We’ll have more cows to keep healthy this year, but producers will likely see profits decline. For animal health pros, this is sweet and sour. It means more doses but they have less value to producers. This signals the need for re-promoting comprehensive health plans at all levels of production visit by visit. When markets decline, animal health products are often overlooked. Veterinarians and representatives can underscore the total value of prevention as the best method to ensure that quality meat goes to market during these periods and help producers optimize their production outputs.
Source: Meatingplace, January 25, 2016.
The lowest cow slaughter in a decade points to what could be a significant rate of herd rebuilding and pressure on beef prices this year, USDA said in its January “Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook” report.
Total commercial cow slaughter for 2015 is expected to be the lowest since 2005 and about 13 percent below the average for the last 29 years, USDA said. Beef cow slaughter alone is running 29 percent below the average for the period and would be a record low.