As everyone knows by now, the total number of cattle in the U.S. herd is historically low. One of the ways that the low supply is being compensated for to meet the high demand for beef is by keeping cattle on feed longer and feeding them to heavier finishing weights. Dr. Derrell Peel, the extension livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University, says those heavier weights are having an impact.
There are also downsides to feeding cattle to heavier weights, including additional stress for the animals.
Peel says the numbers in the latest Cattle on Feed Report shouldn’t change much in the current cattle landscape.
That was Dr. Derrell Peel of Oklahoma State University.
