The discovery has the potential to reduce reliance on antibiotics and ultimately help combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance in both humans and animals, said Adrian Barragan, associate research professor and extension veterinarian at Penn State and co-lead author on the paper.

The findings are particularly significant for the organic dairy industry where antibiotic use is restricted, he added, and may also pave the way for future studies in humans on the use of sugar-based formulations for uterine infections such as endometritis.

“The disease is an infection of the uterus that occurs after calving and it’s one of the top diseases that affect dairy cattle in the United States,” said Erika Ganda, assistant professor of food animal microbiomes at Penn State and co-lead author on the study. “We treat cows with antibiotics only when necessary to ensure their welfare, following strict withdrawal periods to prevent residues in milk. Minimizing antibiotic use helps reduce the risk of resistant bacteria that can impact farm workers, families and communities. Antimicrobial resistance in human and veterinary medicine is a growing public health concern, so the main goal of this research was to test an antibiotic-free alternative option against the current gold standard for treating this prevalent disease.”

The study compared two treatments for a common uterine infection, called clinical metritis, that can lead to serious health problems for dairy cows. The condition is typically treated using systemic antibiotics, like ceftiofur, which are effective in treating the condition, but may contribute to the growing antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals.

“We have been searching for alternative therapies that can effectively treat metritis without relying on antibiotics,” Barragan said. “We asked two main questions when studying an alternative: Do the animals get cured with this treatment? And do treated animals have similar performance? Although the alternative treatment had the same clinical cure rate as the antibiotics, the answer wasn’t as clear cut as expected since performance between treatment groups differed based on disease severity.”

The study focused on using intrauterine dextrose, a sugar solution, as a possible alternative treatment. Dextrose has been extensively studied in animal and human clinical research for its ability to plasmolyze harmful bacteria, essentially the strong sugar solution pulls water out of the bacteria, causing them to dry out and die, Barragan explained. The approach had shown some promise in human wound healing, but previous studies in cattle yielded mixed results.

“We were hopeful that we would find positive results, but we were definitely not expecting to find that both treatments worked similarly for mild cases of metritis,” Barragan said. “That was a very exciting discovery.”

To investigate the effectiveness of dextrose, the researchers conducted a study on a dairy farm in central Pennsylvania. They enrolled 77 cows diagnosed with clinical metritis and randomly assigned them to one of two treatment groups: intrauterine dextrose or systemic ceftiofur. The researchers then monitored the cows’ recovery and analyzed their uterine microbial communities using advanced DNA sequencing to better understand the overall health of their microbiomes.

Although the sample size was not ideal for assessing clinical cure rate, Barragan said, the results suggested that both treatments had similar clinical cure rates, meaning dextrose could be just as effective as antibiotics in treating mild metritis cases.

Additionally, the analysis of the cows’ microbiomes revealed that dextrose does not significantly disrupt the bacterial balance of bacteria in the reproductive tract, unlike antibiotics, which can alter microbial communities and potentially impact the long-term health of the cow, Ganda explained.

Further research is needed to understand the full potential of dextrose as an alternative to antibiotic treatment, Barragan said, but one day that potential could even extend to treating humans.

“Our findings may be applicable for reproductive disease in human medicine,” he said. “In fact, we were inspired by medical literature and sugar-based wound treatments for people.”

The other Penn State authors on the paper are Jennine Lection, who earned a doctoral degree from Penn State and is currently an assistant professor at North Carolina State University; Emily Van Syoc, postdoctoral scholar; Asha Miles, former postdoctoral research associate who is currently a research geneticist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Julia Hamilton, undergraduate student; Marcela Martinez, research technologist; and Justin Silverman, assistant professor of statistics and of medicine and faculty fellow of the Institute for Computational and Data Science. Santiago Bas of the Germany-based feed company Phytobiotics Futterzusatzstoffe GmbH also contributed to the paper.

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hatch Appropriations, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the National Institutes of Health funded this research.

