Page 12 - MWC 10-5-2023s

The Midwest Cattleman · October 5, 2023 · P12
No Bumper Hay Crop, 44% of the Cattle

Inventory in Drought

By Paige Carlson
Dry conditions persist expected to fall significant- The next few months could cattle inventory is in an area
across parts of the U.S., with ly short across some states be pivotal for the cattle in- of drought—the highest per-
nearly half of the nation’s compared to last year, in- dustry if drought persists, centage since the start of the
corn crop and 37% of the na- cluding Iowa, Minnesota and encouraging producers to season in late April, Griffiths
tion’s hay crop areas experi- Missouri. further liquidate the cattle reports.
encing drought, reports Clin- Heading into the winter herd. As of now, 44% of the Drovers
ton Griffiths on AgDay. feeding months,
Specifically, several major tight hay supplies
growing areas and livestock leading to further
production states, including liquidation of cat-
Nebraska, Kansas and Mis- tle in these areas is
souri, are feeling drought cause for concern.
pressure. “It sure seems
“Certainly, when you look like, to me, that’s
at Missouri in particular, where we’re head-
we’re down in hay production ed,” Brown adds.
in 2023,” says Scott Brown, “It’s almost every
markets and policy profes- segment of the in-
sor and interim director of dustry that we can
the Rural and Farm Finance see that consolida-
Policy Analysis Center at tion—all the way
the University of Missouri. from the cow-calf
“Other states have recov- level to the pro-
ered—some of the states that cessing and retail-
had more of a drought issue ers.”
in 2022 than this year—but Brown explains
we’ve kind of been front and that the cattle
center of the dry weather industry’s large
that’s hurt pastures and hay number of partici-
and ponds.” pants throughout
According to the USDA’s the supply chain
National Agricultural Statis- may need to coor-
tics Service (NASS), released dinate—leading
on Sept. 12, overall yield per to concentration
acre in all hay harvested is or consolidation of
forecast to be slightly high- the industry.
er from 2022 (2.28 tons per M e a n w h i l e ,
acre) to 2023 (2.29 tons per overall pasture and
acre). Production across the range conditions in
U.S. is also forecast to in- the U.S. seem to
crease in 2023 by nearly four be holding on to
million ton. improving slight-
However, as Brown notes, ly over the 2023
total hay production was growing season.

LIFE
continued from page 5 it with a cloth bandage, called peek across to the girls’ side. with a bad leg.”
it good, and sent my friends The substitute teacher had Being in the days where
ically gifted then than I am back to school. I got to stay learned of this from a couple corporal punishment was
now, I took a hard fall on the home for the rest of the day. of girls but decided to let the not only allowed, but en-
way down the hill, cutting a The next morning, I begged real teacher deal with the couraged, and long before
huge gash in my left knee. my mother to let me miss punishment upon her return. self-esteem became political-
In today’s world, the school another day, but to no avail. The wise old teacher asked ly correct, the educator lined
nurse would have treated me Our regular teacher had also the most honest boy of the up every boy in the school,
with first aid, before calling returned, and she started bunch (not me), if this was except me, and administered
an ambulance to take me the day with a disturbing true. With bowed head, he three whacks with a hickory
to the nearest hospital for lecture. It seemed that, after admitted that all the boys switch.
stitches. In 1960, the tempo- the races of the previous af- had participated.
rary teacher simply had two ternoon had concluded, all “Every single one?” she
schoolmates carry me home, the boys in the school had asked.
about one-fourth mile away taken turns boosting each Ashamedly, he answered,
through the woods. Mom other up, inside the boys’ side “Everyone but Jerry, ‘cause
cleaned the wound, wrapped of the school’s outhouse, to we had to carry him home