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Drought causing large cattle selloffs

A southern Missouri cattle producer says ongoing drought is changing the landscape of the U.S. cattle herd.

“We had the Dakotas sell out last year and now Texas and Oklahoma, and even some in Missouri,” said Jeff Reed.

Reed said that’s mostly due to widespread drought. He tells Brownfield it’s concerning to see cattle inventory so low.

“A lot of people are talking about not getting back into the cattle industry because of everything that’s going on with the packers and legislation,” Reed said. “It’s not profitable for a lot of people because you’ve got this perfect storm of markets, a lot of people aren’t going to be able to afford to buy hay, and then you’ve got grain – which is extremely high.”

He said cull cow prices have taken a sharp drop because of the selloffs, but feeder cattle…

“Market wise, [they are] as good as they have been doing and even better,” he said. “So, we’re excited to see that. Corn has come down quite a bit, so that has helped.”

Reed said the southeastern corner of the state received a quarter to nine tenths an inch of rain the last couple days, providing some drought relief.

Reed raises cattle and grows row crops near Williamsville, Missouri.