FOR THE WEEK ENDING

February 3, 2023

FOR THE WEEK ENDING May 24, 2019

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Torrington

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Greeley, CO

National Sheep Summary

As of January 27, 2023

Compared to last week slaughter lambs mostly steady to as much as 20.00 lower. Slaughter ewes steady to 9.00 lower, except at San Angelo, TX 5.00-10.00 higher. Feeder lambs mostly firm to 10.00 higher. At San Angelo, TX 3,258 head sold. Equity

Cooperative Auction sold 500 feeder lambs in Wyoming. Western Video sold 320 slaughter lambs in California, 580 slaughter ewes in Idaho, 1470 feeder lambs in Idaho and 1575 feeder lambs in California. In direct trading slaughter ewes and feeder lambs not tested. 4,030 lamb carcasses traded with no trend due to confidentiality. All sheep sold per hundred weight (CWT) unless specified.

Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 2-3

San Angelo: wooled and shorn 105-145 lbs 125.00-166.00; 150-175 lbs 132.00-160.00.

Ft. Collins: wooled and shorn 120-140 lbs 120.00-130.00.

South Dakota: wooled and shorn 110-145 lbs 125.00-135.00, few 140.00.

Billings: wooled and shorn 100-145 lbs no test.

Equity Coop: no sales.

Slaughter Lambs: Choice and Prime 1-2

San Angelo: hair 40-60 lbs 280.00-320.00; 60-70 lbs 257.00303.00, few 315.00-310.00; 70-80 lbs

Replacement Ewes: Medium and Large 1-2 San Angelo: mixed age hair 100-115 lbs 135.00-138.00/cwt; hair ewes and lambs 100.00-145.00/head.

South Dakota: bred yearlings 230.00-275.00/head; bred middle age 135.00-175.00/head; bred aged 125.00-130.00/ head.

Billings: no test.

Sheep and lambs slaughter under federal inspection for the week to date totaled 33,000 compared with 32,000 last week and 29,000 last year.

Source: USDA AMS Market News, San Angelo, Texas National Wool Review

As of January 27, 2023

In Australia this week, the Eastern Market Indicator was down 3 cents at 1338 cents per Kg clean from the sale a week ago. A total of 44,306 bales were offered with sales of 86.8 percent.

The Australian exchange rate was weaker by .0195 at .7100 percent of the U.S. dollar. Australian wool prices are quoted US Dollar per pound, delivered, Charleston, S.C. The current freight rate is .15 cents per pound clean.

5 Area Weekly Weighted Cattle Price

Eastern Market Indicator was down 3 cents at 1338 cents per kg clean. Australian exchange rate was weaker by .0195 at .7100 percent of the U.S. dollar.

Source: USDA- CO Dept of Ag Market News Service, Greeley, CO

As of February 2, 2023

Billings: no test.

Slaughter Ewes

San Angelo: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) no test; Good 2-3 (fleshy)

80.00-100.00, hair 94.00-124.00; Utility and Good 1-3 (medium flesh) 112.00-115.00, hair 110.00-131.00; Utility 1-2 (thin)

100.00, hair 98.00-119.00; Cull and Utility 1-2 (very thin) 70.00-

80.00, hair 80.00-89.00; Cull 1 no test.

Ft. Collins: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) 76.00-99.00; Good 2-3 year the state median was at 99% and at 80% in 2021. The median was 3% better this week than last week.

Billings: Good 3-4 (very fleshy) no test; Good 2-3 (fleshy) no test; Utility 1-2 (thin) no test; Cull 1 no test.

Compared to last week large square bales of alfalfa sold steady to 10.00 higher. Alfalfa pellets sold 10.00 higher and hay cubes traded steady. Grass hay and small squares fully steady. Demand and buyer inquiry was very good. Many areas in the state snow have completely covered up winter grazing for livestock so producers are having to buy extra hay to feed their livestock. At this point in time, quantity is more important than quality. It will be nip and tuck if everyone will have enough feed to make it to summer grass. Currently the state’s snotels are reading 117% of the median with basin high of 159.00 and basin low at 76%.