–Adrienne Berard
Penn State

The post New Treatment for Dairy Cows Could Help Fight Antibiotic Resistance, Study Finds appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

Other key findings in the report were:

• Of the 75.8 million hogs and pigs, 69.8 million were market hogs, while 6.00 million were kept for breeding.
• Between September and November 2024, 35.2 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, up 2% from the same time period one year earlier.
• From September through November 2024, U.S. hog and pig producers weaned an average of 11.92 pigs per litter.
• U.S. hog producers intend to have 2.93 million sows farrow between December 2024 and February 2025, and 2.95 million sows farrow between March 2025 and May 2025.
• Iowa hog producers accounted for the largest inventory among the states, at 24.6 million head. Minnesota had the second largest inventory at 9.50 million head. North Carolina was third with 8.20 million head.

To obtain an accurate measurement of the U.S. swine industry, NASS surveyed 6,046 operators across the nation during the first half of December. The data collected were received online through NASS’s Respondent Portal, by mail, telephone and through face-to-face interviews.

The Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report and all other NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov.

–USDA NASS

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I hope all of you will be able to look back on the year’s greatness. Put your pencil to paper as you consider all you learned from 2024; some very important lessons were sprinkled in there.

To give time for reflection and enjoyment this holiday season, we will not be sending out our daily emails the week between Christmas and New Year’s. The Morning Ag Clips’ daily email will resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

There will still be news articles published on our site, so make sure to stay up-to-date by going to morningagclips.com. Every day there will be something new, and there will be an editor watching for breaking ag news every day. But like you, we all need a break, and the only way to get it is to be extremely intentional about it, so we are!

Here’s to you, your family, and a prosperous and healthy New Year! We will see you in 2025!

With love,
Kate

The post Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! appeared first on Morning Ag Clips.

As part of their research, Suthar and Anderson co-teach an undergraduate class – Historical Rice Fields and Tidal Wetlands of Coastal South Carolina: Drones, Ducks and Decision Support. In speaking with Jim Anderson, director of the Kennedy Center and the Baruch Institute, Suthar and Crystal Anderson thought it would be good to get the undergrads into the field where they could better understand the wetlands and waterfowl, the history of the antebellum rice fields and the Gullah-Geechee community, as well as assist with data collecting for his and Anderson’s research.

Suthar has been using drones for waterfowl research and wetlands management. It is the first waterfowl drone survey conducted in South Carolina. Crystal Anderson is currently conducting a social dimension survey to explore how waterfowl managers, the public and Gullah communities engage with antebellum rice fields and their perspectives on priorities for future management. To deepen their understanding of social surveys, students have been assigned to design their own survey focusing on hunter satisfaction with current hunting rules and regulations.

“We designed the program for students to learn about the history, wildlife ecology and simultaneously they can go in the field and have real-world experience which will help them to be ready for the job market or their master’s program in the future,” Suthar said. “We teach about the different methodologies and how they can use drones for wildlife research. Also, our social dimension theme helps them design their social surveys and reach out to the people and collect their perceptions about the landscape.”

From Oct. 31 to Nov. 3, the students went to Georgetown where they visited the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, toured Hobcaw Barony and went to Sandy Island where they interacted with the Gullah-Geechee community and concluded their trip with a private visit to the Gullah Museum.

While at the Yawkey Wildlife Center, the students learned the background of what once was a historical rice field impoundment. This structure now continues the legacy established by Tom and Jean Yawkey of conducting pioneering waterfowl, wetlands and wildlife management activities supported by natural resources research. It also provides unique educational opportunities by interpreting the property’s diverse cultural and natural history.

“The morning in the Yawkey Wildlife Center was my favorite part,” said Sarah Kolarik, a senior wildlife and fisheries biology major from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. “Jamie (Dozier, project leader of Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center) talked to us about management and what waterfowl are eating, and freshwater and saltwater fields and how they manage for that. What really made it memorable for me was just how wild it was. It was just a massive expanse of open land and native plants. I got to watch a northern harrier glide totally silently across the rice field for probably half an hour. There were just so many birds. All you could hear was bird song all around you. I think I’m probably going to hang onto that and carry it with me.”

From there, the students toured Hobcaw Barony, a 16,000-acre research reserve with a rich diversity of every ecosystem found on the South Carolina coast. The students explored pine forests, hardwood bottomland forested wetlands, rice fields, a former slave village and coastal marshes. They also collected data using drone-based aerial surveys.

