North American Live Cattle Trade

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

 

Live cattle trade is part of the integrated markets for beef and cattle in North America. Canada and Mexico account for 100 percent of U.S. cattle imports and 95 percent of cattle exports. Total cattle imports have averaged 1.93 million head annually over the past ten years with a high of 2.36 million head in 2014 to a low in 2022 of 1.63 million. Total cattle imports average roughly 73 percent feeder cattle and about 27 percent slaughter cattle, with less than one percent breeding cattle.

 

Cattle imports from Canada have averaged about 795 thousand head per year in the past decade and consists of a diverse set of slaughter steers and heifers, slaughter cows and bulls, feeder cattle and breeding cattle. In the last five years, cattle imports from Canada have consisted of an average of 43.0 percent fed steers and heifers for immediate slaughter, consisting of a mix of 43.8 percent fed steers and 56.2 percent fed heifers. Cattle imports from Canada have included an average of 29.4 percent slaughter cows and bulls (84.1 percent cows and 15.9 percent bulls). Another 25.9 percent of cattle imports from Canada are feeder steers and heifers, with an average mix of 24.4 percent steers and 75.6 percent heifers.

 

U.S. imports of cattle from Mexico have averaged 1.14 million head per year for the last ten years. Annual imports in the last decade have ranged from a high of 1.44 million head in 2020 to a low of 871 thousand head in 2022. Over the last 30 years, imports of cattle from Mexico have varied from a high of 1.65 million in 1995 to a low of 456 thousand head in 1996. Imports of Mexican cattle average 99.8 percent feeder cattle with just a few slaughter and breeding animals.

 

The U.S. exports relatively few live cattle compared to cattle imports. Over the past ten years, cattle exports have averaged 241 thousand head, ranging from a low of just under 69 thousand head in 2016 to a high of nearly 511 thousand head in 2021. The total cattle exports in 2021 were the highest in 47 years of available data. Canada and Mexico combined account for 96 percent of total cattle exports in recent years, with roughly 86 percent exported to Canada and 14 percent to Mexico. Roughly 98 percent of cattle exports to Canada are listed as crossbred feeder cattle with the remainder breeding cattle. Exports of cattle to Mexico increased sharply in 2021 and 2022 and consisted of roughly 81 percent crossbred feeder cattle.

 

Perspective is important to understand the relative magnitude of North American cattle trade. Total imports of feeder cattle have equaled an average of 3.9 percent of the annual U.S. calf crop in the past five years. Imports of fed steers and heifers represented 1.2 percent of total fed slaughter and imported slaughter cows and bulls have averaged 2.9 percent of total cow and bull slaughter in the last five years.

 

For the first seven months of 2023, total cattle imports are up 12.4 percent year over year. Cattle imports from Canada are down 16.2 percent for the year to date while cattle imports from Mexico are up 39.6 percent over the 14-year low in 2022.

 

Capture Data at Weaning

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

 

Sound management decisions to improve genetics, management practices and profit potential of cow-calf operations should be based on data. This comes in two forms: financial data and production performance data. The day-to-day management responsibilities involved in beef production can leave very little time to assess the overall performance of the herd or financial records. From time to time, it is important to step back and evaluate our production system. For spring calving herds, weaning time is happening now or will happen soon. Weaning time is the best time of year to measure, quantify and document herd performance. Why? Because it is likely the ONLY day of the year in cow-calf production that ALL our beef herd inventory is caught and can be processed. This creates the potential to not only weigh calves but also the opportunity to preg check, evaluate and weigh our cows. Herd health practices like de-worming and vaccinating can be performed. If we have an ink pen and note pad, adequate facilities and labor on hand, weaning day can yield a bounty of information which can be assessed to drive better management decisions.

 

What information should we collect?

• Pregnancy status of the cow herd
• Weight of Cows
• Weight of Calves
• Some metric for evaluating udders, eyes, feet and legs, temperament. Depending on how thorough and the duration of your record keeping and what you know about the age of your cows, it may be important to evaluate mouths and teeth.
• Body Condition

 

What can we learn from this data?

Cows are the production factory in a cow-calf operation. They consume pasture plants and return nutrients to the soil and plants in the form of urine and manure. The cow herd requires input expenses, there is opportunity cost on the dollars we have tied up in our cow inventory and pasturelands. The only opportunity to operate at a profit is when the production factory yields a weaned calf of greater value than the annual cost of owning and operating the production factory. The data collected can inform you about the efficiency of your production factory.

 

The ebb and flow of the cattle cycle and the nation's cow inventory impacting the value of cattle is well documented. Markets look robust for the next several years. Production records like the percentage of breeding females exposed that actually raised a calf to weaning, the percentage of calves born that survived to weaning and the percentage of our cow's mature weight that they are weaning off are some important benchmarks of cow productivity. They serve as a means to determine efficiency and can be used to improve management and selection decisions that will result in more profitability. All of these benchmarks of productivity can be calculated from the data captured at weaning. Seize the opportunity.

 

Sustainable Internal Parasite Control in Cattle

Rosslyn Biggs, DVM, OSU Cooperative Extension State Beef Cattle Specialist John Gilliam, DVM, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, Food Animal Production Medicine and Field Service. Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

 

 

Anthelmintic (dewormer) resistance is a growing concern and OSU researchers are evaluating levels in Oklahoma beef cattle herds through ongoing studies. This research is important for the cattle industry in developing parasite management strategies that preserve the effectiveness of dewormers while maintaining cattle production levels for the future.

 

A recent study by Drs. John Gilliam, Jared Taylor, and Ruth Scimeca of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine evaluating Oklahoma beef cattle herds provided evidence that internal parasite resistance is indeed present in the state.

 

Beginning in 2020, beef cow-calf producers submitted fecal samples for fecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT). Seventeen herds participated and all major classes of dewormers were represented. Anthelmintic administration practices were not controlled, and producers were encouraged to follow their standard procedures. Fecal egg counts (FEC) were determined using the Wisconsin method with a limit of detection of one egg per gram (EPG). Three herds were excluded from the final analysis as the FEC in those groups were too low.

 

Of the sixteen groups of cattle included in the final analysis, 13 exhibited resistance based on the average of individual FECRT. Based on the results of this small survey, anthelmintic resistance appears to be widespread in beef cow-calf herds in Oklahoma.

Currently the OSU beef cattle extension and veterinary teams are continuing work in this area. Drs. John Gilliam, Dave Lalman, Paul Beck, and Rosslyn Biggs are conducting a larger survey of Oklahoma herds to determine parasite resistance to different dewormers. Herds interested in participating can contact their extension county agricultural educator, area extension livestock specialist, or visit https://okstatecasnr.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cAtiVIHwoLyow50 for more information on the sign-up.

 

The current study plans to collect data from at least 50 different groups of cattle dispersed around the state. Samples can be collected from now through first killing frost (generally early November) and then again through spring and summer 2024. Fecal samples will be collected from twenty to thirty animals within the same stage of production. Good handling facilities must be available for safe restraint of all animals and personnel collecting the samples.