CALF_News_April_May_2021

27 CALF News • April | May 2021 • www.calfnews.net TEXAS FEED FAT CO., INC. P.O. Box 1790 • Durant, Oklahoma 74702 Ted Kirkpatrick, Owner We specialize in Quality Feed Fat and Quality Service. Leaders in the feed fat industry since 1974! With 2 locations to serve you. Call Us Today! TEXAS FEED FAT CO., INC. Durant, Oklahoma Kirk Sehi (580) 924-1890 Hereford, Texas (806) 363-6490 No Grass. No Vitamin E or Vitamin A. “Calves born to cows during winter, early-spring and drought conditions are more likely to be Vitamin A and Vitamin E deficient and may experience ‘weak-calf syndrome.’ ” - Dr. Rob Stuart, founder of Stuart Products, Inc. VITAL E -Newborn ® You have tried VITAL E A+D, now try our new formulation designed for newborn calves, VITAL E-Newborn. Compared to VITAL E-A+D, it provides 66% more Vitamin E, 500% more Vitamin D, and the most “bioavailable form” of Vitamin A. See dramatic improvement in Vitamin A and E status when injected with 5 mL of VITAL E-Newborn at birth. 800-747-4538 · Beef.StuartProducts.com Research-based Solutions . . . for Animal Nutrition Needs Keep an Eye on China As China continues to recover from their African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak, they are changing the structure of their pork industry. Small farmers in rural China often kept a few hogs on their properties. They were generally fed on table scraps or may have been pastured. Since ASF has wiped out many of these herds, this scenario has been replaced by large corporate hog farms using the most modern genetics and for- mulated corn and soybean based rations. This, importantly, will open the door to U.S. exports of corn to China in 2021, as the pork industry continues to rebuild. They are also likely to import a large amount of soybeans. Rounding out his presentation, Murphy predicted hay prices to hover around $160/ton, with a wide variation in prices, and crude oil to reach $75/barrel later in the year. Cattle Kevin Good, CattleFax vice president of industry relations, led his presentation by saying that we have about one-third fewer cattle in the U.S. than in 1980, yet we are producing more beef. The efficiency of our cattle production is remark- able, and the consumer needs to know. Charts indicate the demand for beef is increasing in what is going to be a dry year. Cow slaughter will remain steady, and drought conditions will contribute to a “mild liquidation.” Beef slaughter numbers are slated to increase in 2021, after 2020’s “Black Swan” backup of cattle unable to go to harvest. These heavy cattle continue to work their way through the system, clearing the way for more moderate weights in 2021. Cattle on feed numbers are expected to be up 2.4 percent, and should enjoy higher prices the second half of the year. Total 2021 slaughter will reach 33.5 million head. The growth of beef exports to China will be a necessary benefit. Beef production will top out at 470 million pounds in 2021, up 1.7 percent. Pork will drop 1.5 percent, and will chicken remain stable at a 0.1 percent increase. Total meat exports will grow a healthy 5 percent. The USDA Choice-and-higher grade of 83 percent is projected to drop back a point as more moderate-weight cattle make their way to harvest. Emphasizing the importance of export markets, Good related that 20 percent of the value of fed cattle can be attrib- uted to export demand. Much of these exports are offal prod- ucts and items not consumed in the United States. Good’s Price Projections Fed steers are projected to bring $119/cwt. in 2021, with three to five years of tight supplies ahead. The fourth quarter should bring the highest prices. 800-lb. steers should average $145/cwt., with a $135 to $160 range. Calves are looking at a $168/cwt. average, with a range of $160 to $180. Good expects a rally at year’s end. Cull cows will average $64/cwt. and bred stock $1600. Continued on page 31 