On their final full day, the students visited the Sandy Island Gullah Community where they interacted with the Gullah-Geechee residents to collect social dimension data. They were treated to a traditional Gullah meal.

“Sandy Island is a really unique place,” Kolarik said. “There’s land there held by The Nature Conservancy. We got to walk around and look at all the different ecosystems they have on the island, including maritime forests and sand hills. We talked to people who live on Sandy Island. The person leading the tour was Tyler Pratt, who was a Clemson graduate,” and currently works for the University of South Carolina on shared property with Clemson and Hobcaw Barony.

That evening, the students had dinner with Jim Anderson at The Root in the historic waterfront of Georgetown where they discussed the course and future career objectives.

Before returning to Clemson, the students stopped for a private tour of the Gullah Museum, led by Janette Rodrigues and her sister Beatrice. The students were given a comprehensive overview of Gullah history, language and culture, and were able to view art pieces associated with Gullah life.  Suthar and Crystal Anderson said the trip gave the class a unique perspective into the program and the research being conducted on antebellum rice fields.

“They learned about the history and the wildlife ecology,” Suthar said. “They also learned about the management. Many programs just take you into the field and you completely learn about the ecology or research. But they do not consider the social dimension. They also do not consider the management perspectives.

“But on this trip, they experienced the people. They experienced the food. They experienced the culture. They experienced the exact area where these people used to work. This trip was more of an experience and holistic approach, how you can have ecology with imaging technology and human dimension.”

Hannah Kern, a junior from Charleston, South Carolina, majoring in environmental and natural resources, said the trip was invaluable.

“It was cool to get my name out there as a junior undergraduate and to be able to meet with so many different people,” Kern said. “I learned how to interact in those research environments. So much stuff is taught in class, but this was the first time that I was in a meeting where we talked and learned how to interact in those conference rooms. I got to see a lot more about what I want to do and don’t want to do post-grad.”

Kern said she also got a chance to connect with members of her research team. Prior to the trip, most of their interactions were through text messages or via Zoom.

“Being able to stay in the cabin together at Hobcaw Barony was a fantastic experience and we got so much done with our research because we were able to communicate with each other the whole time.”

After compiling the data collected for the social dimension survey on hunter satisfaction, the students will have their findings published and they will be listed as co-authors, a rare experience for undergraduates.

For the drone survey, they collected aerial images of the waterfowl and merged the color images with the thermal image, calculating and counting the birds using both images.

“I’ve also gotten a recreational drone pilot license, which is a good step up,” Kolarik said. “The next one would be a commercial drone pilot license and that would be valuable and applicable to my future as a wildlife biologist. These things are preparing me for either continuing in academia or going straight into the workforce. I’ve gained a lot.”

–Clemson University

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I expect the January Cattle Inventory report to show some additional liquidation has occurred leading to a smaller calf crop in 2025. It seems most likely that the summer of 2026 is the soonest substantial national heifer retention may begin. While there is recently elevated uncertainty around international trade that should not be overlooked, most anticipate domestic beef availability to decline perhaps by 2-3% per year (per person) in 2025 and 2026.

Given this setting and the opportunity for some extended armchair-pondering around the holidays, some context on economic concepts and an important historical reminder is prudent. Economists analyzing the beef industry use the term “demand” to refer to the willingness and ability to buy beef at a specific price. A change in beef demand is not triggered by changes in beef prices but rather by consumer income or wealth adjustments, changes in prices of other goods, or perceptions of beef quality evolving. To this later point, the clear improvement in overall beef quality (simple example is Prime or Upper Choice percentage versus past decades) has been core to beef demand growth (see K-State demand indices here: https://agmanager.info/livestock-meat/meat-demand/monthly-domestic-meat-demand-indices-usdabls-data/monthly-domestic-0 ).

As we turn to 2025 it is important to pause and connect the dots around things such as current feedlot supplies, future breeding herd size and corresponding beef availability, and what one may expect at the retail and food service level. Yes, lower beef supplies are expected and with that, most anticipate higher end-user beef prices. In fact, the industry should be hoping for that! Research with Melissa McKendree, Ted Schroeder, and Nathan Hendricks (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1093/ajae/aaz034 ) shows that feeder cattle sellers stand to gain the most when beef demand grows, and lose the most when demand falters.

