What a difference a year makes.
Ranchers in North Dakota and South Dakota battled miserable weather and lousy prices during spring calving in 2009. But both the weather and prices are much improved this spring.
"It was really rough last spring. This year is different. The weather has been a lot better, and the past few weeks have been almost ideal," says Bill Slovek, who has a cow-calf operation in Philip, S.D.
"Prices are looking up, too," he says.
The prices producers are receiving for some cattle have risen as much as 30 percent in the past year, says Tim Petry, livestock economist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.
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He stresses that ranchers whose cows are calving this spring can't take immediate advantage of higher prices, "but at least the outlook for prices is better."
Several factors have pushed up prices, he says.
n The price of corn and other feed has fallen, reducing costs.
n Export demand for beef is rising, and domestic demand is strengthening.
n The domestic supply of beef and other meats has fallen.
Petry notes that 2010 is expected to be the first year in three decades that U.S. chicken production will decline.
"So there will be less competition (for beef) with other meats," he says.
And though the U.S. jobless rate remains high, the economy appears to be improving, which also bodes well for beef prices, he says.
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Calving woes last year
A combination of factors led to big problems in North Dakota and South Dakota during the 2009 spring calving season.
Heavy rains in fall 2008 soaked into hay, reducing its nutritional value. That, along with the long, cold weather, weakened pregnant cows. Then came severe late-winter storms and spring flooding.
An estimated 91,000 cows and calves died by mid-April, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The government doesn't have a final number for cattle losses in the state for 2009, says Jim Jost with the North Dakota office of USDA's Farm Service Agency
South Dakota also had major cattle losses during the winter of 2008 to '09, but no loss estimates are available, says Jamie White, a spokeswoman for the state's FSA office.
Herd conditions improve
Twelve percent of South Dakota's cattle were in poor to fair condition in mid-April of this year, according to USDA. That's down from 34 percent in very poor to fair condition a year earlier.
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Most of the state had below-average precipitation in the first half of April this year, USDA says.
In North Dakota, 19 percent of cows and 17 percent of calves were in poor to fair condition in mid-April. A year earlier, 49 percent of cows and 48 percent of calves were rated very poor to fair. Below-average precipitation fell across most of the state in the first half of April this year, USDA says.
A Good Friday storm this year hurt ranchers in some areas of the state, says Jack Reich, a Zap, N.D., rancher and president of the state Stockmen's Association. But calving conditions overall are vastly better than a year ago, he says.
Higher prices are encouraging, too, as is the promising outlook for pasture and hay, Reich says.
"People just have a lot more optimism," he says.
