Feb. 6, ,2017
Oklahoma leads U.S. beef cow herd expansion
by Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Specialist
The U.S. beef cow herd expanded 3.5 percent in 2016 to a Jan. 1, 2017, level of 31.2 million head, up 1.04 million from one year ago. This follows USDA-NASS revisions that showed the Jan. 1, 2016, beef cow herd inventory at 30.2 million head, up 2.9 percent from 2014. Total three-year herd expansion, since the recent low of 29.1 million head in 2014, is 2.1 million head, slightly higher than the pre-drought 2011 total and just under the 2010 inventory level of 31.4 million head. The 2017 inventory of beef replacement heifers was 6.4 million head, up 1.2 percent year over year. This level of beef replacement heifers is 20.6 percent of the cow herd inventory, down just slightly from last year, and a level that suggests significant herd expansion will continue in 2017. An estimated 4.0 million head of beef heifers is expected to calve in 2017, up 1.6 percent from the 2016 level.
Among top ten beef cow states, Oklahoma added the most cows with an 8.9 percent increase in 2016, leading to a 2017 herd inventory of 2.095 million head, second to Texas, which had 4.46 million head (up 4.0 percent from 2016). In absolute numbers, Oklahoma added 172 thousand cows the beef herd, slightly more than the 170 thousand head increase in Texas. The 2017 Oklahoma beef cow inventory slightly exceeds the recent 2010 peak and is the highest state inventory since 1985. This follows the 2013 low of 1.694 million head, the lowest Oklahoma beef cow herd since 1962. In the last four years, the Oklahoma beef cow herd has expanded 23.7 percent, the largest percentage increase from recent lows among top ten beef cow states. In addition to Texas and Oklahoma, other top ten beef cow states with strong growth in 2016 included Missouri (ranked number 3), Kansas (6), Nebraska (4) and North Dakota (10) with modest expansion in Iowa (9); while South Dakota (5), Montana (7) and Kentucky (8) all showed little or no beef cow expansion in 2016.
The southern plains region (KS, OK, TX) has the largest regional beef cow inventory of 8.13 million head, up 5.5 percent from 2016. Next is the northern plains region (ND, SD, NE) with 4.54 million head, up 2.5 percent year over year. The third largest region is the Midwest (IL, IN, IA, MO, OH) with a 2017 beef cow inventory of 3.90 million head, up 4.9 percent from the previous year. The northern Rockies (MT, WY) have a 2017 beef cow inventory of 2.20 million head, up just 0.5 percent year over year. Close behind is the Appalachian region (KY, TN, WV) at 2.14 million head, 1.5 percent higher than one year ago, along with the southern region (AL, GA, FL) at 2.10 million head, up 0.7 percent from 2016. Other regions have less than 1.5 million head of beef cows, with strong growth in California (up 9.2 percent) leading to a 5.7 percent year over year increase in the southwest (AZ, CA, NV, UT) and strong growth in New Mexico (up 12.0 percent) leading to a 5.7 percent increase from 2016 in the southern Rockies (CO, NM).
Helping the newborn calf breathe
by Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist
Despite our best efforts at bull selection and heifer development, cows or heifers occasionally need assistance at calving time. Every baby calf has a certain degree of respiratory acidosis. Acidosis is the result of the deprivation of oxygen and the accumulation of carbon dioxide that results from the passage of the calf through the birth canal. The excess of carbon dioxide results in a build-up of lactic acid (therefore the acidosis.) In order to correct the lack of oxygen and the excess of carbon dioxide and its by-products, the healthy calf will pant vigorously shortly after birth. Some calves, however, may be sluggish and slow to begin this corrective process.
It is imperative that the newborn calf begins to breathe as soon as possible. To stimulate the initiation of the respiratory process, a few ideas may help. First, manually clear the mouth and nasal passages of fluids and mucus. Traditionally, compromised calves were held up by their hind legs to allow fluid to drain from the airways, but now many veterinarians and animal scientists don’t recommend this. Most of the fluid that drains from an upside-down calf is stomach fluid, important to health. Holding the calf by its hind legs also puts pressure on the diaphragm from abdominal organs, interfering with normal breathing. It’s better to use a suction bulb to clear the airways.
Hanging the calf over a fence also is NOT a recommended method for a sluggish newborn. The weight of the calf on the fence restricts the movement of the diaphragm muscle. The fence impairs the diaphragm’s ability to contract and move. This diaphragm activity is necessary to expand the lungs to draw in air and needed oxygen.
A better method is to briskly tickle the inside of the nostrils of the calf with a straw. This will usually cause the calf to have a reflex action such as a snort or cough. The reflex cough or snort expands the lungs and allows air to enter. Expect the calf to pant rapidly for a few minutes after breathing is initiated. Panting is the natural response that increases oxygen intake and carbon dioxide release and will allow the calf to reach normal blood gas concentrations.
Cow-Calf Corner is a weekly newsletter by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Agency. More information is available at sunup.okstate.edu/category/ccc.