Drought in the western and north-central states will be a summary theme for the beef production sector this year. It is a significant weather pattern shaping the near future of the
industry, not to mention the personal and small business tolls too numerous to detail. Beef cow culling continues at a rapid pace, with the year-to-date average at 66,700 head per week, up about 6,000 head over last year. Since June 1, the weekly sum was an additional 2,000 head larger. The last year in the dataset with a larger weekly beef cow slaughter from June through August was 2011, with a 71,600 head weekly average, also spurred by drought in Texas and the southwest.
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