Oklahoma Cattle Ranchers See Improving Conditions, but Drought's Effects Linger

Jun 05, 2023

By Xcaret Nuñez

Recent rainfall across Oklahoma has chipped away at drought-stricken areas, bringing some relief to cattle ranchers.

But full recovery is still a ways away, said Derrell Peel, an extension livestock marketing specialist for Oklahoma State University.

With dried-up ponds and little to no forage, the drought has forced some ranchers to sell their livestock early for the past two years. Last year had the most beef cows slaughtered since recordkeeping began in 1986, according to a USDA livestock report.

Rebuilding cattle herds will be a slow process, Peel said.

“I think at this point, it's highly unlikely that we could actually turn this thing around and stop the liquidation completely,” Peel said on SUNUP. “Now, we don't expect a lot of liquidation, but it does depend on what happens to the drought as we go forward.”

The USDA crop progress report shows pasture conditions are improving with recent rains. The latest report shows pasture and range conditions were rated at 80% fair to good, while the first report in May was rated 45% fair to good.

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T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.