Compared to last week, round bales of alfalfa sold fully steady, large squares of alfalfa sold steady to 10.00 higher. Round bales or prairie hay sold steady to 15.00 higher. Alfalfa pellets sold steady to 10.00 higher. Ground and delivered products sold steady. Demand and buyer inquire was very good this week. Quite a few cattlemen are looking for large quantities of baled forage to buy. Some contacts are bringing hay in from states to the north of Nebraska. Winter grazing is pretty much done in about 2/3rds of the state. Livestock owners are going through hay reserves in a rapid rate. Many producers will be nip and tuck if they have enough to hay to get to summer grass. Some cattlemen have sold some cows just hoping they have enough hay. Western

Alfalfa - Good Large Square 3x4 275-285

Alfalfa Ground 275

Source: USDA AMS Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News, Kearny, NE

The latest markets data can be found by visiting USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service at

“Here in Nebraska and in some areas in Montana and the Dakotas, as well as several other regions, many producers are moving to summer calving because nasty spring blizzards can cause high death losses in spring-calving herds,” says Mulliniks.

Understanding nutrient requirements

“Understanding nutrient requirements and timing of forage quality in a production system is very important. Producers need to do some fine-tuning and have a good nutritional plan throughout gestation to have the optimal production outcome,” Mulliniks explains.

“Some of this research started back in the 196070s and focused on providing adequate nutrients for the pregnant cow and making sure she was in good enough body condition to make it through the stress of winter,” he says.

In the 1980-90s, many producers progressed to thinking about nutritional requirements for the calves cows are carrying, in addition to the requirements for the cows.

In Idaho, a lot of research was conducted in the 1970s on weak calf syndrome due to low protein levels in cows’ diets throughout the winter.

“And now, we talk about fetal programming. We may put too much emphasis on this,” states Mulliniks.

“When we look at the data and a large number of production studies, there’s not a huge difference in calf performance by maternal nutrition during late gestation. But, when we have extreme events, such as extreme cold weather like a bomb cyclone – a rapidly intensifying storm associated with a sudden and significant drop in atmospheric pressure in which weather is extremely cold and extremely wet – this can create a negative impact on the fetus and on baby calves, resulting in higherthan-normal calf losses,” he says.

“Providing correct nutrients to the fetus is like an insurance policy so it doesn’t have poor growth, poor health or nutritional deficiencies,” Mulliniks adds.

Producers need to enable their cows to deal with calving and recover quickly enough to get pregnant in a timely manner. Open cows or latebred cows cause big losses to cow/calf producers.

“This fits into the idea of fetal programming –making sure we’re providing the correct insurance policy so there won’t be a negative effect on the cow or calf. We want to have a good impact on performance and do it in a cost-effective way,” says Mulliniks.

Achieving proper BCS

A person doesn’t want to overfeed and have cows too fat over winter, since this can also have a negative effect on performance.

Having cows with a body condition score (BCS) of six or seven usually means they’ll lose weight after they calve and start lactating. Often, these cows have the lowest pregnancy rates in the next breeding season.

“Nutrient requirements for a cow with a BCS of seven is much higher than a cow with a BCS of five,”

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he explains. “If she is losing weight after calving, she is less apt to cycle and breed back than if she’s maintaining weight or slightly gaining.”

“Cows with a BCS of seven at calving sometimes lose much more weight than cows with a BCS of five. It’s easier to get thin cows gaining weight and bred back up. So, producers need to think about optimizing the whole system and not just pregnancy in late gestation,” he says.

Some producers overdo it on one end of the spectrum and underdo it on the other. There should be a balance, which can be hard when making sure there aren’t thin cows while also being flexible enough when extreme events occur.

“We don’t want to be so far behind the ball that we have a major wreck with thin cows, a huge calf loss or a negative impact on future calves’ performance,” says Mulliniks.

There are many different factors to take into account.

“It involves monitoring and reading cows and knowing their BCS. Producers need to know the extent of their forage supply and feed quality and recognize how much time they have left between now and when they will see a big increase in nutrient requirements with lactation,” Mulliniks explains.

