The Cattle Business Weekly
For cattlemen, by cattlemen is this podcast bringing you the latest in cattle industry headlines straight from the news desk of The Cattle Business Weekly in South Dakota. It's a dose of what's happening in markets, on the ranch and in Washington, D.C. It's news about everything that impacts a cattle operation's bottomline (aka profit). Listen to us in the feed truck, on the way to a cattle sale or on the porch with a beer! We promise you won't go away without having learned something.
Episodes
47 episodes
Opportunities for Distillers Feed Byproducts in your Beef Operation
The use of distillers grains in beef systems has been a long-term focus at UNL because of the opportunities for a beef producer to get an inexpensive source of both energy and protein that can fit well in many cow, backgrounding, and fin...
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5:01
What Heifers Will Fit My Forage Resources?
The old phrase, “horses for courses” now has a complementary phrase of “cows for resources.” Approximately 75% of the feed that goes towards producing a pound of beef comes from forage. Recent research at Oklahoma State University by Dr. David ...
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3:50
USDA Shifts Sterile Fly Dispersal Efforts
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing a shift in its 100 million per week sterile fly dispersal efforts to stop the northern spread of New World screwworm (NWS). ...
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5:31
Herd Shrinks Again, With Drought as a Factor
The U.S. beef herd again contracted over the past year, according to the USDA Cattle Inventory report released last week, extending the cattle cycle into its thirteenth year. High prices continue to incentivize producers to sell calves rather t...
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5:34
Record-Breaking Bids for Junior Livestock Champs
Cannon Reimann, 13 years old from Ree Heights, S.D., exhibited this year’s National Western Stock Show Grand Champion Junior Market Steer. The steer sold for a record-breaking 0,000 to Bank of Colorado, in the Auction of Junior Livestock Champi...
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2:12
Head to the Heart City Bull Bash for Valentine's Day
Take a stroll down Valentine, Nebraska’s Main Street this Valentine’s Day weekend. You’ll find stores open, restaurants welcoming, bountiful boutiques for shopping, and pen after pen of cattle genetics on display. Feb. 14 brings the 25th...
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3:00
Bullish Cattle on Feed Report
Last week’s cattle on feed report indicates a tightening supply of cattle with a 3% decline compared to January 2025. Moreover, placements in December were down 5%, and marketing rose 2%. News of a lower supply of cattle pushed the cash catt...
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1:25
Used Around the Ranch
The year 2025 is fading in our rearview mirrors, so it is time to write my annual cuss-and-discuss column before I forget what happened this past year. As always, this is a friendly conversation about things we are using here on the ranch. I wo...
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3:43
OpEd: Why Agriculture Freedom Zones Matter
Data centers are exploding across America, gobbling up prime farmland, water, and power. In Texas, farmers and ranchers see the threat clearly—and they're right to sound the alarm. Our best agricultural land feeds and clothes the world. Once pa...
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3:16
In the Cattle Markets: Fewer Heifers on Feed
USDA’s Cattle on Feed Report, released on Friday, January 23rd, didn’t contain any real surprises. The most interesting number in the report was the number of heifers on feed and its implications for herd rebuilding. Heifers on feed tota...
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2:04
100 Years Strong: Sutton Rodeo Hits Milestone
Sutton Rodeo is proudly celebrating 100 years in the rodeo industry in 2026. That’s one full century of tradition, innovation, and excellence. From its early beginnings on the prairie to becoming one of the most respected names in profes...
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5:15
How To: Pull a Calf When Needed
Tony Hawkins DVM, Valley Vet Supply Technical Service Veterinarian A calf can only be delivered once it is coming the correct way. If you missed it, reference this article which discusses common malpresentations of the calf to allow for safe de...
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3:54
What to Know about Leasing Bulls
As follow up to “What’s a Good Bull Worth in 2026?” from last week, I address a recent question from a producer regarding the cost of leasing bulls. One potential way for a commercial cow-calf operation to reduce expenses is to lease, ...
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4:04
Pick Your Herd
It’s 2 a.m. and you are in the calving barn with a newly minted mother cow. She was your favorite heifer replacement pick two years ago and now as she fails to clean off her calf and eyes you intensely you wonder if you chose wrong. Many...
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4:00
It's Stock Show Time!
The 2026 Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo kicks off on January 30th and runs through February 7th in Rapid City. The Stock Show is the second largest draw to the Black Hills behind the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Nearly 350,000 people from acro...
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1:55
Black Hills Stock Show Readies for Cattle Sales
Dirt and sawdust are arriving at The Monument in Rapid City, S.D. by the truckload. The facility is preparing for the upcoming Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo, taking place from January 30 to February 7. Livestock exhibitors, trade show vend...
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2:13
Four Market Headwinds for First Half of 2026
A new year brings with it new opportunities and challenges for cattle producers. Here are four trends to watch in the first half of 2026, and what they might mean for cattle producers navigating a complex market. 1. Interest rates to dro...
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5:24
BetterFed Beef: Best of Both Worlds
A locally sourced, producer-owned, certified and locally processed beef system seems like a dream for most cattle producers, but there are 17 family farms in the Upper Midwest that have cracked the code. BetterFed Beef partners with multi-gener...
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5:50
Could Agriculture Survive a Cyber-Attack?
Biosecurity plans. Emergency or disaster plans. Succession plans. It seems like ranches today need a plan for everything—and that’s the prudent thing to do. Add one more plan to that list: how to keep the ranch running in case of a cybersecurit...
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4:36
Using Ionophores to Increase Efficiency of Heifer Development
Ionophores are feed additives that improve ruminal efficiency by shifting fermentation toward greater propionate production and reducing energy lost as methane in the rumen. The ionophores monensin (marketed as Rumensin® by Elanco Animal Health...
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2:11
What's Your Plan for 2026?
Cattle and beef markets are poised to continue the path of the past few years in 2026. Despite turbulence in the fourth quarter of 2025, cattle markets ended the year strong. Tight cattle supplies, decreased beef production, and str...
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3:27
Charles Parks Named 2025 American Gelbvieh Association Commercial Producer of the Year
Charles Parks of Ekalaka, Mont., was announced as the 2025 American Gelbvieh Association (AGA) Commercial Producer of the Year at the 55th Annual National Convention on December 4, 2025, at the Margaritaville Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. Park...
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1:38
Cow-Calf Costs and Returns Update
Between late-November and mid-December, the USDA was releasing a flurry of data after the government shutdown this fall. Many important reports received most of the headlines (e.g., Cattle on Feed). However, the USDA also updated its Com...
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2:53
Food is Key to National Security
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part 1 of a two-part series on cybersecurity and agriculture.) There’s a danger lurking that many may not even realize. Cybersecurity threats are a constant pall hanging over the agriculture industry—and our technology-d...
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3:53
Economic Impacts of the Tyson Beef Plant Closure in Lexington, Nebraska
The estimated annual statewide economic impact of the Tyson plant closure in Lexington, Neb. is 3.283 billion dollars, according to a report from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tyson announced on Nov. 21 that it would be closing its Lexing...
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1:36