If alternatively, lower beef availability is observed in conjunction with flat or lower beef prices, then beef demand clearly declined. In that unfortunate situation, economic viability for most in the industry also declines. While some younger market participants may dismiss this scenario, recall the 1980s & 90s was a period largely characterized by a shrinking herd, weakening beef demand, and overall decline in industry vitality. Indeed, lower beef volumes alone do not guarantee higher beef nor cattle prices. This experience is worth periodic reflection as the industry has made massive improvements that should not be overlooked or taken for granted. To the extent that beef prices increase reflecting stable or growing beef demand that indeed is a market outcome that should not only “be allowed” but encouraged. While the term “demand destruction” is likely to appear more in coming months, industry stakeholders are encouraged to take pause and in fact hope that higher prices develop reflecting stable or growing beef demand.

Finally, and most importantly I wish all readers a Merry Christmas, the ability to see the true reason for the season, and a joyous New Year.

— Glynn T. Tonsor, Ph.D., Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University

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The rainbow and brown trout that are raised in and transported from the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery in Oconee County will be delivered by truck to multiple locations in the Lower Saluda River.

The cold waters released from the bottom of Lake Murray provide suitable habitat for the trout, creating a unique and popular fishery in the Midlands of South Carolina.

SCDNR stocks nearly 30,000 trout each year in the lower Saluda from December through February in what’s called a “put, grow and take” fishery that relies on stocking to maintain populations.

Trout grow rapidly after stocking and can exceed 20 inches in one to two years, which is considered trophy size for this type of fishery.

Anglers should keep in mind that the lower reach of the Saluda River, from the eastbound Interstate 20 bridge downstream to Stacey’s Ledge, is year-round catch and release fishing for all species of coldwater trout. It is unlawful to take and retain trout at any time in this section of the river.

–SCDNR

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Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) President and CEO Barbara O’Brien pointed to a collective effort of national and local teams that delivered results this year.

“The checkoff is working, and we have achieved a lot in building the next chapter of our history,” said O’Brien, who outlined “now, next and future” checkoff strategies at this year’s joint annual meeting. “This success was made possible by the dedication and hard work of everyone across the checkoff federation. This was a strong year of results as we continue to work with and through others to catalyze action against our trust- and sales-building priorities.”

Checkoff-led highlights from 2024 include:

Increasing Dairy Access in Schools

A partnership provided hot chocolate milk to students during a pilot with Chartwells K12, which serves more than 2 million meals daily at 700 school districts. National Dairy Council (NDC) and Chartwells launched the Hot Chocolate Milk program in 58 schools, which features hot chocolate milk – with toppings such as cinnamon and peppermint – served during breakfast and lunch.

Another school pilot offered lactose-free chocolate milk and increased consumption and reached students who weren’t drinking milk because of real or perceived lactose intolerance. NDC and American Dairy Association Mideast worked with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to offer the country’s first single-serve lactose-free chocolate milk program. When compared to the rest of the district, the pilot schools experienced a 16-percent increase in milk consumption. The pilot was so successful that CPS is offering lactose-free chocolate milk in all schools.

Partnerships Growing Sales

The checkoff’s longstanding strategy of working with and through powerful partners continues to deliver results. For example, the checkoff supported Domino’s with its launch of cheese-centric items, including the New York Style Pizza and five-cheese mac and cheese.

This strategy of working with pizza partners also continues to find success internationally, a key tactic to reach the 95% of the world’s population that lives outside of the United States. DMI’s partnership with Pizza Hut Japan led to the chain announcing a permanent 30% increase of cheese use on all pizzas.

Other partnership innovations included working with General Mills to create YoBark, a yogurt-based snack designed to give families a tasty option and expand yogurt’s presence in the snacking category.

