Beef Marketing and Economics

All Beef Marketing and Economics Content

Best Management Practices for Reducing Dry Hay Storage Loss

When hay prices are high, proper storage is financially important. Learn some best management practices to reduce storage loss and ensure an adequate forage supply.

Three mixed replacement heifers standing in a pasture.

Reducing Development Costs for Replacement Heifers

Regardless of how efficiently reproductive success is managed on the ranch, beef producers are tasked annually with incorporating new females into the herd in the form of replacement heifers.

Pasture Conditions and Grazing Opportunities

Fall rains across South Dakota have provided some much-needed soil moisture improvement. Learn some expert tips for taking advantage of late-season grazing opportunities on pasture and rangeland.

Several portions of ground beef being inspected at a meat processing facility.

Meat Inspection in South Dakota: Requirements and Resources for Processing and Selling Meat

If you are considering marketing your animals directly to consumers it is important to understand the inspection requirements for selling meat directly to consumers.

Variety of frozen meats in a freezer labeled with a red, “Not for Sale” stamp.

Meat (Not) For Sale

Before buying meat from local livestock producers, take the time to understand the rules and regulations of local meat processing.

Blank angus cattle at a concrete feed bunk.

Preconditioning Calves: Is it the right choice?

Preconditioning involves weaning calves at least 45 days in preparation to enter the stocker phase or directly into the feedlot. Learn some important tips to help determine if it's the right choice for your operation.

Rancher cleaning a cow's hear before applying an implant.

Getting Implant Application Correct

How would you like to make a few thousand dollars per hour? When cattle backgrounders and feeders use growth promoting implants correctly, those returns are not a pipe dream. The key is administering the implant correctly.

Live Weight vs. Carcass Weight: Effect on Cost of Gain and Margin

More cattle each year are marketed using carcass weight to determine value, sometimes combined with grid premiums and discounts. Can we use the same assumptions for growth and cost of gain when marketing methods differ?

Two young woman inspecting plants growing on a vast, open range.

Women on the Range workshop on social media set for Aug. 17

July 24, 2023

SDSU Extension will host a Women on the Range - Leveraging Social Media workshop at approximately 9 a.m. and lasts until 5 p.m. MT on Aug. 17, 2023, at the 777 Bison Ranch near Hermosa, South Dakota.

Black angus cow with pinkeye and flies throughout its body.

What Does Pinkeye Cost?

A common disease during fly season, pinkeye in cattle can have a measurable impact on profits. A recent research project investigated the impact of eye issues on sale barn prices to find out just how much.