Items by Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Prospects for Winter Backgrounding 2025-2026
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Oct. 31, 2025
Tight supplies and strong demand pushed cattle prices to unprecedented levels in 2025. As we write this in early October, calf prices are running over $1 per lb higher than fall of 2025 and heavy feeders are substantially higher as well.
Strategic Farm Finance and Tax Management in Profitable Times
By Jonathan Shepherd | Extension Specialist and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Sep. 28, 2025
Authors: Jonathan D. Shepherd, David Bilderback, and Kenny Burdine
Cowherd Expansion is Not the Only Way to Capitalize on a Strong Calf Market
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Aug. 31, 2025
Much has been written recently about the strength of the current cattle market. With beef cow inventory at a 60+ year low and demand being very strong, cow-calf operations are clearly in the driver’s seat.
Stocker Outlook for 2025
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Mar. 31, 2025
The cattle market has been on a tear since early 2023 with feeder cattle prices at levels not seen before. As we write this in mid-March, calf prices in the Commonwealth are running about $30-$40 per cwt higher than the same time last year and $60-$70 per cwt higher than last year’s fall lows.
Prospects for Winter Backgrounding 2024-2025
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Oct. 31, 2024
Tight cattle supply has largely driven cattle markets in 2024. Markets did see a small pullback in late summer but have actually improved counter-seasonally over the last few weeks. Calf prices are higher than they were this time last year and about $100 per cwt higher than they were in fall of 2022.
Butterfat Continues to be a Major Driver of Milk Value
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Apr. 29, 2024
Kentucky dairy producers are ultimately paid based on the amount of skim milk and butterfat they produce. Needless to say, these two values greatly impact returns for dairy operations and the impact of butterfat has gotten larger over time.
Stocker Outlook for 2024
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Mar. 28, 2024
Temperatures are getting warmer, the grass is getting greener, and the calf market is starting to take off. These are tell-tale signs of spring in Kentucky, and we are experiencing all three.
Cow-Calf Profitability Estimates for 2023 and 2024 (Spring Calving Herd)
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor,
Jonathan Shepherd | Extension Specialist,
and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 28, 2024
The purpose of this article is to examine cow-calf profitability for a spring calving herd that sold weaned calves in the fall of 2023 and provide an estimate of profitability for the upcoming year, 2024. Table 1 summarizes estimated costs for a well-managed spring-calving cowherd for 2023. Every operation is different, so producers
U.S. Beef Cow Inventory Continues to Decline
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 2, 2024
USDA-NASS released their January 2024 cattle inventory estimates on the afternoon of January 31st. Estimates came in pretty close to expectations and confirmed that the cowherd had continued getting smaller during the course of 2023. It was really a question of how much contraction had occurred.
Beef Enterprise Budgets
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor,
Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor,
and Steve Isaacs | Extension Professor
Published on Nov. 1, 2023
This publication contains budgets for production of selected livestock enterprises in Kentucky. The purpose of these budgets is to serve as a management and decision-making guide for current and prospective producers of these enterprises.