“We have to allow enough room so we don’t get too far behind, and we can’t afford to catch up. This happens when requirements are high and we don’t have high enough quality of feed,” he says. Be prepared, be flexible

Producers always need to have a plan and be flexible in case Mother Nature throws a curve ball. They need to be able to make decisions quickly and stay ahead of the game so they

“Providing correct nutrients to the fetus is like an insurance policy so it doesn’t have poor growth, poor health or nutritional deficiencies.” – Dr. Travis Mulliniks, University of Nebraska-Lincoln don’t wake up and suddenly realize their cows are too thin.

“We don’t want to be stuck in the traditional mindset of starting to feed hay on a certain date instead of starting when the cows need it,” states Mulliniks. “We must allow enough room to make adjustments when needed.”

“I tell producers to use weaning data to formulate a plan for supplementation in late gestation, especially with young females because they are still growing while lactating for the first time,” he continues. “They are more susceptible to negative impacts from lack of nutrients, whereas a mature cow has more of a buffer.”

Mulliniks encourages producers to check BCS early and possibly consider weaning earlier if necessary so cows can regain condition before winter.

“Sometimes, producers get in wrecks if they always wean on a certain date and don’t leave themselves enough room for the uncertainty of a bad winter. In those situations, they often can’t afford to put enough energy into their cows to get them caught up before calving. If they wean earlier, thin cows can be gaining longer and, most likely, doing better,” he explains.

“This is where some producers got into trouble two years ago,” he adds. “We had a lot of rain in the spring, which caused forages to grow faster and therefore mature earlier than usual. By July and August, forage quality was more similar to forage quality in October and November.”

“We’d set ourselves up for problems because cows were thinner than usual when they went into winter, and then a bomb cyclone hit. We had serious issues with very thin cows due to lack of flexibility in management systems,” says Mulliniks.

Producers also hadn’t increased nutrient supplies in their supplementation strategy or changed their weaning date, and cows were not prepared to handle the extra stress.

“There are no specific guidelines on when or how to supplement cows, but BCS tells us a lot. We can utilize BCS with direction – knowing where we are headed – and work with a nutritionist to fine-tune our plan. We need to know what feeds are available and when to start increasing or decreasing nutritional requirements. We also need to know what to supplement our cattle with to make it all work,” he says.

Feed testing is important, yet most people don’t do it.

“Producers can run into wrecks thinking their forage is higher quality than it actually is – their cows will slowly become thinner. It can happen at such a slow rate, they don’t see it until cows are suddenly too thin and there is no time to fix the situation,” Mulliniks concludes.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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ALB report

“Even though many challenges are out of our control, it’s critical we keep driving forward as hard as we can to promote American lamb and the U.S. sheep industry,” said Peter Camino, ALB chairman from Buffalo, in a Jan. 19 press release. “During this past, tough year, the ALB board worked to support our loyal American lamb retail and foodservice customers and invest in programs and strategies strengthening our long-term competitiveness.

Making American lamb the preferred choice of consumers, chefs and retailers is at the core of the American Lamb Checkoff’s promotion, information and research programs.”

According to the report, the 2022 Lamb Summit focused on strategies to improve quality and consistency and opportunities to strengthen the industry, including ways to take advantage of the growing non-traditional marketplace.

Consumer interest in sustainability is becoming mainstream. The first American lamb environmental impact research neared completion in 2022.

In addition, ALB began a project with the University of Wyoming to create a pilot benchmarking system with the goal of helping producers increase their productivity, attract new producers and support domestic sheep production growth.

Plan process

In 2018, when ALB launched its previous plan, it was built on the Lamb Industry Roadmap, a collaborative effort to improve productivity, product quality, become more competitive and grow the U.S. flock to fulfill supply needs built by consumer demand.

While some exceptional groundwork has been accomplished, there remains much to achieve, challenges to overcome and opportunities to pursue, according to ALB.

The process of the strategic plan looks to evaluate progress made within the last few years as well as analyze data, trends and forecasts; assess industry strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats and develop a plan to establish ALB’s vision, mission, goals, objectives and metrics to track progress.

