/26/2010