Drought impacts reduce beef cow numbers to lowest since 2014

Drought (level D2 to D4) now occupies 37% of the Western US. The impact on the US cattle numbers is staggering. US cow herd drop 2% in the last USDA report, but many analysts believe the cow and heifer slaughter numbers year to date are up 14% from the same time in 2021 and 27% larger than the five-year average indicating that the true cattle numbers in the US are much lower. Impacting these numbers are lack of livestock water and feed as well as grasshoppers in our local areas.

For grasshopper control, there is value in controlling adult grasshoppers in the fall. Hoppers are currently laying eggs and will continue for a month. Controlling these adults will eliminate egg production in 2023. Options for control are Mustang Max or products containing Lamda-cyhalothrin insecticide. Mustang Max label says there is a 3-day interval for hay harvest and 14 days for grain harvest. For lambda, the harvest interval for hay is 7 days and 21 for grain. Please check all labels to assure the time to harvest can be achieved before application.

This fall, USDA APHIS will be performing fall grasshopper inventory. This is not a model of the population in 2023 but a count of adult grasshoppers that lay eggs. From this field survey, APHIS in the winter will provide the 2023 grasshopper outlook map.

If we continue to stay dryer than normal, grasshoppers may be problematic again in 2023. Fall control of adults before egg laying will help to reduce impacts in the next year.