Items: Extension Article
Quarterly Report Shows Decrease in the Number of Heifers on Feed
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Apr. 30, 2026
USDA’s April Cattle on Feed report came in very close to expectations. Total on-feed inventory was down by just over 0.5% from 2025 at 11.58 million head. Both placements and marketings were down considerably from last year, but very close to pre-report estimates.
KFBM Spring 2026 Observations
By Jennifer Rogers | KFBM Area Extension Specialist,
Jerry Pierce | KFBM Program Coordinator,
Kara Schlinke | KFBM Extension Associate Senior,
Kayla Brashears | KFBM Area Extension Specialist,
Laura Powers | KFBM Area Extension Specialist,
Michael Forsythe | KFBM Area Extension Specialist,
Suzy Martin | KFBM Area Extension Specialist,
and Tarrah Hardin | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on Apr. 30, 2026
The Kentucky Farm Business Management Program is a program of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Kentucky.
Global Shipping Disruptions and the Recent Increase in Nitrogen Fertilizer Prices
By Gerald Mashange and Grant Gardner | Assistant Extension Professor
Published on Apr. 30, 2026
Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for fertilizer markets because of its role in both energy and input trade. Roughly 20 million barrels per day of oil move through the Strait, along with nearly all liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from Qatar and the UAE.
Stocker Outlook for 2026
By Greg Halich | Associate Extension Professor and Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Mar. 31, 2026
While the feeder cattle market is down from recent highs in February, it remains at historically strong levels. As we write this in late March, calf prices in the Commonwealth are running over $1 per pound higher than the same time last year.
Thinking Spring in Specialty Crops
By Gabriel Cassone | Extension Associate
Published on Mar. 31, 2026
Introduction
Brazil’s Expanding Corn Ethanol Sector and Global Corn Markets
By Grant Gardner | Assistant Extension Professor and Julio Bellodi Cortarelli | Graduate Student
Published on Mar. 27, 2026
Brazil’s rapid expansion in corn-based ethanol production carries meaningful implications for U.S. corn markets. While Brazil has long been viewed primarily as a sugarcane ethanol producer, its growing reliance on safrinha corn is reshaping domestic grain flows and potentially altering its role in global trade.
Use Your RADAR as a Decision-Making Guide
By Laura Powers | KFBM Area Extension Specialist
Published on Feb. 27, 2026
As a farm manager, as a leader, as a human, our days are spent making decisions. From deciding what (or if) we eat breakfast to when and how much of grain to contract, the process of making decisions is fundamentally the same.
Contraction of the US Beef Cattle Herd Continues
By Kenny Burdine | Extension Professor
Published on Feb. 27, 2026
USDA-NASS released their January 2026 cattle inventory estimates on the afternoon of January 30th. Total cattle and calves were estimated at 86.16 million head, which was about 0.4% lower than January of 2025. This was largely expected as the 2025 cowherd was smaller and on-feed inventory ran below year-ago levels all last year.