It’s time to consider winter enterprise options with updated forecasts. Today we’ll review profitability outcomes for winter wheat and winter stocker operations, and revisit a few tools that can help you with fall decision-making. [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week 9/13/2021 – Updated Winter Wheat & Winter Stocker Budgets
High Plains Ag Week 9/6/2021 – Livestock Risk Protection, Plus Pancho Abello Joins the Blog
Rural scenes in Burleson and Washington counties on April 7, 2021. (Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
Ranchers face many risks associated with cattle marketing as we have seen last year with the pandemic. Any good marketing plan requires the knowledge of the available tools in the market that we can used. Each of these tools have their own advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to know them as well as their impact in our operation before making any decision. Today, in his first article as a new author for the Amarillo AgEcon Blog, Pancho Abello, AgriLife Extension Economist for District 3, reviews the Livestock Risk Protection Program.
High Plains Ag Week 5/17/2021 – Retained Ownership Estimates for 2021
We are approaching the end of graze-out season for stocker calves on winter wheat. What are your options? What kind of price can you expect for feeder calves at the sale barn? Is there any profit in retaining ownership in 2021? [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week 5/17/2021 – Retained Ownership Estimates for 2021
High Plains Ag Week 5/10/2021 – Review of Annual Livestock Slaughter Report
In April USDA released the Annual Livestock Slaughter summary. You’ve probably heard about chicken shortages popping up. We all experienced the impacts of low meat processing capacity last year at the onset of the pandemic. With all of these disruptions, how did total production pan out in 2020? [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week 5/10/2021 – Review of Annual Livestock Slaughter Report
High Plains Ag Week 5/3/2021 – How profitable are your supplemental feeding decisions?
What is the value of supplemental feeding? Should I feed hay? How much? What is the financial gain or loss? With the drought worsening across Texas and the western U.S. it is vital to find the most cost effective supplemental feeding strategy available. [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week 5/3/2021 – How profitable are your supplemental feeding decisions?
High Plains Ag Week 4/26/2021 – Review of First Quarter Fed Cattle Negotiated Trade Part 2
In July 2020, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for a voluntary framework to “increase frequent and transparent negotiated trade to regionally sufficient level” to achieve robust price discovery. A set of “triggers” evaluated on a quarterly basis form the framework. Today is the second in a two-part post on the results of Q1. How did each region perform during Q1? What are the takeaways from these outcomes?
High Plains Ag Week 4/19/2021 – Review of First Quarter Fed Cattle Negotiated Trade Part 1
In July 2020, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced support for a voluntary framework to “increase frequent and transparent negotiated trade to regionally sufficient level” to achieve robust price discovery. A set of “triggers” evaluated on a quarterly basis form the framework. Today is the first in a two-part post on the results of Q1. What led to the voluntary framework and what is the 75% Plan?
High Plains Ag Week 3/1/2021 – Gain or Grain?
March 15 is the deadline for many crop insurance decisions. That means the time has come for producers of grazed wheat to make the decision; will gain or grain be the more profitable enterprise in 2021?
[Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week 3/1/2021 – Gain or Grain?
High Plains Ag Week 2/22/2021 – Cattle
Today I’m wrapping my February series on the state of commodity markets for several Texas High Plains commodities. Today I’ll discuss the challenges facing the cattle market, and reasons for some optimism moving forward. You can see similar posts for the wheat, corn, sorghum, and cotton markets by visiting my earlier February posts. Next week we’ll visit the ‘gain vs. grain’ decision for winter wheat and that all-important March 15 decision.
Photo Credit: Tiffany Dowell Lashmet
High Plains Ag Week 1/25/2021 – Review of LFP
The application deadline for the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) is coming at the end of this week. Today I revisit a post from the fall on how LFP works. I’ve also included updated versions of USDA’s county maps for eligible payment months by forage crop. [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week 1/25/2021 – Review of LFP