DROUGHT MAY IMPACT CATTLE SUPPLIES
Meatnews.com
The extremely dry conditions in the Northern Plains region may force ranchers to liquidate their herds.
Extremely dry conditions are causing anxiety among cattle producers in Nebraska and South Dakota, University of Nebraska Crop Watch relays. Many areas in western and central Nebraska are again facing severe drought. However, this year’s drought is different from the previous ones and may force livestock producers to make some hard feeding decisions, Bruce Anderson, a forage specialist at the University of Nebraska, emphasized.
Hay is running between $80 and $100 a ton, so the economics of producers feeding their way out of drought have changed dramatically. Before, producers could find hay for $30, $40 or at most, $60 per ton. Grain prices are also up.