Drought conditions greatly reduce the available forage for livestock. They also impact forage and rangeland production across the state. Short and long-term ramifications will continue to affect the management of livestock. Livestock have been sold or relocated out of state in record numbers; however, there are alternatives for the remaining population.
* PRIMARY NESTING SEASON - March 15th- July 15 - NO CRP Contract Management ALLOWED
* CRP - Initial and re-seeding of permanent cover - Deadline April 30th
* FARM LOAN Personnel in Kiowa County Service Center - Tuesday, May 8th
If you live in Colorado, or if your business is touched in any way by any aspect of the agricultural industry, the ongoing national discussion about trade agreements and import tariffs should mean a lot to you. Colorado farmers and ranchers understand that there are a lot of things like weather and market price fluctuations that we can't control. But we can make every effort to create new market opportunities and expand the global partnerships we have worked so hard to develop for our products.
The number of cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in Colorado feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 head or larger was estimated at 950,000 head as of April 1, 2018. The latest inventory was 1 percent above April 1, 2017 inventory, but no change from the previous month's inventory.
The inventory included 535,000 steer and steer calves, 12 percent below the previous year. The number of heifer and heifer calves, at 415,000 head, are up 24 percent from a year ago.
Nonfarm businesses and nonprofit organizations impacted by drought may now qualify for low interest loans in 12 Colorado counties as well as two counties in Utah.
Commercial red meat productionfor the United States totaled 4.52 billion pounds in March, down slightly from the 4.54 billion pounds produced in March 2017.
Beef production, at 2.20 billion pounds, was 2 percent below the previous year. Cattle slaughter totaled 2.70 million head, down 2 percent from March 2017. The average live weight was up 8 pounds from the previous year, at 1,358 pounds.
This week, the State Veterinarian's Office was notified that a Weld County horse tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1). This time of year typically kicks off horseback riding, jackpots, horse shows, and a number of other horse events and the Colorado Department of Agriculture reminds horse owners that there are a number of steps to protect their horses this season.
Total red meat production for the United States totaled 52.1 billion pounds in 2017, 3 percent higher than the previous year. Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, and lamb and mutton. Red meat production in commercial plants totaled 52.0 billion pounds. On-farm slaughter totaled 87.6 million pounds.
Beef production totaled 26.3 billion pounds, up 4 percent from the previous year. Veal production totaled 80.2 million pounds, down 1 percent from last year. Pork production, at 25.6 billion pounds, was 3 percent above the previous year.
A late week blizzard blanketed northeastern Colorado and stalled fieldwork, according to the Mountain Region Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. Other localities across the state received isolated precipitation and high winds, with the majority of areas remaining dry and in need of moisture.
A North Carolina farm is voluntarily recalling nearly 207 million eggs due to potential contamination with Salmonella Braenderup according to the United States Food and Drug Administration. The disease can be serious, or even fatal.
