Newton County Cooperative Extension (Arkansas)

09/08/2026

09/04/2026

Calving Season Thoughts

Kirsten Midkiff, PhD – Animal Health and Wellbeing Specialist

As we move into September, several of our producers might be starting their fall calving season. Though we can always hope for it to be smooth sailing for every birth, we all know that an emergency can lurk around the corner. Calf presentation may be normal in most cases; but, we can have difficulties with a foot or head back, rear legs and tail coming first, or a breech. Maybe we notice a cow that is in active labor, but it's been quite some time with no progression. What do we do here? Here are some tips that can help during the upcoming calving season.

Monitor the cattle closely around calving. Regular observation is one of the most important aspects of calving season, and being able to recognize normal signs of labor versus when one might need extra help. Keep an eye out for abnormal presentation (one foot out, only head out, breech, etc.), excessive bleeding or signs of distress, little to no progress in labor, or the cow/heifer's condition has become weak. Heifers may typically have more problems with dystocia than mature cows, as that first calf may be larger than what the she is capable of delivering easily. Heifers should be observed frequently, at least twice daily. Consider moving heifers a bit closer to the barn or chute, so that assistance may be given if needed. Keeping an accurate records of calving dates, difficult births, and other observations are important as well. These records could help identify problem cattle and can make future breeding and culling decisions easier.

Check out your facilities and make sure that they are prepared for calving. Areas where calves are born should be well-drained and safe for both cattle and people. In case of an emergency, know where the cow will be moved to and ensure that the fences, pens, gates, and working facilities are in order. It's not a great moment when the fence is off the hinge in a calving emergency! Lighting is always a top priority, especially when calving at night. Check the bulbs in the barn and the batteries in the flashlights and head lamps to make sure all is well before they are needed. This would be a good opportunity to consider the equipment that you have on hand, whether it is in the barn near the chute or easily accessible when needed.

When it comes to equipment, a checklist could be made with the most important items on hand in case assistance is needed. Lubricant, OB sleeves or gloves, clean towels, flashlights and headlamps, electrolytes, colostrum or quality colostrum replacer, calf bottles, OB chains and handles, and clean buckets and disinfectants are all items that could be included in a calving kit. Ensure that all items are in date, full, ready-to-go in case of an emergency. Once we have a live calf on the ground, make sure that it nurses. If a calf is weak and has not been seen nursing (or mom's udder does not look like it has been suckled), intervention may be needed to ensure that it gets colostrum. Have a plan in place for when a calf might need a bit of extra care.

In any instance, knowing when help is needed is critical. Be familiar with the stages of labor in cattle, and know when something is not right. Also, it's a time to remember our own limits, comfortability, and experience with calving difficulties. No amount of help from a veterinarian will be enough if we make a mistake. One of the most common mistakes made, according to veterinarians, is a decision to call for help that was delayed, leading to a negative outcome for both calf and cow. Keep a veterinarian's contact readily available, and know how to reach them after hours. Discussing calving plans, common problems surrounding calving season, and suggested on-hand supplies is key. An article from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine discusses instances of when to call a veterinarian:

The problem is known and how to solve it, but are unable to handle it
The problem is known and how to solve it, but no progress has been made in 30 minutes
The problem is not known (unfamiliar with what is felt or the type of problem encountered)

Being prepared for the calving season is key, regardless of what time of year our cattle may be calving. Good preparation can mean the difference in a quick response and a stressful situation that puts both the cow and calf at risk. Preparation now instead of later allows for us to focus on the situation at hand instead of searching for what is needed.

It's a great time to share a graphic on the matter! Below is something that we can share out as a reminder - we can always check and double check to ensure we are as prepared as we can be for an emergency.

09/04/2026

Arkansas is DRY. Pastures are drying up. Trees are stressed and dying. Ponds are dropping. Some cattle producers are already feeding hay because there simply isn’t enough grass.

The Arkansas Cattlemen's Association is calling for our cattle producers to report what they're seeing. Take a few minutes to file a CMOR drought report. Report pastures, ponds, livestock impacts, hay feeding, stressed trees and other conditions. Include photos if possible

08/25/2026

On Friday, August 21, 2026, President Trump announced that the United States would allow 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to enter the country over the next 90 days without out-of-quota tariffs. The announcement also stated that these imports would be sold at 25% below current market prices. This announcement comes against the backdrop of record U.S. cattle prices, historically low domestic cattle inventories, realignment in the domestic beef packing sector, continued uncertainty surrounding the reopening of the southern border to Mexican feeder cattle, and escalation of the war with Iran.


How Much is 300,000 metric tons?

To put the size of the announcement into perspective, USDA currently forecasts 2026 U.S. beef production at 25.7 billion pounds and beef imports at 6.8 billion pounds. An additional 300,000 metric tons is equivalent to approximately 661.4 million pounds of beef. Relative to USDA’s current annual forecast, that would represent roughly an 11% increase in U.S. beef imports and add about 2% to total domestic beef supplies.