Sharing The Science of Dairy

One emerging research area is dairy’s impact on the first 1,000 days of life – encompassing pregnancy through a child’s second birthday. This is a critical period for brain development, which is impacted by nutrition and dairy can significantly support cognitive development, thanks to nutrients including iodine and choline. Checkoff organizations nationally and locally teamed with MilkPEP to elevate awareness and understanding of dairy’s contributions with expecting mothers and parents seeking nutrition guidance.

NDC also showed its ability to convene thought leaders when it hosted more than 100 national and international health and wellness experts for a two-day scientific conference addressing the dairy matrix, the concept of exploring the unique nutrient, non-nutrient and molecular compositions of dairy foods. Among the meeting attendees were representatives and speakers from major health professional organizations leading universities and organizations.

Supporting Dairy’s Sustainability Legacy

 The checkoff is focused on deepening its knowledge and attracting the investment in research on practices and technologies that work from a mitigation standpoint, and tools and resources to support adoption. DMI is tracking more than $29 million in additional investment from partners for pilot projects and research that empower sustainability action. One example is the Greener Cattle Initiative, a collaboration which announced a second round $5 million funding for enteric methane mitigation research.

The checkoff launched the Dairy Conservation Navigator, a resource hub designed to provide farm advisors, stakeholders and conservation professionals with science-based information on sustainable practices and technologies. Checkoff scientists and others developed a list of 80-plus practices that have a positive environmental benefit.

Checkoff Sparking Innovation

 The checkoff showcased dairy innovation and its nutrition package to 70,000 people attending Natural Products Expo West, the leading trade show in the natural, organic and healthy products industry. DMI unveiled its www.InnovateWithDairy.com tool, which serves as a one-stop shop for anyone seeking information about dairy innovation.

DMI also kept its focus on future innovators with its New Product Competition. A University of Minnesota team took first with a creamy Norwegian-style, whey-based cheese spread.

More checkoff results, including financial reports, can be found at www.dairycheckoff.com.

About Dairy Management Inc.

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) is funded by America’s more than 26,000 dairy farmers, as well as dairy importers. Created to help increase sales and demand for dairy products, DMI and its related organizations work to increase demand for dairy through research, education and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms and businesses. DMI manages National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

–Dairy Management Inc.

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Qualifications for each of the three awards being presented include:

Dairy Producer(s) of the Year: Presented to an active dairy producer whose primary source of income is derived from his or her dairy enterprise. This producer excels in efficient production and the breeding of quality dairy animals while incorporating progressive management practices. Award recipient’s community, government, marketing and World Dairy Expo involvement will also be considered.

Industry Person(s) of the Year: This award is presented in recognition of an individual’s excellence in research, development, education, marketing, manufacturing or other fields, which are a part of an industry or institution that provides goods or services to the dairy industry. A resident of the United States, this award recipient may be an active dairy producer whose primary achievements are industry focused.

International Person(s) of the Year: Living primarily outside of the United States, the individual who receives this award will be recognized for his or her contribution to international research, development, education, marketing, manufacturing or other fields, that are a part of an industry or institution that provides goods or services to the international dairy industry.

The nomination form is available at worlddairyexpo.com or by contacting the Expo office at 608-224-6455 or wde@wdexpo.com. The individuals selected to receive these prestigious awards will be recognized on Wednesday, October 1 during World Dairy Expo 2025 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis.

Serving as the meeting place of the global dairy industry, World Dairy Expo is the premier forum for the global dairy community to learn, share, create commerce and showcase competition. The annual event will return to Madison, Wis. September 30 – October 3, 2025, where dairy producers near and far can experience the world’s largest dairy-focused trade show, a world-class dairy cattle show, attend seminars, meetings and presentations highlighting the latest and greatest in the industry and connect with other producers. Download the World Dairy Expo mobile app, visit worlddairyexpo.com or follow WDE on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Spotify, or YouTube for more information.

–World Dairy Expo

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“Dr. Scharko quickly comes to mind for me and many others for her many years of service to the profession and the citizens of South Carolina,” said Parr. “Dr. Scharko is a friend to many and highly respected throughout the S.C. veterinary and animal agriculture communities.”

Scharko serves as an extension and field veterinarian with Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health in Columbia, S.C. and works primarily with ruminants such as cattle, goats and sheep. Her major areas of activities include biosecurity, Beef Quality Assurance, Scrapie eradication and parasite control training in small ruminants.