The 2023-28 plan acknowledges and addresses these industry challenges and opportunities.

It states the following: the COVID-19 pandemic caused huge losses within the industry’s fine dining market but created opportunities for retail sales and athome consumption.

While U.S. consumers are buying lamb, the domestic flock is dwindling and more product is coming from imports, with a significant price advantage.

The non-traditional market, with demand for smaller carcasses, has grown and cultural preferences are creating new opportunities.

The loss of major lamb processors caused shortterm strife, yet smaller processors are emerging and being embraced by a society seeking a more local supply structure.

Consumer interest in sustainability has become more mainstream and part of the purchase decision process.

Overall price inflation, labor challenges and economic downturn created more pressure on the U.S. lamb industry.

ALB’s vision for the future works to provide a unified, thriving American lamb industry concentrating its resources around priorities and a measurable plan fostering profit opportunities for all stakeholders.

Strategic plan

The focus now turns to FY 2023 and beyond.

“As the American lamb industry looks to the future, there are several areas for opportunity,” noted Camino.

To embrace these opportunities, ALB has announced a strategic plan for the next five years. The plan looks to increase demand for American lamb by five percent and take five percent market share from lamb imports by the end of 2028.

The strategic plan’s three primary goals are growing consumer demand for American lamb; research, education and innovation to optimize and prioritize research and education efforts to improve product quality and consistency; increase productivity and grow the year-round supply of American lamb and industry services to expand awareness, understanding, engagement and involvement of stakeholders in the American Lamb Checkoff.

ALB’s strategic plan helps the board prioritize programs and align resources with actionable tactics helping to achieve strategic goals.

Marketing

According to the strategic plan, 52 percent of lamb purchasers are aware of the source of their lamb and 42 percent prefer to buy American lamb.

“Even though many challenges are out of our control, it’s critical we keep driving forward as hard as we can to promote American lamb and the U.S. sheep industry.” – Peter Camino, American Lamb Board

Under ALB’s marketing strategies, ALB is looking to increase the usage of American lamb through new U.S. markets and channels, increase consumer awareness and familiarity with American lamb as a healthy and sustainable produced protein, develop export market opportunities and increase programming to consumer segments who desire lamb and suppliers to these markets.

ALB looks to study the retail demand index for lamb, retail sales data, menu penetration studies, consumer and influencer usage and attitude studies and look at consumer, trade and media coverage to ensure there is adequate marketing for American lamb.

Research, education and innovation

In ALB’s strategic plan, the board looks to identify and support attainable research, educational opportunities and benchmarking tools to improve quality and productivity and increase the U.S. flock.

In addition, the plan looks to invest in research and education programs enhancing the sustainability of lamb production and engage in key industry stakeholders for input on research needs and distribution of findings.

The plan notes ALB will communicate outcomes of completed research and widely distribute educational materials and support and promote resources, industry events and production practices to encourage increased productivity and domestic production.

The plan also hopes to increase the impact of research by leveraging ALB funding with federal or private resources and encourage new product development addressing consumer needs.

ALB looks to do this through industry engagement in research and educational recommendations, looking at USDA data on U.S. flock numbers and through benchmarking tools.

Industry services

ALB’s strategic plan looks to utilize appropriate and effective channels to communicate with the industry, including board member trainings and outreach.

ALB will continue to facilitate the lamb industry roundtable to improve communication and collaboration across sections and industry organizations.

In addition, ALB looks to support and create programs encouraging young producers to stay engaged in the industry and serve in leadership roles.

The ALB strategic plan hopes to attain participation in producer education and quality assurance programs encouraging the use of best practices, enhance consumer trust and reflect the industry’s ethical principles, collect and provide factual information on the market analysis and other issues and proactively address adverse topics impacting the industry.

Lastly, through ALB’s industry services goals, ALB looks to offer resources and funding to support local promotional programs extending Lamb Checkoff efforts.

ALB will achieve these goals through industry attitude surveys about the American Lamb Checkoff, industry engagement in American lamb programs, such as Enews subscribers and industry media usage of ALB news and resources.

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net