No one made any hay this year.
“This started back in June of 2017,” Fleming said.
Our stock tanks are dry or just about dry and trying to water a cow with a water hose is pretty expensive.” Thinning the herd Without adequate hay and water to sustain a herd, many producers were forced to sell off cattle early.
There are lots of cattle coming to market right now because nobody has any grass to feed them,” Fleming said.
“What we’re seeing a lot is cattle coming off lighter and moving earlier than they normally would,” Marburger said.
You sell the calves first to try to save the cows,” Mingus said.
You’re going to start getting into some of the better cows when you start doing that.” Market status “For as much as the supply has increased, the market has stayed pretty stable this summer,” Marburger said.
He added that the demand for beef should keep the market strong even as producers sell off herds.
“Even with the drought, I still see our state cattle herd and the national cattle herd continuing on a growth pattern,” Marburger said.
“If we go to running the better cows, then we might get some out-of-state people coming in if they have grass,” Mingus said.