“I was honored, delighted and grateful to win the award,” said Scharko. “Over the past years, I have seen others receive this award, including Boyd Parr! They were definitely worthy of being ‘Distinguished Veterinarian of the Year’.”

Scharko earned her undergraduate degree and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) at the University of Georgia (UGA). Like many students who grow up in South Carolina, there were no options to go to vet school in the state at the time. She’s proud to be back in South Carolina, and she’s proud to help build the first college of veterinary medicine in the state.

“I have hoped that my efforts over the past 16 years could contribute to veterinary medicine, livestock producers, and South Carolina,” said Scharko. “I grew up in Columbia, and I attended UGA as a South Carolina resident. I am very happy that the CVM here at Clemson University is growing and developing to welcome S.C. residents into veterinary medicine in 2026!”

The other awards given at the SCAV Palmetto Conference are: Rana Sargent, Veterinary Clinic Employee of the Year; Zohra Badat and Jessica DeAbate, Licensed Veterinary Technicians of the Year; Dr. Sarah Scott, Humanitarian of the Year; and, Dr. Tim Loonam, Veterinarian of the Year.

“What an honor for the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine to be a part of this prestigious recognition,” said Founding Dean, Steven Marks. “I so appreciate Dr. Scharko’s expertise and input as we build this college from the ground up. She’s an asset to our team. Congratulations to Dr. Scharko as well as to all of the recipients from around the state. Go Tigers!”

–Stacia Harris, Clemson University

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Live fed cattle prices remain strong with cash trades better than $190 but prices for the year look range-bound to me between $180 and just better than $190. The boxed beef cutout value is holding better than $300 with a mix of performance at the primal level. Rib prices have been seasonally outstanding, and tenderloins have also been strong. Loins are showing some seasonal weakness as is ground beef. End meats are showing solid price levels but not much in terms of improvements. Once the market retreats from the strong rib purchases, and the Choice-Select spread seasonally softens, much will be determined by Chucks and Rounds. Also, this will be the period the market moves into the time of year when packer margins are the weakest. My point? The strong finish to the year in calf prices has little to do with what is going on downstream.

It is also not reacting to grain market news. Information from recent Crop Production and WASDE reports suggest some firming of feed grain prices. After a series of reports through the summer where production steadily increased, the November reports communicate some softening of yields, overall production, and a modest tightening of stocks-to-use. However, forage prices remain much below prior years and availability is substantially better.

Carcass weights remain truly impressive and have backed up very little from the four weeks at 960-pound average steer weights – heifers are following suit. It will be interesting, and important, to see the magnitude of any seasonal decline in weights. How much of the 40-pound increase based on the same week of the year prior persists? With lower corn prices and longer feeding periods then heavy weights will persist. But how heavy and what are the possible further increases?

These weight increases in all likelihood hang over the market as well as do the front-loaded cattle on feed inventories. The calculated cattle on feed over 150 days has been larger than any of the proceeding years – other than 2020 – but this inventory has been moving lower through the summer and fall. The exception is November’s number. The inventory of these long-fed animals has been large relative to what is seen in the 120 days on feed inventory. Inventories on feed over 120 days are this month tighter than 2023. Whereas the 150-day number is even compared with last year. Again, big numbers and weights now – and back through the summer and fall – but the prospect is for change come the first quarter. The pipeline is full for the near term with less so into next year. But then there are first-quarter packer margins to navigate.

The Markets

What does the technical picture say? Live cattle and feeder cattle futures have again posted strong rallies in September, October, and November. However, the market currently sits at resistance formed in the spring, and the spring strength was less than the excitement from this time last year. Approaching resistance is a sell signal. Cow-calf producers need to be getting ready and looking hard at LRP into next year. And I have talked to several that received payment this year. I see next year’s GFX contract looking a lot like this year’s. Strong sell-offs, strong up moves, and a lot of underlying volatility. And that is until herd building begins in earnest. As always, watch your charts. And add that Cattle on Feed report to the list. Placements through the spring will be an important signal.

— Stephen R. Koontz, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University

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