The impact becomes much more pronounced when we consider that these imports are expected to arrive within a 90-day period. Concentrating an additional 661.4 million pounds of beef in the fourth quarter would increase expected fourth-quarter beef imports by approximately 51% and increase total fourth-quarter domestic beef supplies by about 8%. That would make the fourth quarter of 2026 the largest fourth quarter for U.S. beef supplies on record.



Will this impact cattle prices?

This could easily impact Arkansas cattle prices at a time when many producers are beginning to market calves. An unexpected surge in beef imports over a 90-day period could put significant downward pressure on U.S. cattle prices. We can look to last fall for some indication of the potential price response.

Recall that on October 16, 2025, President Trump announced a plan aimed at lowering U.S. beef prices that included expanding the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) for Argentine beef imports and relaxing tariffs on Brazilian beef imports. The figure below shows the price reaction in Arkansas following that announcement. At the time, Arkansas steer calves were averaging $421/cwt. Two weeks later, steer calf prices had fallen $41/cwt to $380/cwt. Over the same two-week period, Arkansas feeder steer prices declined $28/cwt, from $367/cwt to $339/cwt.

As of this writing, the September 2026 feeder cattle futures contract is down more than $6/cwt since trading opened at 8:30 a.m. CST. The potential market implications of this announcement are arguably larger than those of last fall’s news, making the ultimate price impact difficult to project. However, last year’s market reaction provides a useful example of how quickly cattle prices can respond to an unexpected change in U.S. beef import policy.

Will this impact herd expansion?

Fundamentally, this announcement does not help the U.S. cattle industry rebuild the herd. Producers are already facing higher input costs, particularly for fuel and fertilizer, while drought conditions have expanded across Arkansas and many of the major cattle-producing states. Those factors were already making herd expansion a difficult decision. Producers must now also consider the potential for unexpectedly lower cattle prices and increased market volatility at a time when retaining heifers and expanding cow inventories requires a significant long-term financial commitment.



Herd rebuilding depends heavily on producer expectations about future profitability. Strong cattle prices provide an economic incentive for producers to retain heifers rather than market them as feeder cattle and to keep older cows in the herd longer. An unexpected increase in beef imports that puts downward pressure on cattle prices reduces that incentive. Even if the immediate price effects prove temporary, greater uncertainty about future cattle prices can make producers more hesitant to commit capital to herd expansion. At best, this announcement could delay the beginning or pace of U.S. herd rebuilding. At worst, if the resulting price pressure and uncertainty are large or persistent enough, it could cause producers to abandon expansion plans and create longer-lasting damage to rebuilding efforts.

08/17/2026

How Much Should You Pay for a Replacement Heifer?
James Mitchell, University of Arkansas
Ryan Loy, University of Arkansas

With cattle prices at historical highs, few investments carry more weight for a cow-calf operation than the decision to add replacement females. A producer has several options: they can buy a bred heifer to add to their herd or retain and develop a heifer calf of their own, delaying her first calf by a year for a lower upfront cost. Current heifer prices have raised the financial tradeoffs of this decision, and the best strategy depends on assumptions that vary by operation and year.

Buying a heifer means paying today’s price to calve next spring. Raising means giving up what a calf could have sold for at weaning, covering a year of expenses, and waiting an extra year for her first calf. Higher heifer prices make buying more expensive up front but also increases the opportunity cost of holding a heifer calf back rather than selling her.

The Beef Cow and Heifer Investment Analysis tool was developed to help producers with this decision. The tool is a free online dashboard that allows producers to enter their own data, such as heifer price, annual cow costs, weaning weight, calf crop percentage, cull weight, discount rate, and cost inflation. The dashboard returns net present value (NPV), breakeven heifer price, payback period, and average annual net return, all of which update in real time (Figure 1).

Consider the dashboard’s default assumptions: a 92% weaning rate, 520-pound weaning weight, $1,100 in annual cow costs, an 8 percent discount rate, and an 8-year productive life, with calf prices and cost inflation following the USDA calf price forecast (users can also substitute their own price and cost expectations). Under these assumptions, the tool estimates the maximum price a producer could pay for a heifer while maintaining an 8 percent return ($5,018/hd in this case), as well as the payback period to recover the investment. Changing an assumption can significantly impact the outcome, highlighting how much this decision is operation specific.

The decision to buy or raise heifers boils down to cash-flow timing and the price paid relative to what a heifer returns over her productive life. The dashboard does not determine which strategy is correct for an operation. However, it provides cattle producers and other agricultural stakeholders with a framework to evaluate the trade-offs between these strategies. The Beef Cow and Heifer Investment Analysis Tool is completely free to use and can be accessed here on any device with an internet connection.

This is part of series of articles on the new Beef Cow and Heifer Investment Analysis Tool. In forthcoming articles, we will review other features of the tool, the user manual, and interpretation of the results the tool provides.

08/17/2026

Cattle Market Report

07/06/2026

Newton County Junior 4-Her Karley Willis represented Newton County well at the Ozark District Orama in the Crop and W**d ID contest by placing first in the Junior Division. I strongly encourage each 4-Her from 9-19 to participate in this event if you have questions, please contact the Newton County Cooperative Extension Office at 870-446-2240.

Thanks Adam Willis