.ancaster Farming, Saturday, March 1,2003
Cattle-Fax Reports On Status Of Cattle Industry
DENVER, Colo. Cattlemen
should expect higher average
prices for all classes of cattle dur
ing 2003, according to Cattle-
Fax, the cattle industry market
analysis and information organi
zation which serves beef produc
ers in all segments of the indus
try. Following are more insights
into the cattle situation offered in
its recent report on the status of
the industry.
Tighter fed cattle supplies and
smaller total beef production will
drive much of the increase in cat
tle prices. Cattle feeders and
stocker operations are expected
to post solid profits during the
WVPT To Premiere Weekly Televised Farm Series
HARRISONBURG, Va.
WVPT Virginia’s Public Tele
vision will premiere the Com
monwealth’s only locally pro
duced, weekly televised farm
series “Virginia Farming” with
special guest Congressman Bob
Goodlatte, Friday, March 28,
8-8:30 p.m.
Writer and award-winning
Shenandoah Valley farm radio
broadcaster Jeff Ishee will host
the new series. “This television
program is an exciting develop
ment for the rural and agricultur
al community,” said Ishee, who
will invite guests from across the
state to discuss Virginia’s poul
try, beef, dairy, crop, wine, sea
food, timber, aquaculture, and re
lated industries.
“My primary goal is to be of
service to farmers and agribusi
ness,” said Ishee. “Agriculture is
important not only to our
statewide economy, but it is also
important to each of the 45,000
farm families in Virginia.” In
cluded in each weekly
30-minute program
will be long-range ag
ricultural weather
forecasts, market
trends, and a salute to
individual farm com
munities
Special guest Repre
sentative Bob Good
latte was recently
elected to serve as
Chairman of the full
House Agriculture
Committee. Goodlatte
has served on this
committee since first
being elected to Con
gress in November
1992. Previously he
was Chairman of the
Agriculture Subcom
mittee on Department,
Operations, Oversight,
Nutrition, and Forest
ry-
Goodlatte served as
a conferee on the 2002
Farm Bill, working to
provide programs to
rural Americans who
are in need of a stable
farm economy, while
providing suburban
and urban Americans
with the safest, most
abundant and most af
fordable food supply
in the world.
Goodlatte is a grad
uate of Washington
and Lee University
School of Law, and his
undergraduate degree
in Government was
earned at Bates Col
lege in Lewiston,
first half of 2003. This will begin
to replace some of the equity lost
during 2002 and will underpin
demand and prices for feeder cat
tle and calves.
Cattle feeders lost between $35
and $4O per head on average dur
ing 2002. This loss of equity will
limit price increases for feeder
cattle and calves through the first
half of the year as margin opera
tors are likely to be more disci
plined in their purchasing deci
sions.
Cattle feeders, stocker opera
tors, backgrounders, and cow
calf producers should all experi
ence more consistent and positive
Maine.
Jeff Ishee is Farm director for
WSVA radio in Harrisonburg
and hosts “On the Farm Radio,”
a syndicated radio show for lis
teners in Virginia, West Virginia,
Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennes
see, and North Carolina. He has
a website www.onthefarmradi
o.com.
He manages two retail farm
ers’ markets in Staunton and Ve
rona, Virginia, and has consulted
with numerous organizations on
issues relating to public farmers’
markets. Ishee wrote and pub
lished Dynamic Farmers’ Mar
keting: A Guide to Successfully
Selling Your Farmers’ Market
Products in 1997. He is a colum
nist for The Virginia Gardener
magazine, as well as Staunton’s
Daily News Leader.
Ishee has served on the Envi
ronmental Awards Selection
Committees of the Virginia Poul
try Federation, and has served as
Mum hsmue tyencu
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profit margins during 2003. Mar
ket cow and breeding cattle
prices should be higher in 2003.
The latter will depend to a large
degree on range and pasture con
ditions. The current drought con
ditions throughout much of the
West and Northern Plains may
have a greater impact on prices
during 2003 than during 2002.
During 2003, fed-cattle prices
should average about $73 to $74/
cwt., about $6/cwt. higher than
the previous year. Feeder steers
weighing 750 pounds are ex
pected to average about $B2/cwt.,
up $3 to $4/cwt. from 2002 due to
tight feeder cattle supplies and
Vice President of the Virginia
Farmers Direct Marketing Asso-
ciation.
Ishee received the Virginia
Farm Bureau Federation’s Agri
culture Journalism Award for
Broadcasting (radio category) in
1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, as
well as an Honorary Degree from
the Future Farmers of America
in 2000.
Bert Schmidt, president and
general manager of WVPT, said
that he was “thrilled to have Jeff
Ishee join WVPT’s family of pub
lic affairs programming. ‘Virgin
ia Farming’ is a program by
farmers, for farmers and is in
tended to address issues impor
tant to people within the agricul
tural industry.”
“Virginia Farming” will air
Fridays at 8 p.m. and repeat Sat
urdays at noon and Sundays at 6
a.m. on Virginia’s public televi
sion channels.
the profits attained by cattle feed
ers during the past few months.
Steer calves weighing 500 pounds
are expected to average about
$95 to $96/cwt., about $5/cwt.
higher than a year earlier.
Total cattle numbers continued
to decline in 2002 but record
heavy carcass weights increased
beef production to a new record.
Lower prices during 2002 were
the result of smaller slaughter to
tals being more than offset by
heavier carcass weights, which
inflated beef production.
Beef production levels are ex
pected to be 4% to 5% smaller
than a year earlier during the
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first and second quarters of 2003,
which will support fed cattle
prices and allow cattle feeders to
gain bargaining position.
Fed cattle slaughter for 2003 is
expected to decline about 600,000
head (2%) to 28.6 million head.
Beef production for the year is
expected to fall below 2002 levels
by about 2%, totaling 26.3 billion
pounds.
Competitive meat supplies
during 2003 will be mixed, with
pork supplies declining 1% to 2%
and poultry supplies increasing
about 2%. Total meat supplies
during 2003, as a result, are ex
pected to be even-to-slightly
smaller than those of 2002.
Grain prices were volatile dur
ing 2002 and are expected to re
main so during 2003. There is al
ways weather risk associated
with corn prices. This is especial
ly true this year as U.S. ending
stocks are the smallest since the
1996/1997 crop year. Total corn
acres planted are expected to in
crease but good growing condi
tions will be needed to attain high
enough yields to produce a crop
approaching or exceeding 10 bil
lion bushels.
Beef exports are expected to
increase by 5% to 7% in 2003
from 2002 levels. If this level of
growth is attained, 2003 beef ex
ports could be record large. The
continued fallout of the BSE dis
covery in Japan will impact U.S.
beef export tonnage through at
least the first half of 2003. Korea
and Mexico are expected to re
main growth opportunities for
the U.S. beef industry. Imports
will increase slightly, due primar
ily to the higher prices for lean
trimmings and smaller domestic
beef production. Trimmings ac
count for the majority of beef im
ported by the U.S.
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