Replacement Numbers Slide Into a 20-Year Low

Dairy heifers weighing over 500 pounds — a proxy for the number of dairy replacements expected to enter the U.S. milking herd over the next year — have fallen almost 15% during the past six years to settle at 4.06 million head.

That downward shift has taken place so fast that USDA revised its January 2023 dairy heifer inventory figure from 4.34 to 4.07 million. That’s a remarkable 263,000-head reduction in dairy heifers for the same snapshot in time between the January 2023 and January 2024 USDA Cattle reports.

As it stands now, the 4.06 million dairy heifers 500 pounds and over is the lowest total since January 2004, when there were 4.02 million head of dairy heifers in the 500 pound-plus category.

Preventing The Use of "Free" Storage

Why Does “Free” Storage Hurt All Farmers?

When end users offer this program, it is usually because they are having difficulty procuring enough grain to meet their immediate needs. Typically, “free” storage offerings spur a rush of quick-ship grain and help end users get through a month or two of difficult origination. However, this ultimately keeps basis prices artificially lower than the bids end users should be willing to pay for grain right now. In other words, why would end users push their basis bids up when they are getting plenty of grain delivered?

Sunday Best Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients

1 package (6 ounces) pork stuffing mix
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
1 small apple, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
8 boneless pork loin chops (6 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Optional: Minced fresh chives or parsley

Directions

Prepare stuffing according to package directions; cool slightly. In a small bowl, mix seasonings. In another bowl, whisk soup and milk until blended.
Stir cheese, apple and pecans into cooled stuffing. Cut a pocket horizontally in the thickest part of each chop. Fill with stuffing mixture. Brush outsides of chops with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with seasoning mixture.
In a Dutch oven, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Stand pork chops in pan, stuffing side up, spaced evenly. Pour soup mixture around chops; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 35-40 minutes or until pork is no longer pink and a thermometer inserted in stuffing reads 165°.
Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Transfer chops to a serving dish. Spoon sauce over top. If desired, sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Come See Us!

We plan on attending the following shows in 2024 and hope to see you there!

February 23-25: New York Farm Show-Syracuse, NY

February 28-March 2: Commodity Classic-Houston, TX

More to come...