Cattle Imports and Exports in North America

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

 

The integration of beef and cattle markets in North America includes trade in live cattle between Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.  The most recent monthly trade data adds to the picture of cattle flows for the period January – July this year.  For the year to date, U.S. cattle imports total 951,910 head, down 6.3 percent year over year.   Total cattle exports thus far in 2022 are 192,415 head, down 36.7 percent from the record cattle export total last year.  Net cattle imports for the January – July period are 759.495 head, up 6.7 percent year over year.  

 

Cattle imports from Mexico for the year to date are down 30.2 percent year over year.  The seven-month year to date total of 488,449 head is the smallest for the period since 2009.  Over 99 percent of cattle imports from Mexico consist of feeder cattle, which includes 84.6 percent steers and 15.4 percent heifers thus far in 2022.  Cattle exports to Mexico for the year to date include 64,226 head, up 73.7 percent year over year, of which 79.9 percent are feeder cattle, with the remainder purebred beef and dairy animals.  Net cattle imports from Mexico are down 36.0 percent from last year.  

 

Cattle imports from Canada include both slaughter and feeder cattle.  For the January – July period, total cattle imports from Canada are 463,461 head, up 46.7 percent year over year.  This total includes 307,302 head of slaughter cattle consisting of 40.1 percent slaughter cows/bulls and 59.9 percent fed steers and heifers.  Imports of slaughter cows/bulls are up 13.8 percent year over year and imports of fed cattle are up 28.4 percent over last year.  A total of 146,845 head of feeder cattle have been imported from Canada in the first seven months of the year, with heifers making up 78.9 percent of total feeder imports.   Feeder cattle imports are up 152.6 percent year over year for the January – July period.

 

U.S. exports of feeder cattle to Canada account for 96.2 percent of the total 120,594 head of cattle exports to Canada in the January – July period this year.  This is down 52.7 percent from the record level of cattle exports to Canada in 2021.  Combined net feeder cattle imports from Mexico and Canada are down 2.7 percent year over year for the first seven months of 2022.  

 

Although cattle imports and export totals sound large in absolute numbers, the role of imported cattle is rather modest in domestic markets.  Imports of slaughter cows/bulls for the first seven months of 2022 accounted for 2.8 percent of total cow and bull slaughter in the U.S. during the period.  Imported fed cattle accounted for 1.2 percent of total steer and heifer slaughter during the same period.  Net imports of feeder cattle from Mexico and Canada from January – July represented 1.3 percent of the estimated feeder supply on July 1. 

 

 

Ask for a Feed Analysis Report on Hay Before Buying or Feeding 

Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist

 

Winter is coming.  Drought, deteriorating pasture conditions and short hay inventories in Oklahoma and the surrounding states of Texas, Missouri and Kansas, has most cow-calf operations scrambling to secure hay supplies for the coming winter.  Given the current situation it can come as a relief to just find hay to purchase.  That being said, it is still important to ask for a FEED ANALYSIS REPORT of the hay before you agree to buy.  Among the consequences of wide scale lack of moisture is fields planted to produce a cereal grain crop become drought stressed and are reduced to a hay crop.  The hay resulting from these intended cereal grains is potentially of excellent quality and feed value but sorghum (corn or milo) hay needs to be evaluated for nitrate levels.  OSU Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet PSS-2903 offers a closer look at Nitrate Toxicity in Livestock.  This fact sheet explains the levels of nitrates that are considered safe or dangerous, as well as feeding strategies for forage and hay supplies of varying nitrate levels.

