26 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | February 2024 Rebuilding beef cattle herds MORE HEIFERS TO FEEDLOTS STALLS CATTLE REBUILD By RICHARD KAMCHEN Anne Lindgren - Adobe Stock photo Beef producers have chosen cashing-in over rebuilding their herds in the wake of record cattle prices in 2023. “There are no signs of herd expansion, and the cow herd continues to shrink,” says Brian Perillat, agribusiness specialist at More Than Just Feed. Persistent drought remains a big concern, as do potential feed and water shortages in 2024, and high prices made the decision to sell an easier one, he says. More heifers to feedlots Ryan Copithorne, a rancher and owner of Cows in Control, notes more heifers are heading to feedlots in both the U.S. and Canada. Heifers as a percentage of cattle on feed in the U.S. reached a 20-year high of 40 per cent in fall 2023, and Canada has run at a similar pace, he says. “In Canada, we are around 30 to 35 per cent heifers, which is still high, but understates the true percentage of beef heifers on feed, as much of our supply these days is imported dairy and dairy cross steers,” Copithorne says. “If we backed out the imported steer numbers, the ratio of beef heifers as a percentage of total cattle on feed would likely be as high as the U.S. or higher.”
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