Weathering the Cattle Market
Weather has played a critical role in the outcome of agricultural yields throughout most of the Northwest this growing season. Certainly the wine industry has been impacted, a late freeze could have hurt the pear crop and cherry won't make 4th of July. First cutting alfalfa is two weeks behind schedule shooting hay prices sky high. I’m Susan Allen welcome to Open Range, I’ll be back after the break to share how weather impacts the one industry that initially would seem pretty impervious to its effects. Unlike most of our northwest crops that are sensitive to changing weather conditions , at first glance the cattle market appears fairly resistant to mother natures whims, but that’s actually not the case. In fact in theory it might even be more venerable because unlike many crops that have been contracted a year in advance,beef sales can immediately impacted by the wet cold spring throughout the nation given the fact that less people grill outdoors. In Texas where cattle are king, wildfires and burn bans have also impacted outdoor recreation again effecting beef demand. The hurricane and impending drought conditions in the Southern plains will create havoc on feed supplies meaning that many parts of the country are projected to actually liquidate not expand cattle herds. While temperatures haven't had much impact on NW ranchers in an odd twist of fate, harsh weather conditions in other parts of the nation could ensure our own cattle producers experience a really good year.
