The Woodward News

Local News

February 14, 2013

Cattle inventory down 7 percent

Chris Cooper Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — Oklahoma's cattle and calf inventory is down roughly 7 percent from January of 2012 according to the US Department of Agriculture's National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) report.

Oklahoma's current cattle and calf inventory is currently at 4.20 million head, which is down roughly 300,000 since January of last year according to the Oklahoma Cattle Report recently released.

USDA-NASS Director Wilbert Hundl Jr. said, "When you're looking at it from year to year difference, thats a fairly significant amount, but looking at the whole picture, we typically have about 5.2 million, so over a 4 or 5 year history we're down really significantly."

Hundl said cattle inventory in Oklahoma is down it's lowest since 1964.

According to the survey, in January, cows and heifers that had calved were down 2 percent, steers over 500 pounds were down 5 percent, the calf crop was down 10 percent, and heifers over 500 pounds were down a staggering 14 percent from last year.

The drop in cattle may not be restricted to Oklahoma however, as steers, other heifers, and calves grazing on small grain pasture throughout the 3-state area of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas are down 16 percent.

When asked about the drop in cattle and the effect on Oklahoma's cattle market, Hundl said, "In 2010 we had an inventory of 5.5 million head, so in 2012 with 4.5 million we were down a million, and now we're down another 300,000 head on top of that. So we're losing out on income potential for not having enough cattle that can produce a common inventory or produce calves or feeder animals or so on so forth."

Hundl admitted that the drop in cattle may partially be attributed to the drought that continues to plague Oklahoma.

"When there's no water in the pond or forage to graze, something has to be done. And with the cost of feed grain and hay, a rancher has to choose between how much they can cut back on animals versus how much they can afford to feed them," he said.

Text Only
Local News
  • Ways to help tornado victims

    After donations of all kinds came flooding into Woodward a year ago following the April 15 tornado, it seems that local and area organizations are eager to pay it forward and show the same support to our fellow Oklahomans now suffering in Shawnee, Carney, Moore and south Oklahoma City.

    May 22, 2013

  • Area woman injured in wreck

    One-vehicle accident happened east of Mutual on Tuesday morning.

    May 22, 2013

  • Hospital hosting emergency preparedness meeting

    Various healthcare agencies across Northwest Oklahoma will meet in Woodward Thursday for a conference designed to help them advance their emergency preparedness efforts.

    May 22, 2013

  • EMS strike team.jpg Woodward County EMS helping with tornado response

    Woodward County EMS has joined in the response efforts to the devastation following the deadly EF-5 tornado in Central Oklahoma.

    May 21, 2013 1 Photo

  • Fire chief says search almost complete in Oklahoma

    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — The search for survivors and the dead is nearly complete in the Oklahoma City suburb that was smashed by a mammoth tornado, the fire chief said Tuesday.

    Gary Bird said he's "98 percent sure" there are no more survivors or bodies to recover under the rubble in Moore, a community of 56,000 people.

    May 21, 2013

  • Local church to hold prayer vigil for Moore tornado victims

    The First Christian Church in Woodward will be holding a prayer vigil tonight at 6 p.m. in support of the victims of the tornado that struck Moore on Monday.

    May 21, 2013

  • Donations being taken at armory today

    If you would like to send items to help the victims of Monday's tornado that ripped through Moore, donations are being accepted at the old armory building at Crystal Beach Park through 5 p.m. today.

    May 21, 2013

  • Crews dig through night after deadly Okla. twister

    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Spotlights bore down on massive piles of shredded cinder block, insulation and metal as crews worked through the night early Tuesday lifting bricks and parts of collapsed walls where a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburbs, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood. At least 51 people were killed, including at least 20 children, and those numbers were expected to climb, officials said.

    May 21, 2013

  • fireweb.jpg Woodward County fire departments send assistance to Moore

    A search and rescue task force from Woodward County was deployed to help assist with the response to the devastating tornado that ripped through Moore and south Oklahoma City Monday afternoon.

    May 20, 2013 1 Photo

  • Police: School near OKC directly hit by tornado

    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Authorities say an elementary school in an Oklahoma City suburb took a direct hit from a mile-wide tornado.

    May 20, 2013