Cattle Market Complexities: South Florida

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

 

The U.S. cattle and beef industry is arguably one of the most complex set of markets in the world.  One of many factors that adds to cattle industry complexity is the wide range of environments and the diverse production systems that are used to successfully produce cattle in those environments.  Cattle production is the primary use of forages across the country with cattle necessarily produced in climates ranging from sub-alpine to sub-tropical.  Cow-calf and stocker production take advantage of the climatic adaptability of mammals and the flexibility of ruminant biology to utilize a wide range of grazing resources in all parts of the country.

 

At one extreme of production environments in the country is the cattle industry in south Florida.  Last week I had the pleasure and honor to travel with a group of Extension professionals from the South Florida Beef and Forage Program as they traveled to Oklahoma and Texas to see and learn about the destination of Florida calves.  Almost all Florida calves are shipped north and west to stocker operations and feedlots in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. These calves originate in a unique environment that not only impacts the production systems used for cow-calf production, but also how they are managed after shipping and ultimately how they are marketed for harvest.

 

The cow-calf production environment in south Florida provides production opportunities and challenges.  The sub-tropical environment provides ample precipitation and year-around frost-free forage production.  Use of Bos indicus genetics in cows is advantageous.  However, some production practices must be adapted in respect to the hot and humid climate. Many beef cows are fall-calving with calves weaned in July or August.  It is not a good environment to wean calves, so many calves are shipped west directly off the cow. This is a compromise to the common recommendation of preconditioning calves prior to shipping.  Florida calves typically receive a solid vaccination program as suckling calves to prepare them for shipping and receiving at a far-away destination. Florida calves typically require a longer receiving program after shipping but perform well after receiving. Florida producers and western feedlots develop a relationship, and everyone knows what to expect.

 

Last week, the Florida extension group visited a cattle auction, several feedlots, a packing plant, research facilities, and finance and marketing companies in Texas and Oklahoma to better understand issues and challenges of Florida cattle in later stages of the supply chain.  Florida calves typically arrive at western stocker and feedlot operations in late summer or early fall. Generally, the earlier in the fall the better, as variable fall and cold winter weather causes lots of health problems for calves arriving with thin hides and little hair from subtropical conditions unless they have sufficient time to acclimate.

 

The first challenge of cow-calf production anywhere is to utilize cows adapted to whatever environment they are in.  This impacts the size, type and condition of resulting calves.  While few environments in the U.S. are as unique as south Florida, it is important for cow-calf producers everywhere to understand how their calves fit into the industry – who wants them, how they are used, and how they contribute to the broader role of beef production.  The beef cattle industry is remarkably complex and does an incredible job of utilizing cattle of all shapes and sizes produced all over the country.

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Benefits of Early Culling Open Breeding Heifers

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

 

Early culling of open breeding heifers has several benefits to your cow-calf operations bottom line. Pregnancy can be diagnosed by palpation at 60 days and by ultrasound as early as 30 days, so now is the now is the time to take action and cull the open heifers. In addition to reducing grazing pressure on pastures there are several other long-term benefits. Typically, we should expect well developed yearling heifers, at 65% of their mature weight, going into their first breeding season to conceive in a fairly short (45- 60 days) breeding season. The easiest time in a beef breeding females' life to get bred, should be as a well-developed yearling heifer.  Because of this, culling open heifers as soon as possible leads to:

 

• Improving the long-term reproductive performance of your cowherd. Reproductive traits are low in heritability; nevertheless, culling open heifers will improve the genetic potential for reproductive performance in your cowherd by eliminating the sub-fertile heifers. From a business standpoint, reproductive success (percent calf crop weaned) is of critical economic importance in the cow-calf sector.
• Culling open yearling heifers right now still gives them the potential to be marketed as yearlings. At this age they still have the potential to finish out while in the A maturity group and harvest as fed cattle reaching the most valuable Quality Grades (Choice and Prime).

It is good management practice to breed heifers to calve a little ahead of our mature cow herd. It permits us to concentrate our management efforts during the heifer’s calving season and, as importantly, to give them a little extra time to breed back and calve on schedule the following year. With this in mind, hold your replacement heifers accountable. Cull opens as soon as practical to save on feed bills, capture their maximum value and improve the fertility of your cow herd.

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The Links Between Cow-Calf, Stocker, and Feedlot Segments of the Beef Industry

Paul Beck, OSU Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist

 

The beef industry is often described in segments—calves start on the ranch, many go through a stocker or backgrounding phase, and then enter the feedlot. But what happens early in a calf’s life doesn’t just stay there. Health, nutrition, and management decisions made before weaning or during grazing ripple forward, shaping feedlot performance, carcass quality, and ultimately consumer demand.

 

A recent Applied Animal Science Special Issue highlighted how pre-weaning and stocker management affect cattle performance later in the feeding phase and at harvest (DOI: 10.15232/aas.2025-02716). Here are a few key takeaways:

 

Health Matters Most

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is still one of the costliest health challenges. Calves treated for BRD during receiving gained less on pasture, entered the feedlot lighter, and finished with lower carcass weights. They didn’t “catch up” later, showing the value of preventing sickness.

 

Nutrition Has Mixed Carryover

Research showed limited long-term impacts of cow or stocker nutrition. Winter supplementation of cows did not consistently affect later calf performance. Distillers grains boosted gains on pasture, but advantages disappeared in the feedlot. Beef × dairy crosses responded to higher early-life nutrition with better growth and marbling, but compensatory gains were mostly confined to early finishing.

 

Management Leaves a Mark

Calves weaned with low-stress methods or grown as yearlings tended to produce heavier carcasses with better quality grades than those shipped directly to the feedlot. Weaning strategy, grazing management, stocking rate, and calving season all influenced growth and carcass outcomes, though results were sometimes inconsistent.

 

What This Means for Producers

The most consistent message is that healthy, well-managed calves perform better all the way through the beef system. Preventing BRD, castrating before marketing, and using low-stress weaning methods are management decisions that continue paying off beyond the ranch gate. Nutrition programs support short-term growth but don’t always carry over into finishing.

 

Early management decisions echo throughout the beef production chain. Keeping calves healthy and reducing stress is the surest way to add value in every segment.