 

Additional information gained through testing hay for nutritional content includes:

• Dry Matter and Moisture Content
• Crude Protein (CP%)
• Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN%) measuring the Energy level.  Other estimates of energy obtained include Net Energy for maintenance, lactation and growth.
• Relative Feed Value (RFV)
   

This information can be used to compare “apples -to-apples” when buying hay. Forage quality varies not only among different plant species, but also within forage species.  As well, forage quality of a specific variety can vary based on conditions such as soil fertility, drought stress and stage of maturity at harvest.  For example: Bermudagrass hay can vary widely in nutritional content.  If you had the opportunity to purchase Bermudagrass hay at $200/ton that tested 18% CP and 60% TDN or Bermudagrass hay at the same price that tested 7% CP and 55% TDN, which is the better buy?  Both may appear the same to the naked eye but a nutrient analysis permits you to make the better buy.  Furthermore it permits you to plan a feeding program knowing how much cows should consume and how much is needed to meet cows nutritional requirements.  The same advantages hold true for hay you already have on inventory.  The best single measure of forage quality is animal productivity.  To ensure animal productivity, assess your forage supply and modify the animal diet before consumption.  OSU Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet PSS-2117 offers deeper insight to Forage Quality Interpretations.

 

References

• Forage Quality Interpretations
• Nitrate Toxicity in Livestock

 

 

Vaccine Handling

Brian Freking, SE District Extension Livestock Specialist

 

Studies from the University of Arkansas1, the University of Nevada2, and the University of Idaho3 have indicated that veterinary vaccine product efficacy is at risk due to improper handling and storage.  Most animal vaccines require maintenance at refrigeration temperatures of 35-45℉.  Yet these studies showed that anywhere from 25% to 76% of refrigerators used for vaccine storage in the livestock industry failed to maintain these temperatures.

 

In addition, other improper handling and storage procedures, including exposing vaccine to ultraviolet light from the sun or to temperature extremes and using improper injection techniques, can render vaccine less efficacious or even useless.  Livestock do not gain immunity from vaccines that are damaged, destroyed, or altered through improper handling and storage practices.

 

Two common types of vaccine are killed (K) and modified live (MLV).  Killed vaccines are made by growing an organism that is inactivated or killed by utilizing chemicals or heat.  Modified-live vaccines are made with a virus or bacterium that is attenuated, or weakened, so the organism will not cause disease in most healthy animals but will still stimulate immunity.  Killed vaccines are considered safer but typically not designed for long term immunity.  Modified-live vaccines need to be reconstituted as they are not stable in solution.  Therefore, when mixing MLV you should use the product within 2 hours and kept cool thus the need for a cooler as a good management practice for storing syringe guns as shown. The advantage of MLV products is they generally promote a longer active immune response.

 

Refrigeration temperature monitors can be a good investment.  Monitor and record temperatures at least weekly.  Consider the age of the appliance and the location (barn, porch, or other storage areas) of the refrigerator.  Refrigerator location can have a substantial impact on how efficiently the refrigerator operates.  For example, a refrigerator kept in a non-insulated barn may be adversely affected by high and low ambient temperature extremes.  These temperature extremes can damage products stored inside the refrigerator.

 

BQA Tips to remember:

1. Do NOT use vaccines that are or have been frozen
2. Never enter the vaccine bottle with a used needle
3. Practice good sanitation of equipment and the working environment
4. Triple rinse repeating syringes with boiling water and don’t use a disinfectant as this may inactivate vaccines following cleaning
5. Record product lot numbers, administration dates, and withdrawal times
6. Read and follow label instructions
7. Maintain vaccination records for a minimum of 3 years 
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

¹Troxel, T.R., and B.L. Barham.  2009. Case Study: The temperature Variability of Refrigerators Storing Animal Health Products. The Professional Animal Scientist 25:202-206.

²Torrell, R. 2006. Back to Basics: Frozen Vaccines. Angus Beef Bulletin Oct.:72, 74

³Fife, T.E., J.B. Glaze, Jr., K.S. Jensen, N.Rimbey, S.L. Kane, S.D. Baker, J. Church, S.J. Etter, D. Gunn, G. Keetch, S. Nash, S. Williams, and R.L.Wilson. 2013. Animal Health Product Handling and Management by Idaho Producers and Retailers. The Professional Animal Scientist 29:313-320.